Bocca Cucina and Bar

We made a reservation for a group of 6 on a Saturday night a week ahead. Great pasta! Made in house or is fresh pasta. We liked the pesto and the seafood pasta dish. For group of 6 or more they added on top automatically but they were nice and told us ahead of time so we understood when we got the check. Great spot for a group

Bocca Cucina did a wonderful job hosting our group event. We had a group of 12 for a bachelorette dinner, and the staff went out of their way to make the night special. They printed a custom prix fixe menu for our group, were able to accommodate multiple dietary restrictions, and made sure service was quick and friendly. On top of this, the food was excellent and served promptly. It’s a beautiful space for a special event, and I will absolutely be returning.

We enjoyed our dinner tremendously. The staff was so friendly and attentive. Causal yet chic along Park Ave S. The dishes are modern Italian and very delicious. The tomato and olive oil for the bread was very spring and uplifting. One star off the food bc the mussels were over cooked. The breaded chicken cutlet could have used a bit more sauce so it would not be just fried cutlet. Very tasty still. Will definitely go back. Also a great place for date night.

We came here for happy hour and what a great find. The bartender shacked awesome cocktails, the food was absolutely delicious, Brazilian bossa nova on the background, super friendly Brazilian host. Unfortunately we didn’t have dinner but starters but we would come back to try more next time for sure

The grilled prawns are REALLY good. Wow. Still thinking about them days later lol. The cacio e pepe is also pretty good. One of the better versions I’ve had in the city. I will come back for the prawns! Bathrooms are clean.

My family and I were thrilled to find Bocca among the many options in the Union Square area on a Saturday night in December. When we arrived at the restaurant, we recognized the restaurant owner from Bocca's Instagram page and were delighted to meet him. He, along with the knowledgeable and friendly staff, took great care of us all night and provided great recommendations. We ordered a few appetizers and a salad to share in addition to our entrees, and every single thing we had was delicious. Fine dining flavors with a homey feel and perfect portions. The atmosphere felt modern yet cozy, and we all had a really enjoyable time!

All the food was very well prepared. Delicious pasta dishes, both the Spaghetti carbonara and the Fussili a la Normina. Very good Tiramisu as well. Staff was professional and the service was very good. The main reason not to put the five star is because of the 'Non-cash additional charge of $5,19' which I find very annoying. I get that banks charge businesses for credit card transactions, and that should be part of the restaurant's operating costs and reflected in the dish prices. But I don't see why as a customer I have to be the one paying for that extra fee, or be pushed to pay in cash. I've got news, we are heading towards a cash-less society, with every payment being electronic, so come into the 21st century please.

We booked a table and told the receptionist after half an hour and we were late by more than 45 minutes or so and he said wait. After more than an hour, he said: Wait an hour and a half. The people who came after us were admitted. Honestly, the restaurant's reputation is excellent (But the employee was not welcoming and did not behave well.) I told the employee that I would evaluate the service...and he said: It's ok .

We made a reservation for a group of 6 on a Saturday night a week ahead. Great pasta! Made in house or is fresh pasta. We liked the pesto and the seafood pasta dish. For group of 6 or more they added on top automatically but they were nice and told us ahead of time so we understood when we got the check. Great spot for a group

Bocca Cucina did a wonderful job hosting our group event. We had a group of 12 for a bachelorette dinner, and the staff went out of their way to make the night special. They printed a custom prix fixe menu for our group, were able to accommodate multiple dietary restrictions, and made sure service was quick and friendly. On top of this, the food was excellent and served promptly. It’s a beautiful space for a special event, and I will absolutely be returning.

We enjoyed our dinner tremendously. The staff was so friendly and attentive. Causal yet chic along Park Ave S. The dishes are modern Italian and very delicious. The tomato and olive oil for the bread was very spring and uplifting. One star off the food bc the mussels were over cooked. The breaded chicken cutlet could have used a bit more sauce so it would not be just fried cutlet. Very tasty still. Will definitely go back. Also a great place for date night.

We came here for happy hour and what a great find. The bartender shacked awesome cocktails, the food was absolutely delicious, Brazilian bossa nova on the background, super friendly Brazilian host. Unfortunately we didn’t have dinner but starters but we would come back to try more next time for sure

The grilled prawns are REALLY good. Wow. Still thinking about them days later lol. The cacio e pepe is also pretty good. One of the better versions I’ve had in the city. I will come back for the prawns! Bathrooms are clean.

