Altesi Downtown

I had a company holiday dinner here and my team was very excited to come here after hearing great things about it.

Location: the location is great and right on Spring street off the E train. If you get out on the Spring street exit the restaurant is across the street.

Atmosphere: we had our holiday dinner on Tuesday and aside from 2-3 other customers we were the only ones there. Our table seated about 12 people.

Food and drinks: We ordered a few drinks and they had virgin drinks/alcoholic drinks but plenty to choose from. They were pretty good.

For appetizers we ordered Polpo which was the grilled octopus with potatoes, capers, olives and red onions. This was delicious and the olives and capers added so much flavor to the dish. We also ordered Carciofi alla Giudia which is artichoke hearts with parsley sauce and this is a MUST have. All of my coworkers really liked this.

For mains I ordered the Branzino and the serving was pretty small. I’m not a big eater but even for me this on the smaller size. It was also on the sweeter size and I thought it lacked a little flavor.

My husband also came and he ordered the dry aged angus steak. He asked medium rare and they brought it out well done so he wasn’t too thrilled with it.

We order dessert and I got three chocolate mousse which was incredible.

My coworkers thought their food was just ok.

Since it was a holiday dinner we did have fun and enjoyed our time there but if I came here on a date and the food wasn’t as expected I wouldn’t be too happy.

Most restaurants are packed on Saturday nights in Manhattan. Without a reservation anywhere, we had to visit a number of a restaurants to see if we could get a table for dinner. We then came across Altesi, which looked fairly empty. With no other immediate option, we decided to pop in. The food there was surprisingly tasty and filling! Highly recommend. (By the way, half way through our meal, the restaurant was packed)

Did a walk in and was able to be seated . The host was such a darling just genuine friendliness from him. Will come back just for him.

We had the pizzas which was absolutely delicious but small in size focaccia tartufata was finger Licking and my friend enjoyed her magherita .
Drinks was strong and enjoyable.

The staff were attentive and checked in when needed.

The only issue is the small space and cramp seating. I was on edge every time the waiter pass over incase something were to fall on me due to having a full house.

The food here was very disappointing.

We read the reviews and researched this place. On paper it looked like a place in line with what we really enjoy.

The restaurant is beautiful. The staff was amazing. The food, quite honestly, was just not that good at all.

We ordered two appetizers: tuna tartare and meatballs. The presentation of both dishes was beautiful, but the taste did not match the look.

The tuna tartare was flat, and tasteless, overwhelmed by the over-sized portion of avocado. The meatballs tasted like an old dish rag. The marinara sauce was almost flavorless. Even the breadbasket with small scraps of bread and a tasteless spread was underwhelming.

We decided not to stay for the main course. I can't remember the last time we've done that.

Bottom line - the place is very nice. The service was great, but you go to a restaurant for good food. This place just doesn't have it.

Go somewhere else.

I love the food, ambiance and service! I’ve been to this restaurant a few times now and everything is always outstanding. Make sure you end your meal with the Tiramisu!

Tasty!!! This is becoming one of our favorite spots. Awesome pizza served oblong, not too crispy, but not too soft. I had the Diavoletto which was great but not too spicy, the waiter said add the "Pepper Oil" that comes with all pizzas. I did and WOW was it hot but full of flavor. We highly recommend the Pepper Oil but try just a little first so you can moderate to your correct heat threshold. She had the Margherita pizza and loved it. She said it was perfect "fold over" pizza. She had the Prosciutto and Burrata special app which was huge and really tasty. I had the Spaghetti with Cherry Tomatoes which was some of the best I have ever had and I have had a lot!!! Really a must have. We passed on dessert because we were too full, but 2 other tables told us the tiramisu was really good and really different than others they have had. Great room and great service. Lots of fun to sit near the door and watch the world walk bye through the gigantic french walls of glass that they leave open in the summer. We will go back again soon. Loved this place. Check out all of our reviews. If we do not like it we do no review it so all of the ones you see are places that are fantastic. Follow us if you like. We had over 7 million views in 2021, over 13 million views in the first 6 months of 2022 and we thank you for that. We don't get paid, we just love to eat. Be sure to click on "RobH" at the top of this review to see all of them and to follow us if you like good food and FUN.

We came here for my friends birthday.The food was not horrible, it wasn't the best, the fact that we all were charged $140 with tips and tax, for one person was nuts. We could of went to Peter Lugers and spent less. Or even an omakase spot... At first the owner told my friend there is an $80 option with no drinks and $120 option with drinks. But everyone has to pick the same option since it would be impossible to keep track. I guess it makes sense. But some people really don't drink for religious issues or because they just dont like it. All of them did include an appetizer, main, and dessert.

They made over $2660 off one table that night. We were not the only large party there. The restaurant was packed, the whole area is packed with people drinking eating etc. They even blocked off the block where Altesi is located. It was crowded. When we first walked in, they didn't have enough tables and seats. We had to wait for our server to find us extra tables and chairs. I wouldn't mind but they were notified ahead of time. Paying that much money for the service, we kind of expected them to prepare better for us.

I got a shirley temple because I personally don't drink, it was good, but theres too much ice. Im a slow drinker so my drink would water down half way. My friends margaritas were watered down and they didnt think it was anything. They finished the drinks in a couple sips.
We were also given bread baskets, but we had no butter. It was cold and dry. We asked for butter and I think our server gave us hummus? It was fine, but the bread was just really stale and cold. Maybe its a person preference, i like warm soft breads.

The menu had the cheapest items, it was customized prefixe menu. The options weren't that appealing either. The mozerella was bland, the tomatoes were also bland, they sprinkled like three-four shreds of basil for garnish.

Gamberi was okay, I mean the shrimp was not the freshest, it isss an Italian spot and not a seafood spot so that is expected. Underneath was some eggplants, it was fine. I personally would not order it again if i went back.

My friend order the gnocchi, he is half Italian and didnt even finish it. He said it did not taste good.

The ravioli with truffle and mushroom was delicious, anything with truffle is yummy, but it honestly seemed like it was only cooked with truffle infused oil and stuffed with finely chopped mushrooms. It was good but you will be hungry for the rest of the night.

I ordered the Branzino as my main, it was fine. I mean again, not a seafood spot so I should stick with pasta next time. The branzino was not flavorful, i wish there was more sauce so I could hide that bland white fish taste. Or maybe even a lemon on the side would have helped.

I didnt get to try the espresso creme brûlée but I think my boyfriend really liked it. He didn't complain about that, I thought my tiramisu was super light and fluffy too, it melted in your mouth instantly.

The only thing I'd go back there for would be the tiramisu! I have never experienced such an expensive dinner with such quality people. You usually get what you pay for, but dont expect that at Altesi. Maybe the cost is better if you go on your own and not with a party with a pre fixe menu.

Everyone there thought they could of had a better time with better food elsewhere. Couldn't agree more with them.

Good place in SoHo for good Italian food in a nice large space environment. The pizza is paper thin with good ingredients. The pasta is made fresh as are the all the dishes. The wine list is very good. Service is also very good with a friendly and accommodating waitstaff.