San Matteo Pizzeria e Cucina Reviews

They were very disrespectful with me. I called earlier in the day to ask for a table outside (which I thought they had) and said that I was bringing my dog with me, thus the outside table. They confirmed my reservation and didn't say anything about my dog. Arriving there I realize they don't have outdoor seating, but that wouldn't be a problem, because I have a service dog, which helps me identify low blood sugar. In general - even though he is a service dog - I just prefer seating outside because I know the people that work in the restaurant get uncomfortable with a dog inside. Need to say - he is a very well behaved and trained dog. In any way, as soon as the guy saw me he said NO DOGS ALLOWED - in a very rude way. So I tried to explain he was a service dog. THE WAITER DIDNT EVEN LET ME FINISH MY PHRASE and said "everyone has a card, you don't have any disabilities". He kept saying I didn't have anything, NOT EVEN letting me explain why my dog was a service dog, what he perfomed or what was my disability - ANYTHING. He was basically saying because I can walk and I am not blind, I don't have a disability and thus I couldn't be there. SO RUDE AND DISRESPECTFUL WITH EVERYONE THAT HAS ANY OTHER TYPE DISABILITY. The problem here was the way he treated me, being very rude and cutting me, not letting me talk or explain or nothing. I decided to leave, because even though I had the right to be there, I rather eat somewhere I am welcomed.

The staff were fantastic, warm and accommodating! We came in to eat around 10:00 PM and asked if they had a table by the window. Although they were still somewhat busy we were able to get a great table in 15 minutes in the front window. While we were waiting at the very cute bar our bartender made a suggestion of their wine bottle special for the night, and it was wonderful. There were several people at the bar and when they heard it was our 1st visit told us it was absolutely the best pizza that we'd ever have. Well, we'd just come from a little Italy tour the day before that was topped off by a visit to famous Lombardi's so I have to admit I was skeptical. After asking our waiter for some suggestions we settled on the Insalata di Rucola (arugula with pine nuts, goat cheese and a balsamic reduction dressing) a margherita pizza and the Diavola pizza. The salad was amazing - so fresh and the flavor was incredible.. and the pizza - well the other customers were right - it was truly the BEST pizza I've ever had. Seriously, we were ridiculously waxing poetic at the table and the leftovers we thought we would send home with our daughter after ordering 2 pizza's were non-existent! My daughter was so excited as she lives in the neighborhood and had been wanting to try it and now will go back often. As for us - without question the next time were in NY - we will go back! Loved this restaurant!

To be honest it's hard to find a bad pizza in NYC. There are so many options, a mediocre pizza restaurant is quickly out of business. San Matteo offers a pizza for any taste, both white and red, along with calzones, steaks, burgers, pasta... and a buffalo mozzarella appetizer that is amazing! We had reservations for 6:45, arrived at 6:20, and they sat us immediately. At our actual reservation time they were slammed! Standing room only. Early is better, order wine and the buffalo mozzarella app if they have it, and enjoy!

Took four adults and two teen ages for pizza dinner and found a fantastic restaurant with much more. The pizza selection was endless for thin (very, but not very stiff) crusted pizza. But low and behold there was another side of the menu with tons of pastas to choose from. One grandson had a gigantic plate of pastas ( sorry:whose name now escapes me) with a red sauce and meat that looked delicious and that he destroyed. I think the trick with place is to keep coming back until you have tried all the pizza they have keeping a check list in you pocket. This place for cheap eats and very good food is a "yes" place

If you are tired of street food and American food, you can opt for a real Italian pizza in New York. Very good pizza, fast service.

One of the most authentic italian pizza joints in the neighborhood. If you stick to pizza and a beer or glass of wine it's also very reasonable (and you will be served rapidly which ia good if you're in a hurry). Once you start ordering appetizers, sides, pasta or other items on the menu you can rack up quite a bill (albeit not insanely expensive). It's often crowded and kid-friendly so you might be exposed to noisy groups or misbehaving children. The quality of the food is, however, very good and offsets any concern about noise and crowdedness.

