Otto Enoteca Pizzeria

Otto Enoteca Pizzeria
1 5th Ave (between 8th St & Washington), New York, NY 10003
Neighborhood: Greenwich Village
Tel: (212) 995-9559
www.ottopizzeria.com


We went to Otto's with high hopes after reading all the positive reviews but came away sadly disappointed. The food was good but the service and attitude was terrible, so I'll break this review into 2 sections:

Group Size: 5 adults (walk in)

Food Review: We ordered the Carni Platter, Heirloom Caprese, Roasted Beets & Saba, and Summer Squash & Pecorino as starters, all of which were very good. The Carni Platter has head cheese (hard to find on most menus, one of my favorites) and was a standout. For the main course we ordered the Panne Frattau, Margherita D.O.P., and Vongole, all of which were very good. To round off, we tried the icecream with 3 flavors - Olive Oil, Coconut and Peppermint Chocolate Chip. Dessert was a bit of a let down as the much hyped olive oil icecream wasn't all that.

Service Review: While the food at Otto's was good, the whole meal was soured by the service and attitude. When taking our main course orders the waiter made it point to tell us that the chef takes an order from a table just once, which we thought was odd but didn't give much thought into. We initially ordered 2 pizzas as we didn't know how big they would be. In the end, it turns out that we needed to order a 3rd pizza, so we placed an order for another pizza. Boy did that turn out to be a huge problem for the restaurant. The waiter told us that the chef would not take the second order. We couldn't believe our ears - a restaurant that refuses to serve food! After sending the waiter back to the chef TWICE to convince the chef to take our order, the chef finally agreed to make our 3rd pizza. We still don't know what to make of their attitude. As a marketing ploy (ala Seinfeld's Soup Nazi) it might seem innovative, but all it does is leave customers with a sour taste over the dining experience.

Final Verdict: Good food, but appalling attitude and service. Save your money and go elsewhere. If this restaurant continues to refuse its customers food, it deserves to go out of business.