Il Cantinori

Superb pasta. I'm not even an Italian fan, but loved the variety plate we got. The eggplant parmesan was good, different and crispier. The drinks weren't bad either, and nothing like good old sambuca to accompany.Classic looking Italian place, friendly staff.

Food was phenomenal - Service was criminal.Pasta was definitely homemade and fresh, and the espresso martini was one of the best I've ever had.The menu is fairly small and you basically have to argue with the staff to be given a menu. The food saves this place with stars because the service really needs to be improved. The busser was beyond rude.I first sat down and he asked if I wanted anything else to drink besides water and I said "do you have a drink menu" and he goes "we have a full bar." I said "ok do you have a wine list", and he then starts asking what kind of wine I would want, red or white, then what type of wine I want. Meanwhile in this convo I asked for a wine list 3 times and he kept avoiding the question. He then was asking glass or bottle. At this point the conversation was just becoming awkward so I was very direct back to him (which was deserved) and said "I'm sorry do you not have a wine list?!" And he said "oh yeah we do let me go grab it for you." It honestly was very uncomfortable. Then later the same thing happened with the food menu. Extremely strange. I can understand the "this is a locals vibe people don't need a menu here they just KNOW", if you maybe ask if we've been there before? The whole encounter was just so strange and nothing I've ever experienced before as someone who eats out very often. This all being said, once our actual waiter came to the table he was very very nice and personable.

Service was impeccable, our waiter brought a freshly made spicy sauce to us just because he thought we would like it and send us home with a container of it

Il Cantinori is super delicious! This is my aunt's favorite Italian restaurant in NYC, so we went here for her birthday. Although they have very FEW vegan options, they were super accommodating and made a pasta primavera. It was pretty good! For dessert, I had a passionfruit sorbet which was AMAZING! I also love the ambiance. The fresh flowers and candle lighting is perfect for an intimate get together. Overall, I really enjoyed this place and look forward to returning!

Great food and ambiance! We went for a birthday celebration and were not disappointed. The server recommended multiple dishes and explained each of them well. The spinach ravioli was among the best I've had.

Didn't get many pictures, but the food vibe and service was excellent. Pasta dishes were tasty and comforting

Came here for my birthday dinner this year - the food was good! Definitely feels like an authentic Italian restaurant. I recommend the pasta sampler which was not on the menu but it allows you to try their 3 different pastas instead of just one. Great for someone like me who gets tired of eating the same thing!

I was here for my Christmas company luncheon. This place was amazing. The food, service and ambiance were excellent! I will definitely come back.

The food was exceptional, the service impeccable, and the ambiance compares to no one else in the city. A restaurant that truly has the best flowers and homemade pasta. However, my friends and I were shocked when we were sitting by the kitchen and could hear the tall manager in a suit (I'm assuming Italian) screaming at a server or busboy in the kitchen. I have never seen anything like it and it's sad that such a beautiful restaurant treats their staff like that. What should have been a beautiful evening sadly was ruined and it was the conversation piece with my friends the whole evening instead of the delicious food and flowers.

Il Cantinori is one of the great Italian restaurants of New York City. Situated in NoHo, near Union Square, this restaurant is on a quiet street, tucked into the middle of the block. From the moment you enter you are in a cozy but classy place, with tables lit by candle light and the amazing smell of Italian herbs coming from the kitchen. You just know that the meal will be good. That sets the tone for the entire meal. Our server greeted us almost immediately and took our drink order. An assortment of italian breads can shortly after the server left to fill the drink order. They served this amazing pomodoro tomato sauce on a dish to each of us. It was not like a bruschetta topping but more like a very savory chunky tomato sauce with parmesan cheese. The temptation was to ask for more bread and more tomato sauce, but we resisted. For the appetizer we ordered the Calamari Alla Griglia. It had a light dusting of Italian breadcrumbs and cooked to perfection and topped with cherry tomatoes. It was lighter than most calamari that I've had. It was not chewy, which is a red flag for me. It was fresh and crisp. Two of us ordered the Tagliolini Neri Alle Vongole E Carciofi (Black squid ink pasta with clams), one with red sauce (special order) and one with white wine sauce. The white wine version was a bit flat. The red sauce version exploded with flavor. It was absolutely delicious. One of us ordered the Mediterranean fish special. I can't recall the name, but it was mild, not fishy, and was really tasty. The person in my party that ordered this said they would definitely order it again. For dessert we shared a cheesecake round with raspberry sauce. It was the perfect size to end the meal along with a snifter of sambuca. The glass came with 3 coffee beans, as all GOOD Italian restaurants will serve it. 3 is good luck and we certainly had good luck with this meal. I'm giving Il Cantinori 5 stars and adding it to my NY favorite restaurant list.