A hidden gem in NYC!!

We had lunch with a couple of friends there. It was not our first time at this place though as I work in the neighborhood. The food is good. However, the service is always very slow - e.g. 15 minutes to get menus, another 15 to order a drink, etc. In the end, this time, for a party of three they included a 25% tip on the check (of course, we asked to take that tip out). And they also charged $48 for the appetizer size crab salad from their specials - no early warning on that of course (which is $20-25 in any other place in the area). Certainly not coming back to this place for a while.

I hosted a business lunch for 6. Food is authentically Italian, which is a nice change in a sea of "Italian" restaurants. I asked for a quiet table, which was accommodated. Wonderful service. I would definitely return.

by far my favorite restaurant in NYC and i've been bringing friends here for years.
Mario went out of his way to make my guests comfortable and the food and service are first class!

Il Postino would seem to be an elegant, Old World Italian restaurant. But we had to shout to hear each other at our own table, because the shouting at the other tables was so constant that the noise level just kept mounting. The food was really nothing special, which made the high prices insulting. We won't be back anytime soon.

The food was amazing and the service outstanding! We are from Vancouver, BC and celebrated a birthday here eleven years ago. We were so impressed we came back for our 40th Anniversary and so glad we did!

I love this restaurant!!! It is a lovely experience since it is old school fancy (in a very good way!). The waiters are formal and they do some of the cooking by your table . The food is delicious and when you sit down they bring you delicious nibbles...I love the zucchini! We needed to be a little extravagent due to life's stress and dinner at Il Postino was the perfect antidote. It is a little expensive but worth it.

The service was wonderful.we asked for a quiet table and were pleased to see that the restaurant is bi level. Food and drinks were wonderful

Unbelievable service and quality of food. Some of the best pasta I have ever eaten. Classical high end Italian.

Excellent service and first class food

We chose to go to Il Postino because it was close to where we were staying and had availability for a late reservation (10:00PM) on a Thursday night. The restaurant is very well appointed and the hostess was warm and friendly. After our initial seating, the service quickly turned mediocre with a very inattentive waiter. Most of the visits to our table were by one of the (non-english speaking) staff.

I had a wonderful martini to start and my wife and I had seafood main courses. She had dover sole and I had Sea Bass. Each of us had a small caesar side salad as well and shared a bottle of Pellegrino. No other alcohol was ordered. We each had a decaf coffee (more on this later) to end the meal.

So, one martini, two small salads, two seafood main courses, two coffees, and one bottle of Pellegrino. Total bill, before gratuity......$223.20, ouch.

The food was OK, not great. The service was distracted at best and to top it off at the end, they served us REGULAR COFFEE! My wife and I were up half the night tossing and turning due to caffeine ingestion at 11:15PM. I always make it a point to ask my server to confirm I am being served decaf, but again our server was nowhere to be seen and the person who served up the coffee either did not understand my question or just said "yes, yes" to finish his service for the night.

Granted it was late and I'm sure the staff was ready to call it a night as we were the last to leave, but seriously, this place was a very good example of overpriced and disappointed. In addition, the wait staff was not very attentive and we paid dearly for food and service that on a good day should cost half as much as we were billed.

We have been to this restaurant on several occasions. It has always been excellent. The young lady working the bar was very gracious and accommodating. This time there seemed to be some confusion among the wait staff. It took a long time to get menus - only got 1 for 3 people. There were 2 waiters coming, each one not knowing that the other had already come by to take the order, and as a result there was a duplicate drink order. We will come back and are looking forward to better service next time.

As always, this place is spectacular. The Dover Sole is special

I loved everything about the restaurant! It offers and delivers, an unforgettable dining experience!

Enjoyed our experience very much.

Staff was attentive and very knowledgeable. The atmosphere was delightful and we are looking forward to our next visit.

Valentine's Day...
Our waiter was rude, zero service from him!
food was good!
it was extremely loud! zero romance.
waiters were screaming at each other and bumping into one another
space was small for so many waiters that didnt cater to us!
It will be a long time before I visit this restaurant again!!

Tried restaurant week dinner menu. Pork chop and ricotta cheesecake were delicious! Great portion, too. Will come back.

Each time We eat there it’s always the same. Delicious and always very welcoming

We loved our dinner at Il Postino. I agree every bite of my meal. Usually I save half for lunch. Not this time I had clams and mussels to start , followed by a veal dish and Pana Cotta for dessert. My husband started with a calamari, followed by a black and white spaghetti dish that we saw prepared before us.
The wait staff was attentive and knowledgeable. The owner came over to say hello and stayed to chat about his restaurant. We were very happy.
We will definitely be back.

