Esca
“For my pasta, I couldn't resist ordering the Lobster Spaghetti, even though I have tried the Lobster Spaghetti at Babbo (and LOVED it).”
“I got the chicory salad with anchiovy vinagrette which was good and then got the tagliatelle neri with seafood as my main course.”
“Our Secondi dish, we went for the Branzino per Tre, which was a whole Mediterranean sea bass cooked in sea salt.”
Esca
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$$$ Price range Above $61
8 reviews
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Had an excellent dinner from start to finish. Octopus appetizer was perfect. We then had the Branzino for two. I would say the only disappointment of the Branzino was that they brought it table side but took it away to plate it. Service was good although the managers circling the room every 2 minutes was a bit over the top.
I was incredibly disappointed with this visit to ESCA. I dined here a few years ago and had an amazing experience. Every dish was superb. During this visit, everything was terrible. I was treating an alum and had raved about my previous experience prior to dinner so, of course, I was a bit embarrassed. I can't say I will bring any more donors or alumni back to ESCA.
The perfect restaurant for post-matinee performance on Broadway. Stroll over from the insanity of the Times Square scene and there is the charming, serene Esca just 3 minutes walk from the frenetic activity a few blocks away. Our waiter, Josh was one of the best waiters/servers I have known. His knowledge of the menu was impressive but his knowledge of oysters was breathtaking. His descriptions of some of the dishes are nearly poetic.
I had a dozen P.E.I oysters which were superb. My husband had a very complex, artisanal salmon crudo which was remarkable. My main was a garganelli pasta cooked perfectly and the sauce of crab and sea urchin was creamy yet light. It was so delicious. My husband had a pasta with octopus. He loved it.
The warm welcome at the door, our server, Josh, the cocktails, food and service were all 5 stars. It was a beautiful evening and there is a patio which was full. Not disappointed as we were seated in an extremely comfortable booth and had the pleasure of the great server, Josh.
Look forward to returning.
Loved loved loved my dining experience and the amazingly fresh seafood!! It's even worth the hassle of putting down your credit card to make a reservation on open table.
Saturday night 8pm and the restaurant had a relaxed feel. The server was incredible courteous and knowledgable making confident recommendations when asked.
We had the the crudo sampler which was a nice way to try 6 different items. The oyster and artic char was my favorite which is good to know in the future. I absolutely loved the sea urchin and crab meat pasta–FYI the noodles are thick like a bucatini but without a hole in the center so it's filling. I also loved the black ink pasta. We also got the tonno and it was seriously so fresh and cooked to perfection.
I also loved their homemade gelato. The speed of the experience was great for me because I was catching up with friends and didn't want to be rushed. Others might consider it to be slow, but I enjoyed every moment and can't wait to go back!!!!
We pass ESCA all the time living in the area. Great reviews all the time brought us in to have dinner.
Hostess was sweet and brought us over to a lovely table. Decor old and dated for my taste, as were the patrons.
I would have left at this point if it weren't for my husband's desire for fish at a Mario Battelli/Lydia restaurant.
Waiter was cold, so much for warm & fuzzy…
We began with some white wine…ok… And Tuna Carpacchio… SALTY BEYOND
I had the Pomodoro Salad.. Heirloom tomatoes and ricotta salada in a balsamic glaze. It was good
I had the Red Snapper… Cooked well it was really good, on the side was a mushy cold zucchini spaghetti with 2 olives for garnish. This had absolutely no flavor.
Hubby had the bass… He was underwhelmed. Too much salt in his food, he was turned off.
We tried their Special Dessert… Can not even distinguish what it was… Flavors did not meld. First time in our lives, we left the plate 3/4 full, got our check… Disgusted by our evening and left!
Way too much $$$ for a more than disappointing experience.
Mario. Lydia. Who?????
It was okay.
I went with someone who knew the chef, so I had a pretty good experience.
We had a bunch of tasting courses..and I had no idea what I was eating most of the time.
The food was good but wayyy too salty.
I definitely recommend the pasta though, specifically the Spaghetti Neri (squid-ink pasta). That was my favorite part of the course.
Not the biggest fan of this place, plus super expensive for the quality of their food!!
My husband and I split the casareccia pasta (the shrimp wasn't fresh and the sauce just didn't taste right) and the black bass for two. The fish was alright, but I had the same thing at fig & olive the night before, so it paled in comparison.
I was super disappointed with the meal, especially for what we were paying.
My family and I came here because my father-in-law is a big fan of the TV show that Dave Pasternack has about fishing in Long Island. When we got to the restaurant, we were seated immediately and told our waiter why we came. As we were looking at the menu, out walked Dave Pasternack. He came to our table and chatted us up for a bit. He was a really nice guy. My father-in-law was over the moon. That was such an incredibly nice thing.
Let me start by saying, this place is incredibly expensive. Like insanely expensive. For the amount of money we spent, I expected incredible food. And while the food was good, it was not worth the prices being charged. The wine was marked up to such a degree I was flabbergasted when I opened the menu.
My family and I ordered the Burratta appetizer. It had Burratta, fried artichokes, and arugula on top. That cost $20. Insane. It was delicious and probably my favorite part of the meal, but that is just too much money for that. I am a vegetarian so I ordered the gnocchi. My husband does not like seafood so he ordered the chicken. The rest of my family ordered seafood entrees. My gnocchi was very good. All the pasta in each dish was homemade. The sauce was a bit lacking in flavor. My husband throughly enjoyed his chicken. The rest of family liked their dishes but were not totally impressed. We unfortunately were too full to get dessert so I can't speak to that. I wish we would have been able to because other tables ordered desserts and they all looked good.
The service was impeccable but overall we were pretty underwhelmed, especially considering the prices.