DaMarino NYC

It was Valentine’s Day. We had reservations for 8:45pm. We arrived at 8:30 to find a line of people 30 deep who had reservations but were still waiting to be seated. There was one couple we spoke to who had been waiting for 45 minutes. We left. On such a special night you would think they would be able to book tables correctly and have the organization to be able to manage the flow of people. Very disappointed.

This was my second time back to this establishment as the first visit a few months back was unsuccessful due to the restaurant not having my reservation when checking in. I was visiting nyc again and made a reservation well in advance for Valentine’s Day. AGAIN when I arrived to check in I was rudely told I was not on their list. I showed the host my open table confirmation but he did not seem to care. We ended up leaving but went back the next day with a new reservation and arrived 15 minutes prior to reservation. (Third times a charm maybe??) The restaurant was far less busy than the night before. I was told it would only be a couple minutes to be seated. We still waited over an hour to be seated and people who didn’t have a reservation were seated before me. Once seated we were put into a small table that seemed like it was once a hallway or coat closet. We had to then wait another 15 mins or so for a server to check in. The food was average to say the least and not as good as other Italian restaurants I’ve been to. Word of advice for the owner is to not allow reservations to be made if the restaurant is at capacity and can’t commit to the times. I will definitely not recommend or go back.

We got there on Valentines for a reservation at 7:45 , got seated at 9:20 pm , the line was absurd and many ppl like us were in the same situation . It was very upsetting but it was valentine so we tried to remain calm and wait patiently. Michael i believe it was his name was AMAZING. he really has customer service skills , remain clam through the entire situation and even thought it was stressful he was very nice with each customer approaching him. I really really dislike he got yell at by the manager right in front of all of us. I thought that was not professional , My girl and I were shocked. besides this and the long long wait the food was delicious , our waiter was so kind and nice and good.

Never got my table restaurant overbooked

It was Valentine's Day and Da Marino either overbooked or had a reservation snafu. It was so overcrowded.

may be good if you’re a tourist or going to see a show but there are much better options in the area for good food.

We arrived for our 6 pm reservation and were told it would be 5-10 minutes. We made a 6 pm reservation because we had tickets for a show that started at 8pm and wanted to make sure we would have enough time for a nice dinner before the show. There was a line out the door and after 25 minutes we asked how long it would be and there were still 5 tables ahead of us!! They made WAY too many reservations and we ended up eating at the bar. Donna the bartender was wonderful and knew all the specials and made great suggestions for our dinner. She was amazing and the food was very good but overpriced and we were crowded with people waiting for tables while we ate at the bar!! Definitely not the Valentines Day pre theater dinner we had planned on. They didn’t even seem to care when I told them how disappointed we were by how we were treated. I’ve dined here before and had a wonderful experience but this was a fiasco!!! Won’t be back anytime soon

We had a good dinner, perfectly al dente pasta. One dish had too much sauce. Good chix parm, huge portions. Lovely piano player but a loud patron was distracting to the pianist and diners alike.

Amazing atmosphere! Great service! Food was to die for! Highly recommend their specials! We will definitely be going back.

This was a terrible experience. We waited 45 minutes to be seated and then just gave up and missed our on dinner before the theatre. They were ridiculously overbooked and completely unorganized, with no space for people to wait.

A special occasion was completely ruined. It was totally irresponsible of them to take so many reservations.

Had a 6pm reservation on Saturday 2-8 got there at 545 was told to grab a drink we will be right with you! Well the place is so narrow so there really was no place to stand by the bar because all the seats were taken and there were a lot of people waiting to be seated for there meal! So we were scrunched in this little area! People pushing and very uncomfortable! So 6pm came and went at approximately 630 I asked the host how much longer her said a few more m I'm minutes! Ok so know 7pm and 730 pm the place is absolutely chaotic! Needless to say we wound up leaving! The place is unorganized and the host was rude and obnoxious as if he really did not need our business! Apparently they did not because of how packed it was. We were not the only people to leave there were quite a few parties that also left and were annoyed! Definitely will not be going back!

Completely overbooked and still had OpenTable reservations available while they were over an hour behind on reservations. They could not accommodate about 15x reservations all waiting in a cramped location. The host kept telling everyone that it would just be a couple more minutes, when it was 6:20 pm and they still hadn’t sat their 5:15 reservation. Host said we would have no problem with our 8pm Broadway show but there was no way anyone was making that if they decided to stay and wait. Very poor execution on communication with their guests and very disappointed. I would advise you skip this restaurant if you are working with time constraints for shows.