The food is superb as is the experience. Fresh porcini and hard to find and are prepared deliciously. The off-menu specials are excellent. A fun experience with great food, wine and service. It is quite expensive.

It was restaurant week, and we looked for a restaurant on the east side. The menu seemed wonderful, and we were meeting friends. We were actually surprised, very pleasantly, by the menu, portions, quality and even quantity of the food.
The special menu was perfect for 4 quite picky eaters, and satisfied all tastes and expectations that were surpassed.

We have been to this restaurant a few times. Food and service are good. The staff is happy and and friendly.

I needed a place close to the office for a ladies lunch. This was perfect. The food, service and staff were wonderful. We could hear each other easily. We went during restaurant week and the menu had options for everyone in our group

A little TOO many servers on constant hover; but that said staff, service and food was phenomenal.

I was very impressed with Il Postino. Everything was lovely. Staff was courteous. I would definitely go back.

Excellent as always!

Had a delightful and delicious NY Restaurant Week lunch with my husband who works in NYC. Would definitely return for another meal.

Wonderful food. Friendly staff. No pressire

Great rest. Food, service and ambiance were wonderful. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Celebrated my aunt’s 91st Birthday today and the lunch was delicious. Consistently great food with superb service 🎂👍🏼

My husband and I went during restaurant week, and chose this restaurant because we liked the choices on the restaurant week menu. All the pasta is homemade and just delicious. The portions are very large. We could not be more pleased with the quality of food and the romantic ambience. Will definitely come back again!

Great neighborhood find. Food & service were excellent but VERY overpriced!
Waiters are very good salesman.

Birthday and family wvent

Wonderful place just down from our hotel (Lotte Palace). One of our friends' favorites, this was a magical meal. Greeted by three different waiters, all from different parts of Italy. Black truffle season, the one waiter is from the area of Italy where these come from and explained to us and the kids all about truffles and their origin etc. They have an extensive menu but will also make ANYTHING to order, and they tell you that. Homemade pasta, wonderful ingredients, just superb.

IPostino
Very Disappointing Price Fixed Lunch
We’ve come for dinner several times, and the food was delicious from pastas to veal to chicken. This small, pleasant dining room nestled on 49th street off first avenue caters to the well to do upper east side crowd. Dinner is quite pricey for Italian fare, but worth it as the service and food were top notch. Lunch is an entirely different story.
We decided to try the bargain, priced fixed lunch ($29 pp for an appetizer, entree and dessert), and, the old adages are true ..... you get what you pay for..... there’s no free lunch. The service was attentive, but neither warm nor accommodating. We felt as though the staff thought they were doing us a favor by “permitting” us to partake in the priced fixed menu. The food was average at best. Having had delicious dinners here ( yes, at substantially higher cost) all 6 of us were not happy with our lunch. The calamari appetizer was tasty, yet the eggplant appetizer tasted old and not fresh. The vegetable soup had the consistency of paste. The veal entrees were also not fresh. The desserts were so very tiny and small, we all chuckled when they were served. The best part of the meal was the marinated zucchini served upon arrival and the Cappucino we ordered with the microscopic desserts. Skip Il Postino’s price fixed lunch, it’s simply not good .... instead head over for dinner where the level of service and food (along with the prices) are at a much higher level.

My friend and I had a wonderful lunch at the restaurant. They serve a fabulous 3 course lunch with many choices. The food was great and the service, while being attentive , was well paced. We enjoyed a nice European lunch.

As always, Il Postino is Great we went with friends on Christmas Eve and had a wonderful meal. Service always great. Thank you, Il Postino.

Very busy on the night of Dec. 24, but our reserved table was ready when we arrived. Excellent meals and wine, friendly and knowledgeable service. Nice décor but not stuffy or formal. Between 1st and 2nd Avenues, so just a short walk from the usual spots nearer 5th, Madison & Park. Well worth a try.

Delicious , very fresh well-prepared food with a classic menu with a twist. The servings are very generous and they are happy to split for you. Freshest salads that we had in city especially in winter : had beets, fennel and arugula, also pear and arugula . . At our table we had swordfish simply prepared surrounded by bright delicately prepared vegetables and hearts of palm and cherry tomato salad. Others raved about the grilled double veal chop and rack of lamb. Irresistible desserts included tiramisu , citric fruit filled with sorbet., chocolate chip cannoli. Noise level a little high but manageable. A little pricey. We will definitely return for special occasions.

Delicious food and such friendly service. We really enjoyed it and will be back.