Lunella Restaurante

My husband and I were excited to go to this restaurant. The food was ok. We were really confused when we got out bill. We were charged $18 more than we thought we should have paid. We both ordered fountain sodas. They were very small cups and we had walked a lot so we were brought several re-fills. It turns out the restaurant will charge you $2.95 per drink. When I questioned this, the waiter looked at me like I was stupid. I could understand paying per drink if it were anything but fountain. In my opinion, this is a way to overcharge and take advantage of tourists. I would recommend going somewhere else and supporting a restaurant that is honest. \r more

We have been going to Lunella for over a year now, traveling 3 hours just to get there, because we really have enjoyed the food! BUT NEVER AGAIN!! The wait staff has always been rude and unaccomodating, even ruining my husband's shirt last time by spilling oil on it and never apologizing or offering us anything in return. We had over looked this and still returned for the holidays, only to be more humiliated and treated with such disrespect!! They were unbelievably rude, not just to us, but to the table next to us, calling them children, telling them their order wasn't ""expensive enough"", and telling them to never come back!! Is that any way to treat your customers?? Especially in THIS economy?? It was at this time that we asked for more bread, which is a STAPLE in the Italian dinner, and were told NO!!! A second basket of bread is too much, and we would have to pay for it!! Wow!! My hard earned money will never again go to this restaurant, as there are way too many places in Little Italy and in all of NYC that deserve it much more!!! Listen up, Lunella, you are losing a lot of business! We have referred over 50 people to that restaurant and each one will be told of our last experience and will also NEVER return!! Pros: food Cons: staff, service, tension everywhere, not relaxing more

We're new to new york and were looking for some authentic Italian food, so we went to Little Italy, started browsing, and settled on Lunella because it looked like a good mix of value, food, and authenticity. Things started off badly when the wait staff never brought us our bread or anything. Once we ordered (decently quick about getting that), we were still never offered any (every table near us and those that came in after us were given bread, so we weren't mistaken). The food came, and immediately problems. My friend's food was warm in parts, tepid in general, and downright cold in parts. Mine was cooked decently, but it was certainly not, in either quantity or quality, worth $16. After a minute or two, my friend noticed her salmon tasted a bit off, as well. There wasn't much salmon in it, so she didn't get to it until near the end of her meal, so when we complained, the waiter (who had never come to our table since taking our order) said he wouldn't do anything, since we'd had so much of it. Then, when he brought us the bill, he tacked on a 20% gratuity to our bill (their menu says required gratuity of 18% for parties of 6, we were a party of 2...). Basically, bad food at a bad value with terrible service. I will never go to this restaurant again. Pros: Location Cons: Food, Service, Value more

I decided to take my friend to Lunella for his birthday, since I have been to the restaurant before and totally fell in love with the food. On top of that, the prices on the menu were reasonable. However, this last time that I went to Lunella I received poor service. For one, my friend made it to the restaurant first, so he wanted to wait at the bar for me and they told him that he could not do that. So he had to basically wait outside for me, because if you don't know the size of the restaurant, it is very small. However, if it was cold outside, would he really have to wait outside??\r \r So I finally arrived and we were literally rushed to the table without the host even welcoming us or anything. I made a point that I had reservations and before I could barely get that out, the host said, ""YeahYeahYeahYeah"", just like that, like it was one long word. Then we sat down and the waiter arrived and he did not introduce himself and rushed us to order our entree, not even our drink. We literally just sat down, why would I already know exactly what I want before perusing the menu, (return customer or not). If I wanted fast food I would have went to the Olive Garden and I probably would have received better service.\r \r Nonetheless, I had to leave the restaurant because I refuse to give businesses my money when I am not treated fairly or respectfully. My hard earned money is precious and so is my time and experience at a restaurant. Unfortunately, I did not get to enjoy my time and I was very disappointed because there is a dish on the menu that I LOVE and did not have this weekend. \r \r Pros: Food, Price Cons: Service more

I was happy Lunella had a high chair for my son! Decent ambiance, attentive service staff (a bit too pushy... more

I was happy Lunella had a high chair for my son! Decent ambiance, attentive service staff (a bit too pushy towards the end) and they were nice enou... more

The best italian food outside of Italy, Just like Mama used to make it. The restaurante ambiance is understated and elegant by Little Italy's standards. Lunella - the owner-- oversees all the little details and manages a tasty tight ship. We are regulars and it keeps getting better with time. Don't be shy to ask the ""signora"" for some advice. GREAT GREAT GREAT. Pros: great menu, nice ambiance, good service more