My family and I were thrilled to find Bocca among the many options in the Union Square area on a Saturday night in December. When we arrived at the restaurant, we recognized the restaurant owner from Bocca's Instagram page and were delighted to meet him. He, along with the knowledgeable and friendly staff, took great care of us all night and provided great recommendations. We ordered a few appetizers and a salad to share in addition to our entrees, and every single thing we had was delicious. Fine dining flavors with a homey feel and perfect portions. The atmosphere felt modern yet cozy, and we all had a really enjoyable time!

All the food was very well prepared. Delicious pasta dishes, both the Spaghetti carbonara and the Fussili a la Normina. Very good Tiramisu as well. Staff was professional and the service was very good. The main reason not to put the five star is because of the 'Non-cash additional charge of $5,19' which I find very annoying. I get that banks charge businesses for credit card transactions, and that should be part of the restaurant's operating costs and reflected in the dish prices. But I don't see why as a customer I have to be the one paying for that extra fee, or be pushed to pay in cash. I've got news, we are heading towards a cash-less society, with every payment being electronic, so come into the 21st century please.

We booked a table and told the receptionist after half an hour and we were late by more than 45 minutes or so and he said wait. After more than an hour, he said: Wait an hour and a half. The people who came after us were admitted. Honestly, the restaurant's reputation is excellent (But the employee was not welcoming and did not behave well.) I told the employee that I would evaluate the service...and he said: It's ok .

I can't believe I didn't find this restaurant sooner! They had everything you could ever want - from the amazing service to the delicious food to the great drinks (one of the best espresso martinis I've had in awhile). I got some dinner and drinks with my girlfriends but this spot would be a really cute date spot or for a small group of friends. Can't wait to come back!

I had a girls' night dinner for the first time in 6 years. The menu definitely changed. There was definitely new staff, and our server loved my friend. We started out with the Bocca Spritz, which was refreshing. The first round was great, but the second round was much stronger, lol. The menu also changed slightly with the addition of more truffle dishes. So, since we love truffles, we started off with the CAVOLFIORE AL CACIO E PEPEwhich is roasted cauliflower head with cacio e pepe fondue and black truffle. This dish was so good that I could even drink the fondue sauce, lol. We also ordered the TARTUFATAflatbread made with house-made mozzarella, black truffle sauce, speck, wild mushrooms, and another great dish. These dishes are worth trying. We also ordered another vegetarian dish, MELENZANE A FUNGHETTO, which sauteed eggplant, cherry tomato sauce, garlic, and basil. This was also a great dish. For the main entrees, my friend ordered the GAMBERONI ALLA GRIGLIA, which grilled marinated prawns, arugula salad, lemon & olive oil dressing. The portion was generous and is pretty much a warm shrimp salad. My other friend ordered the SCIALATELLI AUM AUM, which is housemade scialatelli, San Marzano tomato sauce, eggplant, smoked buffalo mozzarella, parmigiano, and fresh basil also another great vegetarian dish. I ordered their famous TONNARELLI CACIO E PEPE, which is House-made tonnarelli pasta, pecorino Romano, and coarse black pepper. One can never go wrong with tableside cacio e pepe. For dessert, we shared the tiramisu, creme brulee, and gelato. All three desserts were solid. This is a solid and consistently good restaurant. We were definitely happy with the dining experience, and that was not the alcohol talking. They also participate in NYC restaurant week, which offered a great prix fixe menu.

The wheel of Parmesan cheese is so fun and delicious. I love this presentation and the service is authentic and on point. Cacio Pepe for me please!

I got the night's pasta special - lobster squid-ink pasta, which was really fresh and flavorful. The jalapeño margarita was deliciously strong! Would've been nice if they had more cocktails without any kind of syrup in it. Service was very accommodating. There were soooo many birthday celebrations on the day we went! Definitely a popular spot for group gatherings.

Best Cacio e Pepe made next to the table, fast service if you're in a rush. No rush if you are in the mood for hanging out. Near Broadway & Union Square.