Excellent and authentic Italian good, pizzas are fantastic. Atmosphere and service and also great. Apparently they also won a price for a burger and it is said to be very good, too. Excellent place for lunch or dinner. Outside seating also available.

Excellent appetizers and cheese plate. Pizza also very good. Night out with friends on the way to one event Very good wine list. Also good and friendly service.

Good Italian food. Good athmophere. During the dinner 2 different employees spill out food and drinks on my wife clothes... so please consider to prepare them better. Second, tip was already included in the final bill. Considering what reported before, not nice to be obbliged. At the end, if I will be back in NY, I will go there again

Our favorite spot for pizza on the upper east side. Excellent service. Great for large groups as well.

Very good food and friendly staff! We had a great moment with our friends and a very good Italian Food! On a adoré à bientôt .... French guys

Really very very good pizza, as we are used to eating it in Italy, really high quality! Quick service and great friendliness from the staff

Terrific evening at San Matteo. Special dinner for Pat La Frieda meat. Beautifull beginning with Aperol Spritz aperitif. Followed by bottle of Franciacorta Belon de Belon Served with San Matteo delicious cold appetizer combination . An then one of the best Tomahawk steak i ever tried. Excellent wine list. Superb evening.

Unfortunately my experience at this place was terrible. Leaving aside the fact that the pizza was nothing exceptional (compared to other Neapolitan pizzas I always eat in New York), the thing that annoyed and disgusted me the most was the presence of 3 mice under the table (outside) while I was having dinner. I know that rats are at home in New York, but having them underfoot in a restaurant honestly disgusts me! Needless to say, I left half the pizza and drinks there on the table and when I pointed this out to the waiter he also replied that it was normal! Maybe it is for you but not for me! I'm sorry but this isn't good, you could try to solve the problem without intoxicating customers. Obviously I didn't receive any kind of discount for the inconvenience...

We stopped into San Matteo Pizzeria this afternoon upon advise from a friend. Our friend, who lives in New York said she thought San Matteo had the best pizza in New York City. We ordered the Vestuti pizza--Tomato Sauce, Sausage, Homemade Mozzarella and Fresh Basil...the flavor and taste was very good, but the crust was soggy in the middle, right out of the oven. The crust was very doughy. Overall the pizza was quite good, but the soggy crust was an issue...unless you're into soggy crusted pizza.

This place was bustling when we arrived without reservations but there was still a table or two to spare. We sat in the greenhouse patio extension which had a nice feeling of being outdoors while still enjoying the cool AC on a 90F (~33C) kind of day. The pizza selections were extensive from white to red types in addition to truffle infused cheeses and mushrooms! Yum yum. They say the pizzas are individual but they were fairly big that between 4 of us we split two pizzas. We were also bar hopping and snacking prior to this stop so our stomachs weren't empty! We were thrilled to find Lambrusco as a wine option and opted for the dulce over the dry. We ordered the bottle ($40) and each of us had about 2-2.5 glasses each! We had a great time here on the UES!

San Matteo Pizza had a wood fired pizza oven at Panorama on Randall’s Island. If you want better authentic pizza- go to Naples to start your search. It was that authentic (and that good).

We didn't have the pizza which I assume is their main strength. But both pasta dishes were very ordinary

My wife finds this place on Google and we decide to book... We ordered eggplant parmesan, pasta, pizza and other things and I must admit that it exceeded my expectations .. because we sell a lot of chatter in New York about Italian cuisine but then already when you enter and see the dishes on the various tables you already want to leave without even sitting down... instead of St. Matthew's everything was perfect highly recommended and if I return to New York I will return here without any doubt! Good luck you deserve the best!

We visit NYC every few years or so and San Matteo has been our 'go-to' place for great pizza. In particular, we have just loved their procuitto pizza. On our most recent visit, 11/2019, we found that they have been properous enough to expand to three locations now, but the quality of the pizza has gone way down. Ingredients are not as good as they used to be and the pizza that was served to me was completely soggy. Compalined to our server and then the manager - who just shrugged his shoulders. Too bad - now we will have to find another place for future visits.

