Marchi's Restaurant Reviews

A visit to Marchi's is like going to grandma's house for a holiday. The food just keeps coming out. There is no menu,the only thing you order is your drink. The cooking is northern Italian. Some of the best lasagna ever, with only a hint of tomato in a brown meat sauce. The setting, in a beautiful east side brownstone, is very comfortable, gracious and spotlessly clean. The service has always been friendly and courteous. A bonus in good weather is dinner out on the patio with a view of the Empire State Building in the background. A five course outstanding dining experience for the price of an average NYC dinner. What a great evening!!

Marchi's is unique, even for New York. There is no menu and they just start serving you once you sit down. It is definitely a wow! I have gone back many times over the years, and enjoy taking friends and family there. The food is great and the service is great! It is a treat and someplace you have to go to.

This is a wonderful and unique restaurant for celebrating any special occasion or just enjoying a family style meal. There is no menu. Instead, they offer a delicious five-course Northern Italian meal. Their lasagna is to die for. The food is quite different than the usual Italian fare and well worth the pre fixe price. Everything is freshly cooked and prepared and well worth the wait. Be prepared to kick back and enjoy a two-hour sumptuous dinner. The decor is retro and stately. It is a very pretty place. The waiters take pride in providing excellent service.

I am disappointed to read the reviews posted here on TripAdvisor. Marchi's is a slice of history, a step back in time the way it used to be, the embodiment of old world charm. Situated on a tree lined street in a brownstone with no sign outside, it is a magical place that transports you back to a simpler time. The Marchi family has owned and operated this establishment for 81 years and the menu remains unchanged. In fact, there is no menu - no pressure of a decision to be made, just sit back, enjoy some wine and immerse yourself in the feast as it unfolds before you. The ingredients are unbelievably fresh and everything is homemade. The Lorenzo salad is simply remarkable (love the capers and olives!), the lasagna literally melts in your mouth, and the fish was purchased from the fish market just hours before. All this and I haven't even mentioned the main course yet! The average diner is a bit older, typically forties and above (I am in my 30's and have been coming every year for the past 10 years). Give it a chance, i promise you will not be disappointed. The staff are family (even if not blood related) and want to make your dining experience an excellent one! If you're dining during the warmer months, you must sit in the garden, the view of the Empire State Building is remarkable!

Time stands by At Marchi's . I have been here now 4 times (3 times w/wife) and we always enjoy our meal. The 5 courses outstanding service next to none and we always leave with a smile on our faces.

Very good meal. Found that it was not as good as on previous visits (lasagna was just ok, not great and the fruit bowl was skimpy with not much variety of fruit). But for $60.00 for a 5 course meal you can't beat it. A member of the family is still there also to greet you. Totally recommend. Go with a empty stomach as you get more than enough to eat. There is no menu, but what you get is great. Great place for a special occasion.

I live in the neighborhood, and had heard about this place with its no choice "five course" menu which hasn't changed in 70 years. You would think after all that time serving the same food that they would get it right. Perhaps in the 1930's when people were less sophisticated it passed for a genuine Tuscan restaurant. Today in Tuscany any restaurant that serves what they do would be closed instantly by irate customer. It is vastly overpriced, ridiculously priced wine list. $80 prix fixe for raw vegetables and a sharp knife to cut them served with lousy salami, runny lasagna, dry chicken and fatty veal, and a bowl of fruit with greasy fried desert fritters? Never again.

This was a very strange dining experience. I love the idea of a fixed menu, but unfortunately the food was very bland and some of the courses were just bizarre (one course is a bowl of raw radishes & celery). The server was very nice & accommodating but I can't say one nice thing about the food -- any of it. I have no idea how this place has managed to stay in business for so long. I'm really baffled.

I've been going to Marchi's for close to 30's years and it's like going back home over and over again. Anyone who knocks the food most likely has issue with their taste buds as this is an unique experience that is what Italians bring to the table (pun intended). It's not always full and their schedule is one of the reasons. I can't wait to go back again which is my 50th time. Great for groups as well. Excellent wine list, great service and food that just keeps coming. Essbeepee who gave this a bad rating is most likely a jaded New Yorker who feels it's their place to be negative just for the heck of it.

A lifetime of fine dining. We have been eating here for at least 52 years. The food and service are outstanding. We have always use this restaurant for special occasions but now, they are closing December 28 of this year. We will miss it.

Enjoyed a wonderful dinner here and loved the food, service and location. No menu but the same dinner served every night. Good cocktails and average wine list. The service is impeccable and the restaurant lends itself to a place where a couple can have that special time together. We love other places in NYC but we go here when we want a night out.