I had dinner with some friends on a Friday night around 8 pm at Bocca Cucina. The place itself is cute and a great place for a date or dinner with friends. They are known for their Cacio and Pepe pasta, which is assembled in the cheese wheel table side, which is honestly which I should've gone with because the seafood pasta I got was good, but nothing amazing in my opinion. Other's may enjoy it but, I was a bit underwhelming and I bit on the sand a few times from the mussels, which means they were not cleaned properly. We also ordered the arancini for our appetizer, which I also thought was average. In terms of the service it was good but, I felt like our sever did rush us to get our drink and food orders, which was a bit annoying. The bocca spritz was the best thing I drank that night, and the tomato and olive oil they give complementary with bread was probably the best thing I ate that night.

I loved the food here. The ambience is also super cute and service was amazing - really friendly staff. For apps we got the focaccia Napoli and that was delicious. For mains I got the cacio e Pepe and it was super cheesy - however I would recommend sharing half of that with someone else, for another dish since it's pretty heavy. But nonetheless really good!

Came here for my sons 30th bday and why not take advantage of restaurant week lol Made reservations online for 6:30pm. I arrived before my son around 6. I sat at the bar while I waited had a margarita. Omgg! Delicious when my table was ready I didn't realize the drink was part of the happy hour. Oh boy that was awesome . We sat outside it was a beautiful day. They brought out water and bread with olive oil. We got a 3 course meal for $45 each. We both got the Caesar salad. It wasn't great but the big piece of Parmesan cheese they put on top made it delicious. We both ordered the aged Parmesan steak with roasted potatoes and spinach. The steak was delicious never had anything like that. I literally got like 5 potatoes but they were good, the spinach was kind of bland. Then the dessert we got was cheesecake. It was a small piece but very tasty. The service was good the ambiance was nice and overall a nice experience. There was a bathroom upstairs but every time I went it was occupied so I had to use the one downstairs which was clean . Downstairs there's more seating but there was a musky smell down there. I don't think ive would've like to be seated down there. Towards the end the waitress took long to give my bill which can be annoying when you're ready to go. I did like that I can buy via QR code on the receipt. Which worked out because the waitress was taking long to get my card

Came here especially for the table side cheese wheel Cacio Pepe. We added shrimp to it. Maybe that's why they didn't make it tableside but I was supremely disappointed as I wasn't warned. A few tables over, they received the tableside demonstration. The meal was delicious. Because it's on the pricey side (cacio pepe with shrimp $32), I'm not sure I will return. I would suggest sitting outdoors even though it is subject to foot traffic. It's too dark inside.

We came on a Saturday night and we're seated immediately, although it was crowded. We shared the cauliflower appetizer (cavolfiore al cacio e pepe), which was great. I got the ravioli and my mom got the pappardelle ragu. Everything was great.

Bocca was an amazing authentic experience from start to finish. Our group of 4 split 3 entrees, including the fettuccine con funghi e crema di tartufo (house-made fettuccine, wild mushrooms, black truffle sauce), tonnarelli cacio e pepe (house-made tonnarelli pasta, pecorino romano, coarse black pepper), scialatelli aum aum (scialatelli, San Marzano tomato sauce, eggplant, smoked buffalo mozzarella, parmigiano, fresh basil), as well as red house wine. The cacio e pepe had an impressive tableside presentation! The portions were perfect for sharing and everything was served fresh. Seating shut down by about 10pm which seemed early for NYC, and it took a while to get our check even with being one of the last parties present. There were a lot of couples wining and dining, I would consider it for a date spot!

Not sure if this place was having a bad day but the food did not match up to the 4 star rating and yelp reviews. To begin with service was extremely slowww. Nobody even came to us to get the order for a good 20 minutes and from there getting the bill, getting wine everything was like pulling teeth. Talking about the food we got the artichokes for appetizer and it was terrible. Tasted like canned salty artichoke with some cheese on the top. Horrible mushy and salty with no real artichoke flavor. We also got the Napoli flatbread and the cacio Pepe which were both underwhelming. The tomato sauce on the flatbread had no flavor. It's like we got bread with bland tomato sauce and olives on top. Cacio Pepe was bad and the pasta was all stuck together and lumpy. All in all I don't think I will be coming back here again

Not bad but nothing to write home about either (probably better Italian spots in the city- though this one is nice since you could get a resi week of, and restaurant was still pretty lively / busy, so not like there were resis bc no one goes). The fettuccine funghi with truffle sauce was our favorite of the pastas. And the pizza was quite good - we expected more of a fluffy crust given focaccia, but fyi it's much more like flat bread crust. In general, I think the flavors were pretty good but pasta was too soft- especially the cacio e pepe. A little more Al dente and would give this place 4 stars! Desserts were just ok (we had crème brûlée, tiramisu and I believe the chocolate torte).

