Tartina Italian Restaurant Reviews

I graduated from Columbia College in 1956 and then the Graduate School of Business in 1957. Even though my family lived 10 minutes south of the university I did live on campus my last two years. My friends and I hung out at the West End Bar & Grill (long gone) and V&T Pizza and the Hungarian Pastry Shop both on 111th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. Nostalgia warmed my body on the cold winters evening as I walked past both above mentioned restaurants and entered Tartina Cucina Italiana at 1034 Amsterdam Ave. I arrived early at this 63-seat delight that opened two months ago. I accepted the suggestions of my very professional waitperson Malcom. Partenope as an appetizer- Grilled and broiled octopus, calamari, sepia, mussels, shrimp and clams in lemon parsley and evoo. I had to look up Evoo, which is the natural juice squeezed from olives one day after the harvest. - $18 and superb. Could it get any better? My entrée was Orata which is a fillet wrapped in thin potato served with sautéed spinach. I had never had this fish before and thought it was similar to Dorade. Can one fall in love with a fish and not be considered kinky? Worth the trip- $23. I had a glass of Trebbiano with my meal $12. I was told to hold some room for dessert. The Fragola was an edible horn filled with mascarpone and yogurt cream with strawberries and blueberries- $8. I had to walk a few blocks before catching the bus home so as not to lie down and catch a nap. Attention Columbia University, St. Luke’s Hospital and local residents. GO AND ENJOY.

We met our son here for an early dinner. The food and service was great. This was a great find for us. The menu is extensive and I'm sure everything is delicious. Our calamari and squid dinner was excellent. Rob did a great job waiting on us.

Very accommodating to group with accessibility issues. Host was so sweet to make sure everyone was comfortable and happy. Food was wonderful, particularly Fritto Italia and Lava Stone Steak. I would recommend highly to anyone visiting or in the neighborhood.

We wandered in here after a church service at the cathedral across Amsterdam Avenue, and we were pleasantly surprised. The service is very good; so is the food. My Parma Cotto, a variant on Eggs Benedictine, was very tasty. My wife thought her spinach and goat cheese omelette was a bit under seasoned. We shared a Panna cotta for dessert: very good, as was the coffee. This restaurant deserves to survive.

Incredible restaurant, great food and service, owned by an Italian family from Southern Italy. Incredible home made cooking and deserts. Sit outside in the summer with a view of the cathedral!

We were hosted to a wonderful dinner at Tartina by friends who live in the neighborhood and are regular customers. I can see why: service is attentive, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The menu offers an interesting assortment of classic and creative Italian dishes. On a balmy summer evening the front was open to the outside which added to the pleasant peaceful ambience. Highly recommend.

I had the pasta (made in-house)with seafood (shrimp and mussels), another had risotto and another had the vegetarian lasagna which was the most flavorful. We also shared the cheese stuffed squash blossoms ( very good), watermelon gazpacho which was very tasty and refreshing on a hot day. Service was excellent!

In NYC to tour Cathedral of St. John the Devine with friends. 1st visit to city in over 18 months. Our friend made reservation (lunch) and neither he nor we knew anything about the restaurant other than it was near the Cathedral. What a pleasant surprise. We were seated outside immediately (around noon) by a very easy-going, and knowledgeable waiter. He helped us access on-line menu and explained a few items. He also said there were specials, and a few minutes later the chef came to our table to personally describe specials. We saw him do the same at other tables. We ordered meals right away; no appetizers. I selected the Garganelli pasta with shrimp and mussels and my wife selected the grilled seafood entre (octopus, squid and shrimp). Italian bread with outstanding olive oil arrived immediately after we ordered. Delicious! Our meals arrived promptly and exceeded our expectations. The pasta was freshly made on premises and perfectly prepared. Sauce was outstanding, complementing the pasta and seafood. Extra bread was readily provided to sop up the sauce. The grilled seafood was also very well done, especially the octopus, and the spinach side dish enhanced the meal. By the end of the meal, we were comfortably chatting with our excellent waiter who offered desserts without being pushy. The dessert options sounded great, but we opted for gelato (kept it simple). So happy with choices - chocolate and pistachio - creamy, not too sweet, ample portion. Great conclusion to our meal. Personal attention displayed by chef who returned to our table to check on our experience. We raved about the meal and vowed to return. And next time we try the wine. Go to this restaurant. You will be glad you did.

Tartina has a welcoming environment and a warm and peaceful atmosphere that immediately puts you at ease. Excellent food and a varied menu but the meat is delicious!! Really good and well cooked fillet followed by a side of spinach. I found the flavors of Italian cuisine in parmigiana! Don't miss it!

We ate a nice quiet dinner here and really enjoyed it. The food was nice, well presented and the service staff was friendly.

Once the food arrived, it all went south. The bread was old and tasted like it was cut from a moldy loaf. The calamari appetizer was eatable but bland. The entree was a special. It was filet mignon with Gorgonzola cheese served with roasted potatoes and grilled asparagus. Sounds great, right? The filet was probably precooked in a pan. It was smothered…SMOTHERED in a sauce that was mainly Romano, parmigiana with a microbe of Gorgonzola? The sides were bland. We were starving so we ate it but very grumpy over quality. This does happen sometimes because we like to try places on our own. So this one was a nice place to sip wine outside but go somewhere else for the food.

I went with a large group to Tartina the other night.Things got off pretty slowly, but then picked up. The food was very good, the service was friendly and efficient, the wine list had some decent wines at reasonable prices, etc. And it is close to Columbia at 111th and Amsterdam, a part of town where new good restaurants are needed and welcome. A great addition to the neighborhood.

