da Umberto 107 West 17th Street, Manhattan, New York 10011

"Service is consistently top-notch. Quick to take your cocktail order, which I love. Eagle-eyed servers will spot an empty wine or water glass and swoop in. The food is excellent. Always a good variety of specials. A classy place that has never let me down."

"I returned to this place because I had wonderful memories from my previous visit to New York. I recognized the waiter who had served us before and greeted him. I eagerly perused the menu, excited for a great time and delicious food. The waiter immediately suggested the day's specials without showing prices. Since I was in the mood for pasta, I decided to go for the recommended pasta of the day, thinking it would be the freshest and best. The most expensive pasta on the regular menu cost $35 - but only with truffles, while the other pastas ranged from $20 to $25. Imagine shock and disappointment when the bill showed $65 for the mushroom penne (price before tax) that I had chosen. It wasn't homemade linguine or pappardelle, just plain penne... for $65! I will never return to this place! I feel ripped off and my evening was ruined, and it supposed to be special."

"Excellent Italian food but it's not cheap. Try the Caesar salad and the carbonara pasta. Good wine list. Attentive service."

"What a beautiful neighborhood Italian experience. The space is warm and inviting. The staff is both completely professional, but also friendly and committed to ensuring that you enjoy your evening. The menu is solid, with nightly specials. All is fresh and generous, nice wine selection. I cannot recommend da Umberto more highly and very much look forward to my next trip to the city for a return visit."

"I’ll caveat this review that I had reservations at 2:45 and they close at 3 pm so the situation is not ideal but that’s no excuse for execution at this fine establishment. I started off with asking for their house white wine. Can’t recall the ambit it was crisp and refreshing, perfect for a lunch meal. Although at $18/glass, you might think twice. The octopus dish had one flavor:burnt. I didn’t taste anything else. That was a bummer. The spaghetti with clams was out of this world deliciousness it saved the entire experience. Perfectly executed. It may very well be the best spaghetti dish I’ve ever had. The bucatini was also perfectly cooked. Overall, solid but felt rushed and uneasy, partly because of me but also with the staff running around the restaurant. It’s not a cheap venue so my expectation will be high. Will return as I think this is a one off and the restaurant probably deserves a 5*."