We were able to get reservation here a day before for dinner. Had our anniversary dinner. Would definitely recommend. Food was great. Service was good and atmosphere was nice and cozy. Gets busy during dinner.

Great dining experience at this wonderful Italian restaurant. Delicious menu choices, nice selection of wines. Lovely ambience and friendly and attentive service.

Bocca was an excellent choice for my meetup group this past Monday! There were 14 women in attendance and Bocca understood that we needed to leave 75 minutes after arriving to head to part two of the evening. They opened at 5 pm and that's when we arrived. We were served delicious and varied food and drink, delivering to all 14 of us at the same time! We settled up and were out the door on time! Bocca has a wonderful atmosphere. So beautiful and intimate. The staff was very accommodating and friendly. I highly recommend this restaurant and would definitely go back!

Friendly service, delicious food warm ambiance! Will be going back to try different pastas , everything we ordered was delicious !

Came here for a quick drink before meeting friends. Everyone was friendly and accommodating. They even offered me bread with sauce which would have been great if I wasn't full from dinner I got a delicious spicy tequila drink that hit the spot. It's not too crowded or hectic so it's a nice place to sit solo or meet people without being overwhelmed. Don't sleep on this place!

Cute this spot in Flatiron. I'd been watching them on Instagram for a while and was impressed by what they showcased. Even though I have to give it 3 stars, there was a lot to like about this spot. We made a reservation on Open Table. I recommend as it was full from the time we arrive until we left. We started at the bar while we waited for our table. It's busy and took a little while to get our drinks. The cocktail menu is big and the pictures are as picturesque as they look on Instagram. I had the Citriolo. It was light and refreshing. Nothing exceptional. I'd say the price is a bit high for a good, but very normal cocktail in NYC. When we moved to our table, our server was exceptional. She was attentive, shared recommendations and never felt like we were being rushed. To start, we ordered the burrata with prosciutto and the octopus. The burrata was delicious! I'm not an octopus fan, but my party said it was also delicious. They also give you bread with a dipping oil to hold you over while you browse the menu. We ordered a variety of pastas for dinner including the special of the night the squid ink gnocchi. This is where it falls flat. The pastas were okay. Maybe even a little underwhelming. Wish so many good pasta options in the city, this one will not stand out. I think I'll skip the mains next time, but can see myself going back for a cocktail and an appetizer.

We booked at this place via recommendation of opentable.com and this place truly exceeded our expectations. We arrived slightly early for our dinner and decided to have some cocktails at the bar. Yes, you read that right, bar seating is allowed again in NYC. I then have a Toronto; gin-based cocktail and my partner had a Spritz so fitting for mid-May weather. We were then told by the maître d that our indoor table is ready. We started with a complimentary home bread and olive oil followed by focacce parma; homemade mozzarella, prosciutto de parma, tomato sauce, and rucola. It was delicious and the portion is perfect for 2 people. For our entree, I chose fettuccine con Funghi e crema de Tartufo or homemade fettuccine with wild mushrooms and black truffle sauce while my partner chose pappardelle al ragu di Agnello; homemade ribbon pasta with tomato's braised lamb shank and pecorino romano. Both dishes are freshly made and delicious it suited well with our choices of quartino of wine (size of 2 glasses serving). We then capped the night with Sicilian lemon tart to share. This place serves solid Italian dishes, we both enjoyed the efficient customer service, definitely a neighborhood gem!

I've been coming to Bocca for years, from back when it used to be all dark inside and was a great place to escape the office for a catch up with a friend and where you wouldn't bump into any other co-workers! Always enjoyed the tuna sandwich at lunch. Dinner is more expensive, so it's not my first choice for pasta but ended up going this week for restaurant week and as usual everything was great. Firstly, the tomato dipping sauce they give you with the bread is amazing, it has never changed in all the years I have been going and I really hope it doesn't! For dinner I had the eggplant (delicious) and branzino (thought was small but was actually a perfect portion and very flavorful). It's a great place, and glad it still is doing well after all these years.

