Trattoria Sambuca

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20 W 72nd St
New York, NY 10023

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(212) 787-5656
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Trattoria Sambuca - New York, NY
Reviews
( 9 )
( 10 )
( 1 )
( 1 )
( 3 )

Best

Sambuca has everything I think is important in a restaurant. The staff makes me feel special, like they know me, and they are friendly and professional. The food is great, it tast...

Worst

I went with a friend from out the town - the best thing on the menu was the Veal. Everything else was mediocre. Not worth the dough!! Pros: Good Service, Ambiance, Good Veal...

Great Party Space!! 1/14/2011

Was looking to have a 30th birthday party for my sister and a friend told me about Sambuca's private party room. Such a great find! 28 of my sister's nearest and dearest gathered for a great evening at Sambuca. The service was very friendly and attentive. The fried calamari and chicken parm were the table favorites and one gluten free friend had an entire menu of choices, including an awesome brownie! And you MUST try the El diablo cocktail...you can't just have one! We can't wait for the next excuse to have a party there! more
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Horrible food and service 8/18/2008

My Sicilian family had been coming here for a number of years because of the great food and friendly service. That all has changed for the worse! We waited at out table as others were seated and served their appetizers and entrees first. The when we complained about the service, the watress said that our entree took longer than others, funny since the table next to us ordered the same appetizers! When the food finally arrived it was inedible, the Chicken Sorrentino was like shoe leather and my daughters said that Sbarro's Baked Ziti tasted better. Pros: looks good from the outside Cons: all the ambience in the world can't mask bad food and service more
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Editorial review from GrubHub 1/25/2008

It was appetizing. more
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Geniune, great place.....makes you feel good! 9/26/2007

Sambuca has everything I think is important in a restaurant. The staff makes me feel special, like they know me, and they are friendly and professional. The food is great, it tastes fresh and Home-Made. The service is very efficient. They have small tables and big tables, I once walked in without a reservation and within five minutes they had a table for me and 11 co-workers!!! more
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private party rip-off 4/10/2007

I planned a private party for about 24 people. They charge $35 a person for the food and that includes some entrees, appetizers, dessert and coffee/tea. We had 8 people at 3 tables and we got one of each entree and appetizer for the entire table. Not only were some of the entrees not enough food for everyone to have at the table, but the total cost of one of each item per table does not come close to $35 per person! If you are paying a per person cost, I would expect to get unlimited amount of food until everyone is satisifed. Not only that, but we paid extra for a shrimp dish (seafood dishes cost an extra $2 per person) and the whole entree had about 12-15 small shrimp, so when the plate got passed around, it was empty after 4 people got it. Yet, we didn't get anymore. more
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great all around 11/17/2006

Good food, good service. We started ordering and the waiter stopped us, to let us know we were ordering too much! They have big servings, and we would have had way too much for four people, I'm glad he saved us some money and the food was yummy. Pros: big and little tables Cons: usual, can't get seated until everyone it there more
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Gluten-Free Menu! Awesome Italian 10/5/2006

Ate there 10/5/05 and we totally enjoyed ourselves. My wife is a celiac and they have a wonderful gluten-free menu available which is mostly their regular dishes custom made to be gluten-free. more
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My sew favorite restaurant 1/20/2006

I have been to Sambuca 4 times in the past few weeks....I go with my family, I also like to sneak over with a friend, enjoy dinner & a bottle of wine. I had a great holiday party in their private room...I was able to set up the menu in advance, the arranging was easy, and everyone was very professional & organized. My whole gang loved it, and theyr'e a tough crowd! The atmosphere is comfortable, not noisy. The service is special, I feel like they truly care, and that is rare in NYC. Everyone is friendly and knowledgable. My friend goes all the time because of their Gluten Free Special Menu.... He says it is the best Gluten Free. I am happy to take the time to write about Sambuca, because I am in business, and I can truly appreciate the great job they do. Definetly check it out. Pros: spacious, warm atmosphere, great comfort food Cons: Saturday at 8 is busy, I always forget to go more
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I love this place 11/17/2005