Last night we went to Marchi's. My father and I went there over 35 years ago for the first time. Friends of ours told us that it was still around so we decided to try the restaurant again. This restaurant has been in the family for a few generations. We sat outside in the outdoor courtyard. The evening was perfect, the food was great (a lot of food that just kept coming and coming). The owner came to our table to talk to us and everyone made sure that our dining expereince was just perfect! This little treasure is worth checking out!

Serves multi-course meal. 3 people with tip and no alcohol was close to $100 a person. We ate outside around dusk. Misquotes abound. Bad choice on our part. First course basically celery stalks and radishes. Salad was OK, and vegetables were OK too, but portions small. The lasagna was a joke .. about 2 inches by 2 inches. The fish was OK, but small portion. The meat dish was also small. Dessert was basically fired dough sprinkled with powdered sugar. I think in its heyday long ago, it might have been good.

This is one of the best, old school Italian places in the country. Rated highly back to the 1950's, the old school prix fix only schema is beyond any expectation. With all kinds of starters, 2nds, & thirds and then mains and more veg and desserts and drinks - this place is really one of the best-of-the-best of all time! Expect a mixed antipasto, salad/soup, fish (whole de-boned whiting) a chicken and/or veal dish, another few dishes, veg and the like, heavy dessert. The best of old family style Italian in NY, hands down.

We went as a group of eight because my mother in law had been to the place years before. The restaurant has been in the business since 1930 in the same location. There is no menu and the meal consists of five courses with no deviation or choices. Starting with the atmosphere, the decor is a throw back and badly dated. Everything looks well past its prime. During the course of our meal which encompassed a little over two hours, we were the only customers on a Saturday evening. The highlight was the service, which was pleasant and attentive. It's the food that was lacking. The first course was fruits and vegetables along with some salami. All of it was passable. The second course was something referred to as lasagna. I don't believe anyone expecting lasagna would be comfortable looking at this food and using that name. It was a mush of limp pasta and cheese in a chicken tasting broth. It looked more like soup. The next course is fried cod. The oil used to fry the fish tasted like it might have been the same stuff that was in the fryer when the restaurant opened in 1930. The main course was a small portion of thinly sliced veal and a small piece of baked chicken. Both were adequate, but not substantial. The dessert consisted of fried lemon cakes and fried dough, both again reeking of old oil. It was supplemented by fruit. I hate to send in a poor review, but this restaurant is expensive and the food comes nowhere close to justifying it. The bill for eight was close to $600 with one modestly priced bottle of wine and excluding the tip. Be warned before going.

What a wonderful preservation of family history. The dinner experience here make one wish their grandma was from Italy. The staff is professional and service unbelievable. They treat you as if you are in their home. Excellent food.....fresh and perfectly cooked. After dinner we were given a tour of their garden area (was mid-May and a bit cool for us). Someday hope go back. Beautiful outdoor setaing area and a night view of hte Empire State Bldg. AWESOME. Passed throught the kitchen to get there and all the help was greeting you on the way thru and thanking you on the way out. Fantastic 5 course dinner in a quiet atmosphere, a rare find anymore.

Several years ago I went to New York and found this restaurant, I would say I had a nice experience. Plenty savory food. Later on time I went again to celebrate my 10th anniversary, but the experience was quiet different. It seemed to me they were lack of interest and the food was not that good. I know running a food business with some many options is not easy. But I hardly would return again to Marchi´s.

This was one of my favorite restaurants for many years but over time it went from being a wonderful dining experience to gradually less and less satisfying. The food portions have gotten smaller over the years while the price of the meal has increased markedly. The fish course has changed from fresh to deep fried, previously frozen. The accompanying vegetable portions and sauteed mushrooms have also decreased in quantity and quality. The main course of chicken and veal was also disappointing and that course used to be the besr of all. Finally, their famous crostini for dessert were so hard that I almost broke a tooth. The coffee as always was excellent. Overall a disappointing dining experience.

an unusual dinner because you don't order anything on the menu (what menu?). they bring out some fresh vegetables to begin - you cut them up if you want to eat them - and then each dish is put in front of you. the lasagna was pasty and had no taste, the fish (cod) was fried and greasy. the chicken was good and the desserts were, again, greasy. it's paced very well though. the best part? the owner took us outside to their beautiful nyc garden which overlooked the empire state bldg - all lit up for halloween! gorgeous if you want to eat outdoors. otherwise, don't go there for the food.