I really wanted to like this place since the decor and server's were nice. Unfortunately, they dropped the ball in several major areas that led to this being a pretty disappointing experience. Came for team dinner, cocktails were good and some of the appetizers were delicious as well - the cauliflower and the pizza. When it came to the entrees, that was a major fail - I ordered medium rare steak with a side of roasted potatoes. The steak came extremely well done making it a difficult chewing and dining experience, and the potatoes werent prepared well, soggy without any crunch. My colleagues who had pasta enjoyed it, but everyone else who order fish or steak didn't finish there dishes.

I have no idea where these positive reviews are coming from, I guess folks have a different bar for good food. Ate there on Saturday and it may have been possibly the worst meal I've ever had. A few highlights: - Pancetta in the amatriciana tasted like it had gone bad - The chicken cutlet was thick, tough and had a bone on the end of it (how?) - The waiter poured still water into my sparkling water and when I let him know, he came back, refilled 1/4 of the glass with sparkling all the while spilling water over the table like I inconvenienced him - The waitress took away one of the groups bread that they were eating It was honestly amateur hour. I'm guessing this place gets the overflow from all the popular / better places nearby that were packed (Craft, Gramercy etc). Ate at Da Toscano earlier in the week and that was standout Italian, highly recommend going there instead.

I rally wanted to like this venue. Highly recommend by a friend. Our party of six arrived early on a Saturday evening so the place was very quiet. The piped in music was soft and unobtrusive. Lovely setting. Our server was superb. Very knowledgeable about the menu and how each dish was prepared. The cocktails were excellent. For me it went downhill from there. The Insalata Di Finocchi sounded interesting but was rather flavorless. The Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe pasta was overcooked and gloppy, not at all memorable. I did taste the Focacce Magherita flatbread which was quite good. Bottom line. Five star service and ambience but I found my dishes ordinary. Others at my table were less critical.

NYC has its share of Italian restaurants and Bocca is one of the upscale offerings. Here you start off with a cocktail or even go for a martini - why not? I asked for mine extra dirty (oh no). The pastas are good I ordered the cacio e Pepe and with the added fresh pepper was satisfying. The restaurant can get crowded and the staff are efficient maybe even too efficient. Upscale comes at a cost particularly if you booze it up.

Really delicious food! It was easy to walk in at 7:30pm on a Friday and get a table for two. We got the Campana, the lasagna and the fusilli alla norcina. The fusilli really was a showstopper and one of the best pastas I've had in NYC. I would highly recommend!

I had a great time attending a group dinner here. We enjoyed splitting a bottle of the Prosecco and dining on the Cacio e Pepe and Amatriciana pastas. Both pastas, along with the prosciutto and burrata appetizers, were excellent. The cannoli dessert was not my personal favorite, but others enjoyed their tiramisu. Service was friendly and very attentive. I would consider coming back.

Had our first "post covid-19" dinner here last week and it was outstanding. The servers all seemed very happy to be at work, which was a great sight to see! They have seating on both sides of the street and ample space. Sat down at 8pm for a dinner and the weather was great and so was the sunset. We had the burrata e scarola and shishito alla parmigiana and both were very tasty. I tried a few of their pastas but the gnocchi neri con granchio was outstanding. Very different than what I've had at other Italian restaurants and absolutely delicious. Wine selection is good, if you like Italian wines, and so are the prices. A lot of good bottles around the $50-65 range.

Open for outdoor dining as of August 2020. If you're looking for quality Italian food, look no further. The dishes at Bocca were all amazing! The tuna tartare special was a great first dish, balancing savory and zesty in every bite. The octopus was perfectly cooked - not too tough, not too tender, and not overly seasoned, letting the dish speak for itself. And the gnocchi main was so delicious, a really hearty dish to end the meal. All in all a fantastic experience, and the staff is happy to provide recommendations so you can make the most of the menu!

I went there during restaurant week, but i didn't order the restaurant week menu. I am not that really into italian food, but wanted to give this place a try. Food was okay for me. Focaccia was burnt. Spaghetti was very peppery. I have tried better italian food than this place and i think i will not be returning to this place.