We went here with a promotional gift certificate which the owner didn't allow. The waitress was very helpful in our decision making. Everything came out just the way we wanted it. They were able to give us four courses, delivered at the correct time, and always delicious. My favorites were the eggplant rollitini appetizer and the chicken parmigiana. For dessert we had delicious coffee with tiramasu, hot apple crumb cake with four kinds of wonderful gelato. I personally cannot wait to go back for more eggplant but the most fun was round tables. We were a crowd of old friends and the round table allowed us all to hear each other and to comment on each one's life. It was a wonderful night. I would give this restaurant 5* for food, friendly atmosphere and a very filling experience...When we left none of us wanted to waddle down to our cars.. Pros: great food, wonderful prices, wonderful service Cons: not much atmospere, won't allow gift cert more
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Has Gone Downhill 8/7/2005

I was a patron for fifteen years and finally decided that there are far better places on the Upper West Side. While the food is good, the service has become atrocious. And the management behaves as though it does not care about an unhappy patron. If you want to be ignored and if you want to struggle to get the attention of the busboy (because the waiter or waitress is nowhere to be found) then patronize Sambuca. If you expect reasonable service and a minimal level of attention, then avoid Sambuca. Perhaps there has been a management change or just a diminishing level of interest in the place. It's horrible now. Cons: Bad service more
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Great Surprise 1/20/2005

Food, service, atmosphere and friends what more can I ask for? Sambuca provided a fabulous evening for me & my friends!! A must for friends getting togethere for a wonderful evening. Pros: food, service more
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A Has Been 1/16/2005

This used to be a place we enjoyed for years. We have decided that we will no longer be a customer of theirs. The food has really gone down and is not consistent. The worst thing is with the decline of food quality the service also took a huge dive. Waiters clearly do not want to be there which rubs off on to the customer. Why spend money here when you are not made to feel welcome?? more
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Great family size Italian Restaurant. 11/10/2003

Great place for a party. I went with a group of 10. It was great food, service and price. Salads are great. Eggplant parm is excellent. more
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easy party planning 5/19/2003

I just had a friend's 30th b-day at Sambuca - they made it so easy. Making the reservation was so easy - they faxed me a form and the menu was easy to pick and all set. I have never planned anything easier. The night of the party i gave them decorations and all was perfectly set up. GREAT party planning staff. The was also great and for a good price - and now we also have leftovers for a week (so much food!) more
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Great for families 2/26/2003

Food and service is excellent! I highly recommend for a group of 2 or more! Don't order too much though - 1 dinner will serve 2 easily more
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Try it -- You'll enjoy it.. 1/27/2003

We were a group of 4 on a saturday evening.. We all very much enjoyed our meal, the service was excellent.. Portions were more than enough for 4..Top it off with the Apple Crumble Dessert with icecream for a great finish..The only problem was that we were seated not too far from the bar and a customer was smoking.. we could smell it from our table for a short period of time.. no smoking should be allowed in the restaurant. Pros: great service, good food Cons: smoking, music may be too loud more
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Great atmosphere! Good food. 1/25/2003

I really like this restaurant. It's not too loud or too quiet. Great for groups; large portions, affordable. I thought the pasta w/eggplant was too oily, but chicken was great! The service was excellent! Have a great time! more
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Not worth the trip uptown! 12/19/2002

I went with a friend from out the town - the best thing on the menu was the Veal. Everything else was mediocre. Not worth the dough!! Pros: Good Service, Ambiance, Good Veal!! Cons: Mediocre Food more
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Homey ambience, homey food! 11/6/2002

I went there with my fiancee's classmates. It's a family style restaurant. Portion is good and food and service are nice. Very nice atmosphere to eat and chat with friends and family. There are some dishes slightly on the salty side, but most are good. more
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Menu for Trattoria Sambuca


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Editorial

  • This family-style Italian restaurant serves classic dishes like mozzarella in carozza and eggplant rollatini, as well as a large pasta selection.

  • 7/11/2007 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Fri-Sat: 4:45pm-11pm, Sun: 3pm-10pm, Mon-Thu: 4:45pm-10pm
  • Payments: American Express, Diner's Club, Discover, Master Card, Visa
  • Neighborhoods: Midtown, Lincoln Square
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