Lupa

I have been to lupa twice and I can confidentially say that the lamb is the best thing on the menu and the only thing worth ordering. Okay, maybe that's not true but the lamb is the best thing I've tried. I have tried a lot of lamb and nothing lihes up to this lamb. I live in Connecticut and I went to the city and went to lupa witj my boyfriend and friends and I ordered the cacio e Pepe and I hated it. My boyfriend got the lamb and basically fed me 2/3 of the dish. It was the best lamb I ever had. His friends, who didn't know me very well (and are kind of broke) were so excited about the lamb that they licked the flavor off of the bones that were already licked twice by people before them. It was perfectly cooked medium rare, the flavor was insane, and the fat melted in your mouth like butter. For $48, it was insanely worth it. Since that day, I begged to go back and finally, last night I did. I walked (because my boyfriend doesn't like the subway) from grand central to west village (45 min-1 hr walk)or this lamb. When we got there, I feared that it was going to be a one hit wonder. Thank god I was wrong. The lamb, once again, was OUTSTANDING. I rarely leave reviews but I redownloaded yelp for this, tipped 30%, and paid my compliments to the chef. This is extremely out of character. THATS how good this lamb was. I didn't even like lamb before I came here. Genuinely ridiculous. Otherwise, the service was good too. The waiters were interesting and fun, and the dessert came very very fast. However, the restaurant felt very crowded and the atmosphere was a little stressful. The tables were small and our menu almost caught on fire which the waiter said "is normal" and "happens 5 times a week" which worries me. Either way, none of it mattered. It was worth it for the lamb. I am begging to go back again because it's like nothing else I've ever had and I really am a pasta and carb girl at heart so this is genuinely a ridiculous review for me to leave. The apps and the other stuff I've had from lupa was mediocre but the lamb alone made this review a 5/5. Best lamb I've ever had and you'd be missing out to never try it, especially if you like lamb.

Overall I would give a 3.5/5. We were seated in the back area and it was very tight since the restaurant was packed. We started off with the complementary bread and ordered the arancini. It was okay, it tasted more on the blander side. For entrees, we ordered the cacio e Pepe and amatriciana. The portions were generous! The amatriciana was too salty for my liking but my fiance enjoyed it. We ordered tiramisu for dessert and for it tasted a little sour and we couldn't finish it.

I was trying to get into another restaurant around the corner but that,and the second were both babies special events. The 2nd place referred us to this spot and I'm glad that rneh did. It's a quaint intimate location. The pork dish was really good,so well seasoned and a really hefty portion. I had an old fashioned (as I usually do) and it was completely unique and delicious. I wasn't mad at it at all. Would I go back? Yes. Service was also excellent. Very friendly attentive staff.

A great local find! Staff is very friendly and quick, casual atmosphere and food is really really good as well as wine selection. We tried two different types of white wine and they were both fantastic. For appetizers, we started with prosciutto with mozzarella and then shared two types of pasta and a side of Brussels sprouts. The linguine was their daily special. Will definitely go back

I've been here twice in the past several years and it's very good. Not the best Italian in the West Village, but there is tough competition around. I would not steer anyone away from here, just manage your expectations accordingly.Came here for a business dinner last week, so we got to try a large cross-section of the menu: burrata, meatballs, octopus, prosciutto, arancini, and roasted beets. Standouts were the octopus (this is very hard to get right), and the roasted beets. Definitely order those.For dinner, I had a primi and a secondi (I could only fit in two bites of the secondi, but it was great the next day)- Primi: cacio e pepe with gluten-free pasta - this was great. I'm not sure what the pasta was made of. It was an interesting consistency, but it was still good and satisfied my cacio e pepe craving.- Secondi: the lamb - wow! Definitely get this. I'm Greek and have high standards for lamb and it was even good the next day.We also ordered a few bottles of wine. The Sommelier helped. He was an interesting person. Couldn't tell if he was annoyed with us or not, but his flavor descriptions were spot on and we did order a bottle of red that was fantastic (see pics).It was a good noise level, too. Overall, this is good for groups or a date night.

Great little Italian spot if you're in the soho/west village area! Stopped in here for lunch and the ambiance was chic and cozy. Our server was attentive and polite. The food portions were big and left us feeling incredible full. The steak and broccoli rabe felt a tad over salted and oily. Would recommend for a nice lunch or cute dinner date.

I love Italian food and couldn't wait to try this restaurant. When I arrived I parked on the street not too far. When I walked in, I was greeted by James the host, and he was very nice. The restaurant was so cute! Adrian was the bartender, Marco was my server, and Ian was the GM. They were all great!I started with an espresso martini, which was great. I then had an amazing red wine. For my appetizer, I had the Arancini di Mozzarella, and it wasn't bad. It was nice and cheesey. For my meal, I got the Black Spaghetti with Spicy frutti di mare. I really enjoyed my entrée. It was very different and melted in my mouth. I really enjoyed the food, drink and service!

The service was slow. The staff were rude, including the manager. It seemed intentional won't go back.

Absolutely fantastic meal at Lupa! Excellent service and food from start to finish. Highly recommend the meatballs with ricotta and the Bucatini all' Amatriciana with guanciale. Great ambiance, perfect spot for a romantic date night.

Overall experience was great. Amatriciana deserves a whole separate review. Guanciale was cooked to perfection, not burned, but melted. Best I've tasted outside Rome. Fresh prosciutto prepares you well for the main course. Surprisingly, escarole salad was boring and flat just like hostess and the sommelier.