I was grateful to be accommodated at the last minute for a pre-show dinner for EIGHT! Our original restaurant plans fell apart when it went out of business and Da Marino was able to accommodate us despite a packed house. The ambiance was my favorite aspect -- so cozy on a cold February night. But the service was very good considering the pre-theater crowd. And the variety of dishes pleased everyone in my party--branzino special for me, pasta dishes for my nieces, chicken for my sister. We all enjoyed our meals and made it to our show in time. All around great experience.

The food was great, the ambiance was great too, but we had a 5:30 reservation and weren't seated until 7pm!!!!

Very quaint little place , wonderful service and the food was outstanding

Typical NYC theater district restaurant. Nothing special at all. Very pricey although portions are generous including wine pours. Service was very good to excellent though - very attentive and courteous. It's a shame the quality/preparation of the food does not live up to the service. Would not return since there are so many other much better restaurants in NYC.

My daughter & I arrived 20 minutes early and were submitted immediately. The staff was courteous and pleasant. The food was excellent! Neither my daughter nor I were very hungry so we had an only an entree each but it was delicious.

Very good food! Enjoyed the ambiance and the piano player at dinner.

We booked for after theater and 30th birthday dinner, no one wished or brought up the birthday celebration. It was still a fun, delicious and nice dinner.

Arrived at 5:45 for a 6:00 reservation. At 6:25, we still had not been seated. Ridiculous. A staff member blamed the situation on Open Table but the restaurant is well aware of its reservation numbers. It’s a very poor practice and leaves a bad feeling. Would never recommend or return.

The restaurant was overbooked. We are reservation for 6 PM and by 645 we still weren’t seated we had to leave.

Great ambiance and food before the theatre. I highly recommend it

Celebratory wedding dinner

Despite some reviews the place was tight but typical for a quaint spot like that in NYC, it worked out just fine.
It was not very busy at 5pm but was full when we left at 630 with a small line to sit. Food came out at a good pace and was a good portion for one. Very very good food.

My wife and I had a pre-theatre dinner. The food was quite good and the server asked if we were going to a show. The service was timed so it allowed us plenty of time to eat and still get to the show on time.

They brought bread and dip to the table right away that was very good. Dinner, however, was a different story. It was restaurant week and they did not offer a Prix Fixe menu. We wanted the pasta and clam sauce but they didn't have clams. The rigatoni (rigatoni and spinach) was undercooked, not even al dente. The lasagna (I realize it did say meat lasagna) didn't seem to have any ricotta so that was disappointing. Nice atmosphere. Desserts were good. (Tiramisu and cannolis.) Too many other restaurants nearby with better deals. Wouldn't take a chance going back.

The food and drinks were great! However, the manager was full of himself and yelled at staff including our waitress right in front of us, then broke a glass all over the floor in front of our table. Our server changed mid meal and we waited quite a awhile for the second server to take over and take our main course order. Then the manager was talking so loud to the table next to us, we could barely have a conversation. Then he decided to take over as the entertainer and started singing (not well) over the microphone. We felt really bad for the hired entertainer that was there playing, so we made sure to tip her well on our way out.

We got there about 15 minutes before our reservation (6pm). It was incredibly crowded and hard to even get to the hostess. After I let them know we had arrived, they said we may have to wait 15-20 minutes, which was fine. As we crammed into the small area behind the bar, we began speaking with others waiting and many had been waiting an hour or more even with reservations. One family had been there since 4:45 (had a reservation for 5pm) and still had not been seated by 6:30pm. We had show tickets for 8pm and finally decided to leave and head to another restaurant near by at 6:45pm. Very poorly handled, if they know they’re crowded every Saturday, why allow so many reservations to be made. So terrible.

We went on a Saturday before a 8pm show - had a 6:15 reservation. I had read previous reviews that the restaurant was overbooking before shows - I should have listened. At 4pm, we stopped by to check and were assured that the overbooking was not a problem; maybe a small wait but arrive early and you could enjoy a drink at the bar while you wait. We returned at 5:45. We ended up being seated 45 minutes late for our reservation. The narrow entrance to the restaurant was terrible, having to squeeze between the bar and a wall. With about 20 people all waiting for tables in this area, this was a awful. If your are claustrophobic, stay away. The bar tender seemed more interested in having conversations with people at the bar then cranking out drinks for the sardine-like crowd in the bar area. The owner or manager claimed that "Open Table" was overbooking them; however, I saw an Open Table reservation printout AND a handwritten list of reservations. I think they were negligently overbooking. I listened to people complain about 1 hour 45 minute waits and watched people leave rather than wait any longer. The waiting patrons started to lose their cool and a few gave him an earful. Best he could say was "I'm sorry". I am sure at any other time, maybe even weekday nights, its better, but on a Saturday night before a show, it was a terrible pre-show experience. Eat at 4 pm or eat elsewhere.

