Bocca Lupo

I really love the food and feeling of this place. The little plates are fun to mix and match and share. The cheeses are really good - although the servings could be a little bit bigger - they feel a little 'precious'. It's a little pricey (we still need a rating between 'about right' and 'very over-priced') the little plates add up quick. It's worth it. The wines are lovely. The banana and nutella dessert panini is yummy - if you like nutella. The panne cotta I had another night was lovely. The service is very nice if stretched a bit at times.

My one and only issue is that it's so good, it's hit or miss to get a table. I almost always have a back-up restaurant nearby in mind when I head over there in case it's too packed and the wait is too long and the bar too crowded to comfortably have a drink and wait.

• Food:
• Service:
• Ambience:
• Value:

I have always had pleasant experiences at Bocca Lupo. Especially pleasant is their children's menu, which has kid-friendly food with a juice box and bowl of chocolate pudding (mmmm). If you get there at 6, everybody is served promptly and professionally. Forty minutes later everybody has had what they wanted, and you're out of there. PERFECT.

• Food:
• Service:
• Ambience:
• Value:

This place is almost always crowded, and it being off the main drag (court/smith/atlantic) that says something. For those of you who commented on why mamary shouldn't be able to open up that oyster bar on hoyt, this place is a perfect example of a nice establishment working in a residential area. Sometimes an annoyingly drunk person will be loudly chatting on his/her cell phone outside, but it's an acceptable trade off to not have this area completely deserted after 10pm (wife can feel a bit safer on late night dog walk with people around).

As far as the food/wine goes, all are definitely above average and decently priced - although as CH'er noted above the little plates do add up. They usually have a pizza or risotto special but the regular menu is good too. Panini, mac&cheese, lamb chops, all are great. I havent been there for brunch, but it does seem to be very stroller-crowd accomodating during those times.

• Food:
• Service:
• Ambience:
• Value:

"baby lamb chops"??

Are there any other kind?

We went there the other night after a show at the Cinema. Since it was freezing and windy out I don't think a lot of people were going out to eat, so we were seated right away. We ordered four bruschetta, a white pizza (with fresh figs, shaved fennel, and truffle oil), a plate of cured meats, and the mint pana cotta. Everything was delicious, but I wish each plate were about $2 cheaper, because we really could have used just one more plate. Overall I would say it was a great place and I would definitely come back -- the panini look great and I want to try every bruschetta on the menu.

• Food:
• Service:
• Ambience:
• Value:

One of my favorites in the hood. The panini and bruschetta have been fantastic. I love the small plates and don't find them overly pricey. The wine list has been a mixed bag in my view. Have always had attentive service. Can get a bit noisy, but less an issue with the resturant itself than with thoughtless parents and undisciplined kids.

• Food:
• Service:
• Ambience:
• Value:

My only complaint is that the pizza is not pizza -- it's like a flat bread it that is warmed. Nice for a lligth dinner or lunch but limited and expensive for a real meal. And sitting on the "ledge" next to the window is just annoying and uncomfortable.

• Food:
• Service:
• Ambience:
• Value:

Hey, Stray Bongo, you talkin' to me? But seriously, Bocca Lupo has acoustically bouncy surfaces, and it is really loud in there.

It's loud in there.

Ha. No, and as the sometime wrangler of a youngster, I do empathize (although less than I should) with parents who otherwise seem to be senstive to public situations.

I have been here 3 times and the food is consistently perfect.

• Food:
• Service:
• Ambience:
• Value:

I love this place! Great for brunch and dinner and the wine list is excellent. It is loud though thanks to the many young children dining with their parents. And they really should provide some pillows or cushioning for that window ledge seat.

• Food:
• Service:
• Ambience:
• Value:

I am consistently surprised that this restaurant is so popular. While the location is prime (albeit smells like sewer gas) and the restaurant looks good from the outside (if a bit generic 90s Manhattan on the inside), the food is mediocre at best. From the mis-used Italian name to the misspelled Italian menu to the small portions to the pandering kids" menu (a juice box with spaghetti and tomato sauce in an Italian restaurant?). If I want a juice box for my kid, I'll buy him one in the store, I prefer he try something more adventurous in a restaurant. As for the "adult" portions, they are more sized for a child and taste like they all came from the same "Italian" cookbook. I'll take my own kitchen, al di la, Frankie's or Noodle Pudding over this any evening.

• Food:
• Service:
• Ambience:
• Value:

Excellent food with very pleasant service. My only complaint is that the wine portions seem to get smaller every few months.

• Food:
• Service:
• Ambience:
• Value:

This is my absolute favorite place to go! Sometimes crowded, and then that is when the service becomes iffy.

• Food:
• Service:
• Ambience:
• Value:

We appreciate the fact that it serves food later during the week than most places in the 'hood since we rarely have dinner before 10:30pm. The food is always good and we like to try at least one new thing each time we go. We love the small plates since it allows us some variety without spending a fortune. It can get way too noisy, but we've learned to accept that most places will always be too noisy for old fogies like us :)

• Food:
• Service:
• Ambience:
• Value:

I went here for the first time the other night and I really enjoyed it. The wine list is nice, and they had an excellent whiskey list that I will have to sample next time. The waiter poured me tastes of a couple wines after asking what type of wine I was looking for. The dishes we ordered were all good, a couple were great. I like the space (love the big windows, especially on a snowy night) with the exception that the waiter computer is kind of visually intrusive (I know, picky picky) and while the soundtrack didn't quite fit the vibe (B-52s, 867-5309, I touch myself) I actually didn't mind it. I look forward to eating here again.

• Food:
• Service:
• Ambience:
• Value: