Emilio's Ballato - New York

Cute homie feel, good restaurant wouldn’t wait hours in the rain for it. But overall pretty good food. Some of the dishes needed seasoning. Love the photos of the celebrities, but some didn’t know the name could’ve cleared some wall space. Apparently Taylor Swift went there recently, which was the main reason my dad was so appealed to this. But what is Taylor Swift really know about food? She’s the highest paid Pop artist but I’ve never heard anything about her taste in food. I mean she’s super skinny and she’s from Wisconsin I’m not convinced. But overall. If you’re looking for an Italian and it’s not raining and you’re willing to wait, I would attend but do not get the pork chop. It was not great just a meat pork chop. Thank you. (As written by my sister)

This place is definitely an experience! I'm not a huge marinara fan, and my mom doesn't like tomato sauces. This was our first time being in an area to try authentic Italian food. They had specials, but we kept it simple. Two of us got the spaghetti and meatballs, and my mom got the pasta that had zucchini in it. Our plates were almost licked clean! We shared the charcuterie app and ate that clean, too. My only complaint and not really a complaint is that when we got the check, we were charged for two charcuterie apps. If we ordered it by accident, I had no problem paying it, I mean, we ate the whole thing. Turns out since it was 3 of us, they charge two charcuterie plates and made the plate a larger portion, so if it was 2 of us, it would have been 1. It would have been nice knowing only because we would have gotten two different appetizers. Either way, the food was great, the service was great, and the experience was great. One thing I was fascinated by and enjoyed watching was that after they would let someone sit down, they locked the door. I'm assuming to keep people from walking in and crowding. It lets everyone in the restaurant enjoy the experience. It's a super small restaurant. We got there maybe 20 minutes after opening, and it was almost full. Considering people kept coming, I don't think one or two angry customers getting locked out will make a difference.

Decent experience with considerable waiting time… perhaps still good to try out this restaurant where many celebrities have been visited such as Barack Obama, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, etc. Arriving at 5:20 PM on a Friday, my friend and I were met with a considerable line of 20+ people. While the staff diligently communicated the potential wait of one to two hours, we were seated at a table for two around 7:45 PM. We tried crispy rosemary potatoes and zucchini fries for our appetizers, both appetizing choices. The chicken parmigiana stole the show, arriving as a generous portion adorned with flavorful tomato sauce, ample mozzarella, and parmigiana cheese undeniably the highlight of our meal. Regrettably, the white sauce clam spaghetti didn't quite meet my expectations, as it seemed overly greasy and the pasta itself lacked the freshness I anticipated. The pasta was slightly undercooked for my taste, resulting in a chewier texture than desired. While the restaurant's ambiance and its celebrity clientele added an intriguing appeal, sharing portions for two proved a bit challenging. Overall, the service was commendable, and the food, although mixed in quality, had its highlights. However, considering the extensive wait time, I'm unsure if I would return due to the patience required for another lengthy queue.

Love this place. Fantastic food and very authentic. Went for our Holiday Party. Wonderful!

It’s worth it. It’ll love it up to everything you’ve heard, every reel you’ve seen and every friend that’s raved about this spot, it’s just that good. Old school classic Italian done to perfection. Just know you’re in for a long wait if you don’t have some sort of connection to a reservation. *The veal Milanese with vodka sauce is pricey but so delicous.