I came to this place together with some friends that live in the area. The pizza is really good, I recommend the one with prossiuto and mozzarella, though service is not the best. We ordered some beers that came after the pizza, and because we reminded, otherwise they would have forgotten.

We ate here in March 2016. The pizza and both chicken dishes we had were excellent. The portions were plentiful. We were there around 6 on a Sunday and service seemed a little slow. I don't know how typical that might be, but it just seemed as if they could have used an extra server or two. The interior was fairly plain, but comfortable with lots of natural light.

I have eaten at San Matteo twice. It's good great Italian food. The waiter made great recommendations that didn't disappoint. We had Porcini and Tartufo Pizza(amazing), Diavola Pizza(good) rice balls (yummy) and a ravioli that was a special that night. It was the best ravioli I have ever had!! It had sausage, pepper and cheese in a light cream sauce. I told the waiter it should be on the menu it was that good. I also want to mention how good there margarita is light and refreshing. This is my go to Italian on the UES!!

We tried out four pizzas in different places before we accidentally found this place which served the best one! It was the best we ever ate outside of Italy. Also really kind service!

If you fancy a real Italian pizza upper east side, San Matteo is your choice! It serves an excellent and authentic napoletana pizza! I loved the Regina Margherita with bufala mozzarella and cherry tomatoes. The arugula and bresaola salad was delicious. All ingredients are fresh and tasty!

The restaurant is well lit, not too noisy, attentive service and not too expensive, but just ordinary food. This place serves individual pan pizzas (enough food for one with maybe a taste for someone else) individual pasta dishes (a little small but still adequate for one) and salads which a large and can be shared. We ordered four pizzas, some salads and a pasta dish. The pizzas were not really hot and, for example, the garlic on one pie was neither cooked nor spread out, just a little dropped on one slice. The olives in the salads were not pitted (speed bumps in the eating process) with uninspired dressing. The gnocchi was in a tasteless sauce.

I’m an expat, been there several time with family colleagues and by my own. But the trend is very bad. From the awesome starting visits some years ago When you open with the real original Italian taste to the latest visit with an average pizza but in particular with a “zeppola” that you serve on the Italian father day (southern Italy tradition) that is only a fake and bulky “frittella di carnevale” that you have the bravery to sell at 12$. I didn’t take pictures unfortunately because the only thing you care was the SMNY logo. I’m really disappointed because we have in Italy an amazing food and priceless culture and traditions. And of course you have a great opportunity here to let know to people what that is but now what are you selling here to the Americans?

I’m an italian living in NYC and i discovered this great pizzeria in the Upper East Side few months ago. The pizza is sublime and the ambience, although very small, is warm and fun thanks also to the owner and the waitress , both from Sorrento, Italy. I have returned to eat there few times with italian friens and i always noticed that the clientele was mostly italian ( which can only be a good sign...).

This is a place where you can have a real southern italian pizza if u feel nostalgic! The crust is chewy and the topping are combined in the italian way. No interference from the American Culture. I prefer the white pizza without tomate sauce. Cilentana is my favorite. Also the appetizers are good: burrata, tagliere di salumi and melanzana di parmigiana are very good.

We accidentally stumbled upon this cozy Italian restaurant. Shared a spinach and pear salad, a pizza with truffle and Parma ham and a tiramisu dessert with my boyfriend. Great flavours and absolutely loved the crustiness of the pizza. Would definitely recommend this place!

Oh my this pizza was fantastic. Best Italian style pizza I’ve had outside of Italy. I only tried a couple of pies (plain and truffle), but once I try their food, I see five stars coming. Can’t wait to try more.

Close your eyes and imagine being somewhere on the Amalfi coast tasting a truly authentic Italian pizza made by master pizzaiolo Fabio giving you an authentic taste of what a truly napoletana pizza should taste like. Thank you for opening up such a wonderful joint. I feel like I am back in Italy. Excellent crust and perfect amount of toppings. Pizza the way it should be made, " Vera pizza italiana"!😊San Matteo pray for us and keep giving us this wonderful pizza.