We had a reservation. As did the FIFTY people who were ALSO standing in a narrow corridor against the bar, definitely to be trapped and trampled in case of an emergency. When we were finally seated, more than an hour later, and after several heated exchanges with the manager, we needed to place our entree order before they would even pour water for us so that we could get to our Show. The food (though limited to things which could be prepared quickly) and the table service were EXCELLENT. The issue was that the restaurant was horrifically overbooked. If the management had been honest and turned us away when we arrived for our 6pm reservation, we could have eaten elsewhere. Instead we were told for more than an hour that we would be seated and served. The maitre de' was exceptionally unpleasant and unhelpful and rudely took out his poor management on the staff. From their complacent attitude, I believe that this overbooking happens EVERY night. DO NOT EAT HERE, THE EXPERIENCE IS UNPLEASANT.

We had a 5:45 reservation that we made through OpenTable and we were not seated until almost 7pm. We had an 8pm show so we had to rush through our dinner. And what made it worse, where they have you waiting is so crowded you can’t move, people are pushing as they try to get by you - it was very uncomfortable for over an hour waiting. Food was good, not great, but by the time we are we were already frustrated and rushing. It’s so crowded because they do not limit the number of reservations they take and they blame OpenTable. Never would I go back.

Had a reservation and the place was a disaster. Waited an hour past our reservation time still no table. No where to stand couldn’t get to the bar. If you make a reservation call before you go and see if the reservation means you’ll have a table. Couldn’t tell you about the meal we never made it to a table.

Worst 2 hour restaurant experience EVER! Never got to eat here because the manager sat his friends over those (like us) with a reservation. He called the day before to be sure I made the correct reservation on open table app. Looking back on the call his true intention was just to see if I would drop a name.... ugh!
Our reservation was at 5:45 PM on a Saturday. We arrived 45 minutes early because it was pouring rain and we had two small kids with us. Instead of walking we took a cab that got us to the restaurant early. He said nothing was available so we waited at the bar. His station was at the end of the bar - in our site the whole time.. we ordered drinks for the whole family. ONE HOUR AFTER OUR RESERVATION there wasn’t a table in sight (very small place) to accommodate us. We asked a few times how much longer and second host said 15 minutes… We wasted almost 2 hours there managers assistant was so frustrated with him and kept apologizing and said there was nothing he could do. If you have a reservation and do not have an inside contact, you will be there for hours before you get seated. Hate to even give it a one star. Serafina next-door was awesome! I would recommend that place over this one.

There is no denying the food was amazing. Unfortunately, having a reservation doesn't mean anything. We waited an hour for our table and had to rush our dinner as we were going to see a show. When i talked to the manager he promised to make the wait worth our while but ended up avoiding our table altogether.

What made it worse, the issue with reservations is recurring and they haven't fixed it. Stay away if you're going to a Broadway show and expect your reservation to be prompt. You won't have the time to enjoy your meal or the company.

Arriving for my 5:00 reservation at 5:04 (they say there’s 15 minute grace period) I was told they are running late and it could be 30 minutes wait. I told them I have a theatre curtain at 7pm and they said they’d do their best which resulted in 35 minute wait. There were a mob of people showing up all of whom were forced to wait. The server then told me the only way I’d make my show was to order salad or pastas. I did and spaghetti meatballs was average. But here’s the worst part. Their printed desserts menu WITHOUT PRICES. AND IT TURNED OUT THE PIECE OF. CHEESCAKE WAS $17
This is ridiculous even for nyc.
Shame on you for taking advantage of people’s trust with no prices showing and. Charging far too much. I’ll never return

Love the ambiance and food but very loud and crowded due to theater crowd. Would recommend to go outside prime-time with theater times. Server was friendly and attentive but crowded, loud atmosphere took away a little from experience. Ive been to Da Marino several times and have never been disappointed with the food but much better when not too crowded/loud.

The food was outstanding, as always, as was the service. We are two grown men and were placed at a very small table for two. I understand that two-top tables need to be filled, but the tables are so incredibly small. Not to mention, it was in a high-traffic area, which made things even more difficult. It’s hard to enjoy yourself when you are feeling wedged into a small space, but I guess that’s NYC for you.

We will be back because we love the food and service.

Overall, the ambiance and friendly, accommodating staff make up for a lot at this restaurant, despite the cramped dining area. Out of four of us, one was enthralled with her pasta entree. Mine was overly salted, another overly cheesed.

Delicious! Felt and tasted like we were in Italy.

We enjoyed our dinner at DaMarino's and will definitely return on our next visit to NYC. We loved the quaintness and decor of the restaurant. Our meals were very good, especially the pappardelle with bolognaise sauce. One of the best I've ever tasted! We enjoyed listening to the piano music, also. We appreciated the excellent food, atmosphere, and entertainment which contributed to a wonderful evening in the city! Thank you, DaMarino!