Happen to be in the city tried Lunella. I was so excited to see the extensive menu. The food was excellent, service was wonderful. The owners were friendly and on hand to answers questions about the menu. I have gone there several times since, the place is perfect for a romantic dinner in the heart of Little Italy. more

Were walking in Little Italy and seeking a good and typical Italian restaurant. Well, everything was great ! Could order in Italian, had pasta with a real tomato sauce. They even asked if we'd like cheese and pepper, and as we said yes, they add it for us. Nice ! Waiters were really kind, and we didn't waited long to be served. They even served my ""Sambucca"" with the traditional coffee beans at the end of the meal. What more could be asked ?\r ps : beware with the Italian ""Peroni"" beer --> 10$ Pros: Italian speeking, good food, kind waiters more

My three cousins from Germany came to NYC. My family and I came up from NC to join. I had only checked out citisearch for Dim Sum, Indian, Thai, and a few other options and was unprepared for their on the-go-decison for Italian. Without any real guidance, they picked Lunella. Terrible mistake. We arrived on Saturday evening around 6AM and were promptly seated, but from there on things went bad pretty quick. Service was so rude that I got I got agitated and into arguments at the very end (only the second time in the last 25 years). The food was not much better. Overcooked Pasta, lousy souce, chewy calamary, meats in tortellini were chewy too, chicken breast was try and without flavor. - Espresso was very good. - Overall, very very disappointing experience though. Some of the worst food I had in 20 year of living in the US. Pros: lively atmosphere Cons: lousy food, lousy service more

WE ENDED UP IN LITTLE ITALY IN LATE AFTERNOON. IT WAS OUR ONLY OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT AND WANTED AN AUTHENTIC ITALIAN MEAL. WE COULDN'T JUDGE THE RESTAURANT BY THE CROWD BECAUSE THE FOUR THAT WERE ON THE BLOCK WERE ALL EMPTY. THEY HAVE WAITERS ON THE SIDEWALK TRYING TO PULL YOU IN WHICH MADE US SUSPICIOUS. WE WERE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED WITH OUR CHOICE. THE MEALS WERE REASONABLY PRICED, WAITER ATTENTIVE, AND THE ATMOSPHERE SOPHISTICATED. THE LASAGNA WAS PROBABLY THE BEST I HAVE TASTED. DON'T KNOW WHAT THE OTHERS ON THE BLOCK WERE LIKE BUT WE WERE PLEASED WITH OUR CHOICE. Pros: SERVICE, SELECTION, VALUE Cons: SMALL TABLES more

I found this restaurant over the Internet. They have cool and informative website. Thanks to direction link on the website, it was easy to find it. I had a diner with my boyfriend a few weeks ago. Food was great, our waiter was fantastic. We were sited at the backroom, the atmosphere was cozy and very romantic. There was a skylight and we could see stars. We were very impressed. I highly recommend this restaurant for lovers. Pros: atmosphere, great food, service more

We were strolling around Little Italy with some friends from Eng. & had the misfortune to stop & eat here. The calimari was so bad we sent it back but they wouldn't take it off the bill. The rest of the meal was adequate at best. Our English friends paid the bill & were harassed & by the surly waiter because the tip was only 10%. If I had been paying there wouldn't have been any tip at all! What an impression of American hospitality. Pros: Not expensive Cons: , Barely Average Food more

My husband and I stumbled upon this little gem 2 years ago and immediately fell in love with the ambience and the food! We have been back here at least half a dozen times, including Valentine's Day, without a reservation - with NO hassle. The food is superb, especially the penne with blackened tuna- and you can smell the freshness of the mozzarella - and the prices are VERY reasonable which surprised us with food that tasted SO GOOD!But, if you go to Lunellas, you must dine outside - it is the ultimate NY experience to sip wine, while eating delicious Italian cuisine under the stars with your loved one. Lunellas is #1 for us....:-) Pros: Food, Ambience, Service more

Mu husband, another couple and I made the mistake of not having reservations on Valentines Day and, after not finding any seating elsewhere, we stumbled upon Lunella. And what a happy accident it was! We were greeted graciously and seated promptly. Our waiter was courteous and knew the menu well, though he was a little pushy with the bottles of wine. The Seafood Salad anitpasto was fresh and very good. The food came out as we asked it to be: not too fast and not on top of eachother. The host and hostess checked on our table and were very nice. It was a little cramped at our table and our wine bucket kept getting bumped into, but the meal was good and we had a really nice time. Pros: atmosphere, service, food Cons: cramped tables more