Took my adult children here last week for a quick meal on a hot evening. The kids weren’t super hungry as they just had an ice cream sandwich from Levain. It was a Thursday evening—the place was packed but we were seated right away on a high table near the bar. Host and servers were excellent and answered questions we had. We ordered a burrata appetizer (delicious), pizza with prosciutto, and broccoli rabe. We cleaned everything off the plates...would definitely return.

We love this restaurant! From the extremely nice service, to the fun ambience, to the delicious food, this is a great choice for a perfect night out. The pizza is spectacular, desserts are great, and I haven't had the chance to try one of their cocktails yet, but I am excited to as soon as possible. Would definitely recommend this place!

First the good: excellent pizza crust, outstanding wine choices on the red side, friendly service. Where one hesitates: too much cheese on the pizza, rather loud for date night.

We had a good dinner here. Most of the waiters were Italian and the owner is also Italian. Therefore their cuisine had a true Italian taste. We had a pizza, paccheri all'amatriciana e tagliatelle ai porcini. It was all very good. Of course the price was a NYC price, which means that it was rather expensive for what it was, especially the wine. But no good restaurant in NYC is cheap.

Best pizza in NY! Delicious pizza, quality products, cordiality, quick service, and super - nice owner!

It's definitely not a touristic place; mostly visited by UES locals, the place will offer a joyful Italian staff and a great ambiance for family & friends. Traditionally delicious wood fired pizzas, it's also extremely fast. The wine list is (obviously) mainly comprised by Italians, from lower ends up to fancy barolos and brunellos. Expect to pay 15-20 a pizza, which generally serves 2/3. Wine starts at 10 glass.

Italian (Salernitana) experience in the Big Apple!! Absolutely Italian pizza with excellent tomato and mozzarella.

We’ve ordered two margherita pizzas and they were nice at taste, but very very cold. Not worth 15$ each, plus fees, tip and delivery costs.

It's more than a pizza place. The Calzone choices were awesome, great salads, chicken parmigiana, salads and pasta choices. Good wine and beer selections. Positions are very large so you can share. Good service and atmosphere topped a very fun evening. Very popular with locals.

Lovely authentic restaurant. They had lovely specials on and the waitress was really nice and made lovely recommendations. Atmosphere was nice and we got a seat by the window. Good was great value and not expensive. I got the pizza and it was excellent. We visited on a Saturday night without a booking and got straight in. Some lovely bars in the area after to wash it all.down.

A great dining experience starts and ends with friendly service. Our server made us feel welcome and provided reliable advice about the menu. The pizzas she suggested were great. Try the Diablo if you like a little spice. Our salads were a nice accompaniment to the pies. Can’t wait to return!

Great atmosphere, great fresh pizza. So hard to find a good pizza place in UES and this one is definitely the one. I also love the other location (San Matteo Pizza espresso bar) on 89th st but this one is spacier for a group of 4 or more.

Excellent quality food, prompt, helpful, friendly stuff and fingerlicking pizza. Trully The Pizza and Mediterranean place of the UES. Absolutely worth the price.

Real pizza, Neapolitan style: you cannot really ask for more. My Diavola was delicious, perfectly prepared and baked. The place is cozy and the staff is friendly, so we had a great time!

Small and always crowded place, we dined outside and no uninvited guests under our table. The pizza is very good, especially appreciated by those who love classic Neapolitan pizza. Friendly staff Average prices in New York

The service was poor, the dishes quality were below standard. A place not to recommend. They pretend to deliver Italian food..... and guess what? .... not even close

For a Salerno native traveling to New York it is an obligatory stop... what can I say... top notch pizza, atmosphere and staff!!! Thank you so much for making us feel at home

The pace is on 2nd Avenue in New York, a nice location. The restaurant itself is small, but the atmosphere is quite nice, with lights a big windows. I had slice of pizza with truffles and a pizza with parma ham and bufala. The pizza with truffles was amazing, to try, the one with Parma ham was good but not quite what was I expecting. the ham didn't seem Parma ( I'm italian, high expectations on prosciutto) but the bufala was good. Not too big pizzas, perfect size not to eat too much and not enjoying it. I don't recommend the dessert, they did't feel that good, but try the pizza with Nutella, that one is amazing!

