Malatesta Trattoria

I've only eaten two amazing true Italian dinners outside of Italy in my life, and this is without a doubt one of them. Mouth watering gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce, nicely cooked mussels, and not-too-obnoxious service. Ragu was better than ones I've sampled in Italy. That was our final meal in New York, and it was certainly memorable. Simple, cozy, and unpretentious - exactly how I prefer my eating experiences.

I came into the city to come see my wife, and the service from the tall waiter guy really just blessed our trip and made the entire experience with my wife a beautiful time. Would come eat here again because of the service from the waiter alone, I think his name was Kelly. Wonderful service! Definitely go eat there!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Unfussy and perfect Italian. Great vibes, great price. 🍝 Variety of homemade pastas. I recommend the spinach gnocchi in Gorgonzola. 🥂Fun, intimate, NYC atmosphere. If it’s warm, sit outside! 🍰The tiramisu portions are generous! Most popular item on the dessert menu. The chocolate mousse is also a winner. 🧾Service was slow the night I visited. Maybe they were short staffed. I’m not holding it against them. But don’t expect a fast in-and-out.

I’ve seen this place for years now and always wanted to go! I’m so thrilled it’s still around. 🙏 The food is delicious and the prices super reasonable for the area. The vibe is that good old NYC vibe that has been lost in lots of places in the village, so I’m double thrilled it’s still around and not super overpriced! Can absolutely recommend and will most definitely return!

Food was good and served fast, but there were some notable misses with the service. The hostess put my name down for a party of 2, and said the table should be ready in 30 minutes. I go around the block then arrive at that spot 20 minutes later, expecting to have maintained my spot in the queue. However, I learned that my spot had been given up because I wasn’t in eyesight of the hostess. Basically, I had to stand in a hot, cramp room for 30 minutes continuously to get seated. Eventually we were seated but this was very unusual and left a bad impression on us. The servers also didn’t give us olive oil and balsamic, unlike the other tables. And when we did get them, they were quickly whisked away from our table, no questions asked, even though we were still using them. It’s a good restaurant food-wise, and it would have been 5 stars had it not been for the subpar customer service.