There are couple of things about this place which I liked but a lot more which I didn't. First things first at t food is super pricey for the quantity but the quality is good. We reserved a table outside but owing to the heat decided to sit indoors. The problem with indoors was it was even more hotter than outdoors as the AC was not working I think? Owing to our group size we were given the corner table which had a small fan to help with the heat. I don't know whether the Air conditioning was not working for just that day or has not been working for the entire summer?! Ordered caprese as appetizers for the table which was usual nothing great about it, we ordered vegetarian fettuccine , vegetarian pasta with white sauce and salmon. The fettuccine had a strong mushroom smell which didn't bother me but if someone is bothered by it then watch out, vegetarian pasta which was just butter , white sauce and pepper was good but half way through it I found a piece of mushroom in it. I don't know how it ended up there, then we ordered desserts mostly tiramisu and chocolate espresso cake with hazelnut ice cream. Tiramisu was not the greatest and was missing the creamy texture along with some taste of rum but the chocolate cake was decadent and shouldn't be missed. I was unable to finish it after my entree so I think it's good for sharing. Also be prepared to use your phone to translate menu items as they are not in English and if you are not used to Italian.

We came here for restaurant week, where we each got an appetizer, meal, and dessert for $45. This was worth it, but barely - and the normal prices are insane. The meatball appetizer was very good, especially the sauce! The arugula salad was pretty plain. The cacio e Pepe was cool, since they made it by the table with the huge cheese wheel. But really it only tasted like cheese and was kind of boring. The pasta with lamb was very good, and the sauce tasted heavily of lamb. All of the noodles were handmade. The chocolate flourless cake was extremely good, and the tiramisu was good as well.

This is a perfect spot for a weekend dinner with friends or casual date night! It's in a very lively area right off Union square park and there's lots of other nice restaurants right around it. The service was wildly sub par but the food was not bad-- the cacio e Pepe was denser and creamier than I might have liked but the meal was overall fulfilling!

We came here for a team dinner and had a nice table that was across the street from the restaurant--far enough away from other tables that I felt safe! The servers were super attentive throughout the night; they were always refilling my wine and water glasses. Our table didn't have umbrellas, but others do, which is great if you're worried about rain. The string lights outside the restaurant are also a nice touch. Our table was on the other side of the street, so the construction lighting under the scaffolding was our lighting (ha). We started off with bread that came with some kind of slightly spicy tomato-based dip. The cocktails were super fun -- love their take on an Old Fashioned. Since we were a larger party, we had a set menu. I started with crab cake as an appetizer, Fusilli Alla Norcina as my main, and Warm Espresso Chocolate Cake as dessert. Honestly, all the food was amazing. The portions for the main look deceivingly small, but they're actually super filling. A few teammates had to wrap up their mains since they couldn't finish. The cake was also delicious, although pretty sweet (so if you don't have a sweet tooth, go for another dessert). Would def recommend!

I came here with my daughter and her "famous" YouTuber boyfriend. It's the best spot if you want to be "low key" and the waiters were very accommodating. I literally asked for something that wasn't on their brunch menu and they made it happen with absolutely no hesitation. Josh (our waiter) was very attentive. Couldn't have asked for a better Italian spot. The food was soooo tasty!! Italian food is NOT my favorite (it was my daughter's boyfriend's choice) but this place changes my POV on that subject.

The food was very delicious and the service was also great - they r very responsive and easy going!!

Food: 5/5 Not sure why this place only has 3 stars. I've been going to Bocca for years. My go to is the lamb ragu with ribbon pasta. I try to order it every time I'm here because it's the best I've ever had! Their pasta is always perfectly al dente and their sauce is full of flavor! Ive experienced their food to be slightly salty sometimes but I'm extremely salt sensitive. I request my entrees with "no added salt". A few recommendations: cacio e pepe, veal meatballs, grilled octopus and their shishito peppers are my favorite! I also love their vermentino wine! Service: 5/5 Everyone here is super attentive and accommodating. Nico the manager is such a dear! He's very nice and always remembers his patrons. Ambiance: 4/5 I've been going to Bocca before their renovations. It's very clean and has a cute/warm feel now. Dimly lit and romantic. Great spot for a date or casual dining.

I came here for a group dinner the other day. The location is great and I quite liked the ambience. Great for a dinner with friends. We ordered the eggplant and stuffed artichokes as apps and everyone ordered a pasta dish. I got the pasta pomodoro which was very good! The reason I knocked down some stars was because my friend never got his meal until well after after everyone else. We had almost finished our meal by the time his pasta finally came. I think it may have just been an off night and the waiter did take the appetizers off our bill for the inconvenience so I thought that was very nice. I would come back to see if it would be different next time, but food was quite good so solely based on that I'd give it 4 stars!