This is a 5-course, overprice-fix. None of the courses are very good, but the bread is great. So if you want to pay $80 for bread, go here.

As others said, this restaurant has been serving the same menu for some 70 years. It is fun to sit down to a two-hour tasting menu featuring an interesting selection of Italian food. The fruit was delicious, the sauce for the homemade lasagna delicate and the veal tasty. Eating there is a unique opportunity to experience the type of Sunday dinners that use to be part of many Italian families lives.

My husband and I have been dining at Marchi's whenever we get in to the City, for at least the past 40 years. This week, we came from 150 miles away, just for the pleasure of dining there on our wedding anniversary. This place is wonderful! It probably won't appeal to those who have only encountered (and expect) heavily seasoned, garlicky, tomato-based "Italian", but if you have a discerning palate, their food is really special. Our particular favorites on their fixed menu are the (non-tomato-based) lasagne, and the crema fritta dessert. My only disappointment, if one can call it that, is that they have replaced the lovely whiting they used to serve as the fish course with cod.

We first experienced this restaurant in 1953 when it had been featured in Gourmet Restaurant. Our first banquet meal was $3.50 per person and have returned every time we are in New York. We have never been disappointed because it's always the same great food.

We've been going for forty years. The waiters, the atmosphere and the food are always terrific. This place is very unusual, though, in that there is no menu other than a wine list. The food follows a format of several different wonderful vegetables including fennel, beets, red cabbage, and other things you might not usually order; but they are included and you really should try them. The finished dishes are amazing. Dinner always also includes the world's lightest lasagna plus fish, chicken and some form of meat, either veal or beef or pork. And this is all followed by a fruit bowl and the most amazing desserts. They also make a really great pot of coffee. All of this for about fifty dollars a person plus drinks, tax and tips. Nestled in a brownstone with only a family crest outside, you have to look for them to find them but they are well worth looking for. Everyone we've ever brought there has been wowed by this place. It's one of the hidden jewels of NYC.

Searching for an outstanding restaurant with an accessible location for a birthday dinner turned out to be easy when working with Marchi's. Christine and John made sure everything was perfect, from the pre-dinner bar service to the birthday cake arrangements. Marchi's is a rarity-- consistently delicious, with quality and variety within an established, set menu. Because the flow of dishes is continuous and abundant, all the guests, from the vegans to the omnivores, went away satisfied and smiling. It truly was a happy birthday party!

I've been coming here since the early 70's and it's not an easy commute as I live in Palm Springs, California. I started coming to Marchi's when I lived in Manhattan in 1972. Absolutely the best "experience" possible for a GREAT Italian meal. Everyone serving is wonderful, it's like being in the city during the prohibition ear BUT with booze. Can't recommend enough and can't wait to be back.

I was intrigued by the idea that this restaurant has served the same five course, fixed price menu for 70 years and is able to sustain a successful business. We attended a friends anniversary celebration and the model was perfect for our party of 18. The service was good, the food provided mixed results. Parts of the first course were very good (salami in particular) and some was a bit strange. The lasagne was excellent. The fish, chicken, and veal courses were average - nothing spectacular. It is definitely worth a visit and I could see myself going back every few years.

We celebrated our daughters wedding at Marchi's. As always the food and the ambiance were outstanding. Our hosts and the staff were exceptional! A very memorable event with great food, wonderful Friulian wine. Could not have been more perfect!

Marchi's is one of the most memorable restaurants I have ever eaten at. It has been run by the same family for three generations. Eating at Marchi's is like eating at your Italian grandmother's home on Sunday afternoon. The food is remarkably simple, yet spectacular. The meal starts with antipasti of salami, finochio, garden vegetables, melon and bread sticks. Then comes the lasagna, with homemade pasta, fried whiting with beats and string beans. The roast pork or veal, with roasted chicken comes next, with sautéed mushrooms and a simple salad. The dessert is equally amazing. Lemon fritters, a bowl of fruit, a think slice of cheese, and the majestic Crustoli, sprinkled with confectioners sugar. All you have to do is sit down and order your preferred beverage. The bar mixes classic cocktails and the wine list is simple and surprising. The meal is a 5 course wonder that never changes. It is something I dream about at times. Our family has been going to Marchi's for decades. It is one of the best kept secrets in NYC. If you want to enjoy great service, traditional "homemade" Italian food in a retro-traditional family restaurant...go to Marchi's. It is a great restaurant.

Nothing tops the Marchi's. Restaurant is like being at home. The courses are like no other food you will have anywhere else. Loved everything. Service is top notch. Can't wait to return.