This restaurant is excellent !! We hosted 23 people for an outdoor dinner to celebrate our daughter’s doctorate accomplishment from Columbia . The planning with Maria Theresa was easy and the food was incredible! Victor and all the servers were amazing -we cannot say enough about this restaurant and how wonderful it is -if you are on the upper west side this is a must ! Thank you Tartina for making our experience a great one !! Nikki and Robert

Tartina Italian Restaurant is lovely on multiple fronts. The staff are very friendly and helpful. The food is fresh and delicious with good portion sizes....not too big and not too small. The atmosphere is warm and pleasant, inviting patrons to come again and again.

Beautifully located across from the Cathedral on Amsterdam, this quaint and perfectly authentic Italian restaurant will tantalize your taste buds. Perfectly created pastas, great wine list, and desserts to top you off. You can’t go wrong here.

We visited Tartina on a Saturday night in January. We live in the neighborhood and saw that it had opened recently. We made a reservation and showed up on time to an almost empty restaurant. The host began to seat us at the table right by the entrance. We asked if we could sit further into the room and he said no, all those tables were reserved. It was rather dismissive and he had no further explanation. We were not pleased. We decided on starters and I ordered a bottle of wine. The wine that came was a different wine maker and vintage. I mentioned this to the waiter and he told me that they hadn't had the wine I chose on the menu for weeks....it would have been nice to know that before I ordered. The waiter continued his bad behavior when I asked if I could get any other vegetable besides spinach,which I cannot eat. He rudely suggested that I could go to V&T next door and get what I wanted there. My friends were shocked by his rudeness and we almost left. It was their anniversary, so we stayed. The food was pretty good and the prices ok. This restaurant has potential,but they must train the staff much better or it will fall the way of so many upper westside eateries and close very quickly.

My husband and I came across this restaurant while we were going for a walk and decided to give it a try, and I'm so glad we did! The food was freshly made, and clearly made with dedication to good cooking. Their melogrono salad was well-prepared, and their massaia pasta was superb. The service was attentive and prompt, and in warmer weather you can sit outside.

Very pretty, well-lighted place, lively without being noisy. We shared two antipasti among the four of us: polenta & salcicchia, and assorted shellfish. Delicious. We each had a different pasta dish: stuffed large shells, gnocchi with speck, risotto with seafood, penne with eggplant and cherry tomatoes. We were all satisfied with our dishes and agreed that the other menu choices were equally original. Service was very good; our waiter was excellent in explaining anything we asked about. We looked at an interesting dessert menu, but were so full that we ordered only espressos, which were hot and very good. Tartina loses points only for the bread, which was pretty mundane for such a good place.

An unexpected but pleasant fusion of Italian, Greek and Moroccan cuisine. Good quality food, attentive waiters.

Every neighborhood in NY has their go to Italian restaurant. If you are lucky to live or work on 111 St and Amsterdam Ave. you already know TARTINA a little gem of true Italian cooking. Through friends we dined there on Friday evening and to our delight had a what seemed like a home cooked meal in a warm and welcoming setting. My wife started with the classic Sicilian Eggplant Parmesan, light and fresh, and I the clams and mussels cooked perfectly. By the way the focaccia bread was melt in your mouth delicious. For a main I had the homemade Lasagna, very good and Thayer had Spaghetti Alla Nerano, a dish made with butter, sautéed zucchini and cheese. A real treat was a dessert call Fragola, a pastry horn fill with mascarpone, yogurt and fruit. YUM!

Bland, flavorless, disappointing Italian cuisine. Eggplant parmesan was subpar and ravioli was mediocre. Tiramisu was excellent. Cheesecake too. Arrogant, obnoxious waiter.

I went to Tartina with friends after looking at St John the Divine and it was both reasonably priced and very good. The service was excellent as was the Spaghetti Carbonara and their version of Eggs Benedict.

We went here because it was close to a concert we would attend at a local cathedral (and it was recommended by a local friend of ours). Menu selection is very good, preparation is great, wait staff are very attentive and congenial, atmosphere is very comfortable, and prices are reasonable. We all enjoyed our meals there tonight. I had a seafood and pasta with tomato sauce, my wife had seafood and pasta with a garlic sauce, and our friend had a roasted salmon. We started with salads and our friend started with a split pea soup. Each of us was completely satisfied. This is a "keeper." We will return next trip to NYC.

Eggplant Parmesan is luscious. So tasty, luscious tomato sauce. Didn’t think I would eat it all but couldn’t stop. Friends enjoyed theirs. Very nice attentive service. Unlike most restaurants now, prices very reasonable, If it were closer to home I’d go there often.

Great food, great atmosphere. Dessert is also excellent! Tartina has done a great job with covid outdoor seating. The tables are well spaced, minimal foot traffic, and a lovely view.

I and my family had one amazing dinner. The restaurant is very nice, all the dishes were fantastic, the waiters very kind and friendly.

Found this nice little spot with a lot of outdoor seating. Good setup off Amsterdam Avenue, so not dealing with truck and car exhaust. We began with the Partenope (charred octopus), Verdure Miste (bufala mozzarella with mixed veggies) Melograno Salad, and for dinner the Nerano Spaghetti, Tubettoni, and Ravioli Caprese. All very good.

After touring St. John the Divine cathedral (across the street) we needed something cool and refreshing. Tartina has a Somme offering of craft beers. We sat at the bar at 2 pm on a Saturday. They even had live music. Can't comment on the food because we didn't have any. The beer was fine. $31.00 for four. The male bartender acted like he didn't want to be there. Not 'New York rude' but indifferent and put a pall on an otherwise fun filled afternoon. I'd go back, but I'd never seek it out, if you know what I mean