I remember coming here ages ago and the place looked different so i think they must have had a revamp? Made a Friday night reservation via Seated which gave us additional perks. The process was pretty straightforward. We got here just before 7pm. Unfortunately we were not able to take advantage of the happy hour as we were not seated at the bar. They were nice enough to offer a seat at the bar but we declined as we were comfortable where we were. The happy hour is $1 oyster and also $7 wines although I was told you can only choose one or the other. Either way we did not take advantage of it as we weren't able to. We ordered 3 pastas: Cacio e Pepe (came with the cheese wheel); truffle mushroom and their special of the day - black ink pasta with prawns. We also ordered eggplant parmigiana. We thoroughly enjoyed each dish and ate everything. That pasta was fresh and cooked just right. Bread and pesto was also provided before the meals came. All of this and two glasses of wine ended up costing $55 p/p and we received additional cashback via Seated app. Not a bad Friday night out to catch up with friends!

Went here for a work event so maybe not the best setting to give a review on a food since we only had appetizers, but wouldn't say this is a place I would recommend or come back to. Given we didn't come for food I won't judge on this category. Ambiance was fine. Nothing worth commenting other than very centric and close to Union Square so comfortable to get to.

Excellent service and really good food too.. had a very positive experience at Bocca. We ordered a few bottles of wine and the servers were knowledgeable enough to make wine recommendations based on our preference and liking. Food was excellent as well, including half a dozen appetizers that we ordered. Service was exceptional and food arrived within 20 minutes of ordering.

I hosted a semi-private dinner party here for my birthday, and it was incredible. All of the food was delicious, the drinks were delicious, and staff was incredibly accommodating and welcoming!

I had an amazing ladies night dinner here! From the moment you walk in, there is an incredible aesthetic and chill vibe. We got lots of dishes and shared and what stood out for me was the cauliflower in cream sauce, the pasta was honestly the freshest I've had in years and the calamari and dipping sauces were delicious. Amazing service and will definitely be going there with friends and family soon!

Not a bad place to consider for lunch if you're in the Flatiron area. Decided to try this place during restaurant week. Lo and behold, saw they already offer a lunch special for $17 and decided to go with that. Restaurant week's three course special was $26. I would recommend going with that if you want to try an appetizer (other than salad or soup of the day) and the nutella dessert. The $17 lunch special comes with soup or salad, entree (more selections) and panna cotta for dessert. Upon entering around 12:30, we were nervous because it was empty. I mean, echo empty. One other patron by the bar and a couple by the front. Greeted by the host/waiter and brought to our table. The corner, booth-style table seat is weird because so many people have sat there that your butt sinks in to the seat, right smack in the middle. Awkward. Ordered two salads, grilled shrimp salad, house made pasta with braised lamb shank and the panna cotta. We received complimentary warm bread with this unique dipping sauce. It was either a tomato or red pepper paste mixed with a vinaigrette and oil. Salad and entree took a while to appear. Dessert came out fast. Our waiter thought we wanted two soups and a tilapia dish. Thankfully, they brought out the correct entree quickly and piping hot. I was disappointed at the error but he was apologetic and quick to fix things. The food was good. Salad was your basic mixed greens with a vinaigrette. The grilled shrimp salad had an exotic, strong grill taste and was done nicely. Went well with the spinach. I enjoyed my house made pasta with a delightful sprinkling of parmesan cheese and scoop of ricotta. The lamb shank was tender and very flavorful. Overall, a nice combination - wish it was a slightly bigger platter so I could devour more. The panna cotta was a refreshing surprise. Had a nice strawberry flavor and just the right amount of sweetness. Their lunch special is a good deal for the type of food you're getting here. Just be prepared that it can be quiet during lunch time.

Great vibes, great food, and the best customer service. Loved their signature cacio e pepe and other pastas too. Will definitely return.