Reading the other reviews here, I am so confused how half the people are raving and half the people are disgusted. This makes me wonder if we went to 2 different restaurants. We drove 2 hours with excitement for the prefixed meal at a restaurant that has been around for 88 years. All I can say is the meal was horrible. The five course meal offered nothing that I would look forward to ever eating again. The first course, a cabbage, tuna, olive, caper salad was accompanied by some melon, radish, celery and anise. The salad was average at best. The second course, lasagna, was horrible. The third course was a piece of fried fish with a slice of lemon, along with some green beans and beets, neither of which had any flavor. The fourth course, a piece of chicken and a slice of dried out veal with a bowl of lettuce were tasteless. The final course was a bowl of fruit, a lemon fritter and hard, tasteless crostini. My teenage daughter could have prepared this meal. On the bright side the service was ok. We won't be returning.

Marchi's is a New York institution that is unique and too much under the radar. I ate there this week; my last visit had been almost 40 years ago. Very little has changed (except, of course, the price of the meal, which for 5 courses is still very reasonable). Our experience was similar to the other "excellent" reviews, so I won't repeat a description of the experience. All I can say is that it should be much higher ranked than it is on TA. I'm sure that's because there are relatively few reviews, so I wanted to add mine.

Entering this restaurant on East 31st St, you are entering a private dining enclave that has been in serving a set menu fixed price meal since the 1940's. The formula for success has worked and continues to work its charm of countless tens of thousands of more than satisfied customers over the decades. In the warmer months, make it a point to sit in the Garden. The service is efficient and attentive to your every need. The wine list is discerning to your palate and the choice of food presented. You will not be disappointed and will leave the restaurant satisfied with your choice.

This the only restaurant that doesn't have a menu. The customer only eat what the chef makes, such as chicken.

I have been eating at Marchi's since 1978, when I was brought there by a cousin and his wife. Since that time, I have probably eaten there 50 times. I think the food, presentation, ambiance, and overall quality is unsurpassed. They serve an impressive multi-course Northern Italian dinner. There is nothing to order except the wine. Each course is uniformly excellent. I have NEVER been disappointed. This is a great spot for a special evening or a romantic dinner.

Food , service was great . The owner was very friendly and accommadating .Fantastic garden eating area with an outstanding view of Empire State Building.brought back very fond memories

My fond memories of this once venerable Italian eatery were dashed with what can only be called a lack luster meal and poor/inept service in a drably appointed room that was reminiscent of a friend's basement rec room. The wines were underwhelming and over priced, as was the flavorless meal. I came with a large party, anticipating a terrific meal, only to be woefully disappointed on all fronts. I won't ever go back. Pity....

it was mothers day this year and my daughter and son in law along with my daughters mother in law went to a lovely , flavorful and variety meal awesome. The menu is the same for over 30 plus years and still is "top shelf" worth a try and sit out side if weather permits.

I have been going to this Best Kept Secret In Manhattan for 35 years. It is one of the most unassuming restaurants that I have been to save one that I visited 35 years ago in Boston. If you have not been brought to this place by a friend you would not know that it is even there. I have grown up with the now departed original Father & Mother and have continued visiting their through another full generation with the next having also met. I have always been happy and excited with their meals. Marchi's is a place that utilizes a brownstone home and serves and seats you in various rooms. Their menu is 7 course and there is no menu. Each night has it's own singular menu. This is a must visit if you enjoy true authentic home made Italian Food.

Marchi's advertises "No sign outside, No Menu inside" setting the stage for one of the most unique dining experiences you are bound to find anywhere. The multi-course dinner (which identical meal has been served every night for decades) will delight and is served in one of several beautiful dining rooms, which will transport you back to eating at your grandma's. The pasta course will knock your socks off and it is impossible to leave either hungry or disappointed! Don't Miss Marchi's!

This restaurant is great. We have been coming here for years. Spent Easter, Mothers Day and now Christmas here. Be prepared to leave not wanting to look at food for a while. All courses are good and plentiful. And the price is amazing. We will be back this summer to sit outside and enjoy seeing the Empire State Building while we dine. We are planning many friends here to enjoy also

I have visited Marchis every year on my birthday for 15 years (Saturday will be birthday 45). The old world charm, the warmth of the original brownstone, the kindness of the Marchi family, and most importantly the food! Nay Sayers need to realize this is real, authentic food - not over salted, not trendy, just delicious home cooked northern Italian. Sit back, relax and enjoy the art of the food presentation of home cooked goodness.