I stayed in this restaurant for dinner with a friend of mine. We ordered a margherita and a calzone both very tasty and delicious. At the next table there were two Italian guys that ordered two Amaro Montenegro, so we decided to order the same. In the check we found a surprise. TWELVE DOLLARS EACH AMARO. It's really too much.

So much pizza in NYC but this is very distinctive with their choices and wood-burning oven. I love the different white pizzas available. Many specials offered too which adds to the mix. Unfortunately this last visit the pizzas came back burnt on one side and on the bottom. I should have spoken up and requested a brand new one because I didn't enjoy that charred taste. Fabulous spinach salad and dressing. Appetizer of eggplant parmigiana was very generous. Unfortunately the short ribs didn't live up to the expectation. Short ribs were tasty but very chewy and not the "fall off the bone" that we expected. Nice touch that the dressing with the ribs was warm. Glad to have it in the neighborhood

I absolutely love this place. Pizza was amazing with wonderful dough and very generous topping. We had crocchè as a starter (really good and generous portion enough for two people.. maybe a little more cheese is welcome), two margherita and a Nutella pizza as dessert (yummy!) Service was good. Highly recommended if you want to taste a real pizza

After visiting the Met we really were looking forward to a good pizza. We were greeted friendly by the waiters, of which a lot were standing around as it was 17.30, it was not yet busy. We ordered two pizza and a ravioli pasta. The ravioli was well prepared. The pizza with mozzarella, ham and basil had black spots as it had been grilled too much. The fresh basil leaves were almost all burned black. When we mentioned this to the waiters, they responded that is the way it should be cooked. I rather skip the bitter taste of black basil.

We went to Fabio's restaurant. An Italian pizzeria in a very nice area of the city easy to the metro and super safe until late. Very friendly and kind atmosphere. We served Carmela a girl Lucana courteous and precise who advised us well. Croquettes and pizza. Nothing gourmet (is there still anyone who cares?). We came out cheerful and in a great mood paying the right amount which in New York is still twice as much as in Milan but this you know, and it is part of the game. Thanks to Carmela and San Matteo for making us feel at home.

Although the pizza we ordered was good, it was nowhere near worth the wait that we had to endure for it. The place wasn't even packed and even though, We waited for over an hour. The place is also pricy and the staff is friendly. Not coming back.

What a treat! I love when I stumble upon another winner in my neighborhood. I've passed this restaurant more times than I can count on if I counted my fingers and toes three times, and for some reason, I didn't try this place out. I went to an event and San Matteo was there serving up pies. And they were freaking good. That's when I knew, you need to go and try the real deal one night. Came in for a glass a wine and two pizzas. The diavlo was spicy and hit my heat craving. And then the mushroom truffle white pizza was the perfect contrast to the spicy red pie. The crust is exactly how I want it. Think in the middle and then a nice outer doughy outer edge the I just want to dip into quality olive oil. Jeeze, this place is sure to turn into an upper east side regular joint for me now.

The pizza is excellent, real and authentic italian pizza, especially the cacio and pepe, as well the one with mozzarella an zucchini flowers. Great choice of wine and good home made pasta. The fresh ricotta cheese is delicious!

The food is really great. So fresh and tasty - we'd eat here much more often if it was just a little cheaper.

Zagat had this place as a top ten so we checked it out. So good!! Arugula salad to start, eggplant parmigiana and a pizza to savor for a long time. Great service, nice reasonable wine list as well. Tops in my book.

Chicken Parmesan was absolutely tasteless. May be my standards are high after Toscana. In general it's hard to find a quality food in US. Anyway, stuff was friendly, food quality is low.