Came here because our first choice was too busy and someone wanted pasta--but i'm glad we did come! Even though we came with a party of 7, we were seated within a few minutes. They have free coat check too which was really nice since some of our friends did some shopping earlier that day. I got the spaghetti dish with truffle, some type of fatty pork, and pecorino cheese. Our waiter made someone bring out a huge dish of pecorino cheese and put a ton onto my pasta and said it will make it taste better. It definitely gave it a bolder flavor, but it might've been a little too much cheese for me. I love cheese, but pecorino is a bit more strong so I wish there was a bit less. The truffle wasn't as strong as I had hoped, but overall the dish was good. I tried my friend's pasta and I thought that one tasted really good, so I think in general all of the dishes here are pretty good! Our waiter brought out a free dessert for us -- panna cotta with strawberries! Delicious! Tbh, my favorite part of the meal lol. Also, the only reason this place is getting four stars instead of three is because they gave us the free dessert.

This place was very memorable. Unfortunately it was memorable for being one of the top worst dining experiences I've had in NYC. It pains me to say it. No one greeted us when we walked in. Left standing there like idiots for a while. Host was running huge trays of drinks instead. Finally sat. Again ignored forever. Server knew nothing about the menu. Lots of empty glasses around the restaurant. Asked busboy for utensils, he returned & awkwardly just handed them to me lol! (Like no napkin, or tray, or placement.) Then the food. It was actually so bad. First time in like a decade I've sent food back, but had no choice. Pasta with sausage & mozzarella. It was like a yellow drenched Mac & cheese out of a box w/ a sprinkle of sausage. My date & I both couldn't eat it. Took so long for them to notice, we just sent it back & left hungry. They offered nothing to make it right. I hate writing bad reviews. But def won't be returning.

Bocca Cucina and Bar Ratings: 3.6/5 Food: 3/5 - I was not impressed by the food, especially the free bread was disappointing. It was stale and hard, probably the worse I have had at an Italian restaurant, not a fan. For the first course, we started with the caprese (fresh mozzarella and tomatoes) along with the meatballs. I would recommend the meatballs; it was tasty, delicious, and super flavorful, very tender and juicy as well. For entrees, we both ordered pasta. The homemade pasta with tomato braised lamb shank blew my mind. Pasta was chewy and al dente topped with the tomato braised lamb, great combo and fresh ingredients. Exceeded my expectations and what saved this category of ratings. The flavors were on point and it was perfect. The orecchiette pasta with clams was actually really bland, and I had to add a decent amount of salt for flavors. I did not like the texture of the pasta at all. It was very doughy, and not chewy at all. Desserts were pretty average, they definitely lack the wow moment for me. Taste like store bought desserts, especially the sliced pineapple on top of the coconut panna cotta taste like it literally came straight from a pineapple juice can. I would say fresh strawberries or blueberries on top of the panna cotta would elevated it so much more. Ambiance: 4/5 - Bar area looks great and chill. Interior is pretty and classy with good interior decorations. It is also pretty dark and dimly-lit It was actually pretty quiet inside, so this would be a good place for a date night. Outdoor seating is pretty solid, recommend to sit outside when the weather is nice. Price: 3.5/5 - We went for restaurant week, so it was $39 per person before tax and tips. The portion was good, and we were pretty full after the meal, but I just wished that the quality of the orecchiette pasta and the desserts to be better. It will made the experience a lot better. Service: 4/5 - Typical customer service at a restaurant and nothing too special. Our server was great, and I like how energetic and enthusiastic he was when taking our orders and recommending dishes to us. However, there wasn't a good system in place. There are other servers that came by and took our bills and orders, so there was a lot of confusion between us and our server that was taking care of us. BLUF: I will not return again. It was a good experience for restaurant week, but there's much better restaurant to try out for some authentic Italian food. If you do want to stop by, order the meatballs and the tomato braised lamb shank pasta. Please skip the desserts.

{Overall: 4.5; Food: 4.5; Service: 5; Atmosphere: 4} The food is fantastic; the pasta dishes mix traditional and less common flavors that are rich and comforting. The service is great, and they usually have a table available with short notice. They can accommodate bigger groups and they are willing to do half portions of pasta! I ate... *Fusilli alla norcina: My favorite. You can really taste the smoky mozzarella in the sauce. *Spaghetti con guanciale e carciofi: If you like artichoke, I'd recommend. The artichoke flavor pervades the entire dish. *Fettuccine con funghi e crema di tartufo: It's so hard to find a good mushroom cream sauce, and this nails it. *Lasagne al forno: Delicious, traditionally prepared lasagna. Exactly what you would hope for. Soft and cheesy.