The place and service are excellent, but I cant understand how they keep serving the same tasteless food for 80 years. The fish is just deepfried cod, the veal has no taste at all and the lasagna is plain and blant. Go if you are not hungry and preferably for a drink.

This was THE WORST EXPERIENCE of a dinner in Manhattan and... I live here... it’s not edible! Please SAVE YOUR MONEY! Gross! Each dish was a disappointment. We tried really hard to be nice but for $250 STAY AWAY! Best thing about this place was our waiter!!! I love you Carlos!! Be safe! We will come back to save you!!!!

Marchi's is a restaurant in the lower part of several brownstones in Manhattan. They also have an outdoor area in the rear. To get to the rear one walks thru their kitchen. How many restraurants would want their patrons to go thru the kitchen?.The unique aspect is that there is no menu. They serve the same food every night, all the time. Everything is cooked to perfection and delicious. The honeydew was the best I have ever tasted,home made lasagna with the most delicate sauce and tasty fish and meat. Dessert is also dramatic with home made krustuli ribbons and a lemon fritter. All this brought to you by attentive waiters and the gracious hostess,Christine. We also had perfect weather with our perfect dinner. On a personal note, I always feel like I am in Europe when I eat here.

Visited over the holidays at the request of our guests, who had been with us once before. Experience was as good as last time, maybe a bit better. 5 courses were all great, especially enjoyed the the thin sliced veal and chicken served together. Fish and lasagna were also excellent. Service and attentiveness could not have been better. Old world charm and iconic status are still very evident. If you are looking for new, modern and remodeled, don't go here. If you are looking for a great Italian experience with fairly reasonable prices for what you receive, this is still the place!

Average food - good prices - needs updating - but very clean. It is family style, home-cooking with 5 courses.

My friend took me here as a treat, since he'd been there many times in the past. I wasn't forewarned about what to expect, so I was incredibly surprised at how the meal progressed. No menu. Or, rather, one menu, which included many courses. You get it all. I had a delicious Riesling with the meal. Eat sparingly at each course, and you will enjoy it and not feel stuffed to the gills when you walk out. The neighborhood is attractive and residential. Highly recommend!

It’s set in an old, well kept uilding in a residential neighborhood. No menu. Family style dishes are brought out in a timely manner. Every dish was delicious. Service was attentive. I like the concept, the food and the service. Ambience is very conducive for conversation.

My husband and I have eaten here several times. It is a hidden gem - or at least it was when we discovered it several years ago. The staff is generally very courteous. The food is always very good. A great place to go with several people, especially if members of your party haven't been before. It is one of my favorite restaurants to visit when we are in NY. We travel from Atlanta and know where the best food is served. It is certainly good value for the money.

Long long ago, I was part of a project working day and night in the Apple. We would work all hours but each one at personal choice. It may be ten hours one day and fifteen the next. There were two daily events which most of us attended, the daily morning meeting and the dinner which roughly rotated between various lower Manhattan restaurants, Marchi's was a favorite. It was the one time to relax. The first course anti-pasto made my eyes pop... At that time for example, the tuna was a thick pie wedge hunk, the cheese was even bigger, the tomatoes rivaled those, and so on... The next course was a contrast, that very light lasagna. The trout was my very favourite, it was deep fried, crisp outside and moist inside. You can debone it by pressing and running the back of a spoon along the full length of one side while holding the tail. Then work a spoon or fork between the tail bone and the bottom half of the fish and lift the tail bone while holding down the bottom half. The top half on the full bone skeleton will separate from the intact bottom fillet. Turn the skeleton half over with finesse and similarly remove it from the attached fillet. It gets a little ragged sometimes but one of the guys could lay the two halves neatly side by side. I was told this works best with fresh fish which was available then in NYC. This is getting long winded. Suffice to say that I learned about Italian desserts and wines as well. The wines are readily available now but not the desserts. We still enjoy Marchi's from time to time. The trout not so often, probably not up to their standards. Somehow the tuna seems different. The lasagna and desserts are the same. Even with a lot more competition now, they are still outstanding.

It's been nearly 50 years since I first went to Marchi's. It's changed since then, but in only trivial ways, like men no longer have to wear jackets. The food remains utterly delicious, beautifully prepared and graciously served. It's an utter delight, not to have to peruse a menu and leave wonder if you made the right choice. Unlike all too many restaurants, it's not a place to go with people you don't want to speak to, much less listen to. Indeed, it's an ideal place to relax and converse with friends and colleagues, whilst munching on delicious fodder. March's has been and remains my favorite New York Restaurant. There are not many reasons I envy people who live in New York City, but ready access to Marchi's is one of them.