*Authors note: The prices have gone up in the post-pandemic buy two or three dollars on most items. Still its much cheaper than most restaurants in the area.
San Marzano Restaurant at 117 Second Avenue in the East Village
There are some restaurants that develop over time and there are some restaurants that become popular immediately. When I had read a restaurant review on San Marzano a few years ago, it seemed that the restaurant opened and quickly became the ‘go-to’ neighborhood dining establishment for NYU students and residents of the East Village. This was due to the quality of the food and the extremely reasonable prices. Now you can rarely get a table any night of the week.
The restaurant has a nice vibe both during the day and at night.
The main selling point of the restaurant is that all of the pastas are homemade and made inhouse on a daily basis. The prices are very reasonable for a restaurant in NYC. The appetizers are priced at $9.00, the Salads are priced at $9.00, the Pasta Dishes with a choice of sauce priced at $14.00, the Panini sandwiches are priced at $12.00 and the Desserts are priced at $9.00 (these prices reflect the current menu in 2023 post-pandemic and not the original menu that was two to three dollars cheaper for most items).
Still, you will not find prices like this for the quality of the food and service in many other parts of the City.
I have been only able to eat here three times because every time I try to dine here it is always packed with NYU students taking up every table in groups of six and ten. When it got warmer (and during the Pandemic), the restaurant opened outdoor dining. On such a busy street, I noticed many people did not mind eating outside on a nice day.
This small restaurant is so nicely decorated and a nice view of the street.
An Iced Tea is the perfect way to enjoy the meal when you do not want to drink.
The freshly brewed Iced Tea is really refreshing on a hot day.
The food is excellent. The first time I ate here I followed the article mentions and had the Caesar Salad ($9.00), the Pappardelle with Bolognese Sauce ($14.00) and the Ricottella ($9.00) for dessert. Everything was freshly made and cooked to perfection.
The Caesar Salad was a nice sized portion of greens lightly dressed but topped with a sharp Parmesan cheese and had a sweetness due to the fresh greens and flavorful dressing that is made inhouse. There was a nice crunchiness to the croutons that are also made inhouse.
The Caesar Salad was nicely tossed and had a nice dressing.
The Pappardelle is made inhouse on a daily basis and was cooked to perfection and tossed with a rich Bolognese sauce made of wine-braised veal, pork and beef with peas, tomato sauce and pecorino. The sauce had such intense flavor from the blend of the meats and the complexity of flavors from the spices. The one thing I do credit San Marzano on is that the portion sizes are nicely sized and is the perfect portion for a meal without having the annoyance to bring leftovers home. It is the perfect lunch and dinner size to enjoy at one sitting.
The Pappardelle with Bolognese is amazing
The Ricottella is a fried dough filled with Nutella and Ricotta cheese and then topped with power sugar. A new spin on a Zeppole or a dessert Calzone. Each bite oozed with chocolate and the creamy sweet taste of the cheese blending in. You could cut it into pieces and dip it in the mixture. On a cool night, it is the perfect dessert.
The Ricottella is filled with Ricotta Cheese and Nutella Chocolate spread.
It was gooey and delicious.
On my second trip to the restaurant, I started with another salad. This time I wanted something simple and had the Mixed Greens Salad ($9.00). It was a combination of baby greens, walnuts, cranberries, grape tomatoes in a Balsamic vinaigrette. For being late in the season, the greens were so fresh and crunchy. There was a sweet tanginess to the dressing that was made inhouse. it lightly dressed the greens and did not overwhelm the flavor of the vegetables.
The delicious lightly dressed mixed green salad with cheese and beets.
I decided that I wanted to try the Pappardelle again. Since I was not that hungry and had wanted to try the Meatball appetizer, I ordered the pasta with the Meatball sauce which was a classic tomato sauce, grana Padano and studded with mini meatballs which are a combination of veal, pork, beef and bread crumbs. Like the Bolognese sauce, you could taste the richness of the combination of the tomatoes and the various meats.
The Pappardelle with Meatball Sauce.
The sauce is excellent and I highly recommend it.
Nothing was left at the end of the meal.
The sauce is rich and savory. The sauce makes a perfect accompaniment to the freshly made pasta.
At the end of this meal, I had one of the restaurant’s freshly made Cannoli. This was filled with a creamy fresh ricotta cheese and topped with powered sugar.
The start to my meal at the restaurant.
After the movies at the Anthology Theater down the road, I came for a late night summer and treated myself to a dinner of a lot of garlic. I had a much needed Coke to wake myself up after a long day of running around the City and ordered the Shrimp Scampi on top of the Pappardelle and a side of Garlic Bread, which I had seen on someone else’s table the last time I had eaten there.
Just relaxing with a Coke and water after a long day.
Dinner was wonderful. The waiter was so funny because when I asked him if he like the Shrimp Scampi or not, he had said it wasn’t one of his personal favorites. I have to say that the guy was missing out because it was out of this world.
The Garlic Bread was a great way to sop of the rest of the sauce.
Between the amount of garlic on the Garlic Bread and in the pasta dish, I could have killed off any vampire.
The one thing I really love about the restaurant is the portion sizes and the prices. The entrees here are so reasonable and they give you just enough that you are content and you do not have any leftovers to take home.
The Shrimp Scampi over pasta.
It was the perfect late night supper and it is such a lively atmosphere to dine in. The crowd is energetic and there is a nice vibe to the bar. Still it is the reasonable and delicious food that keeps me coming back for more. There are still many more sauces I want to try in the future.
The service here is very professional and friendly. They are using a new type of restaurant tablet so it makes ordering much easier. The staff could not be nicer or more patient in this busy dining establishment. If you can snag a table by the window, it is the best to watch the street traffic and watch the world go by.
Getting one of the window seats if fun to watch the street traffic while eating
I wish there were more restaurants like San Marzano in Manhattan. A wonderful meal with excellent service for a very reasonable price. They have the perfect combination of success at this restaurant.
The bar is a nice place to eat dinner or just have a drink.
I recently was visiting the neighborhood to go to see a movie at the Anthology down the street and stopped in for dinner. The place was packed so I ate at the bar, which is underrated. It was nice talking to people who were dining there as well.
The bar is a nice place to socialize
I was dying for a salad so I ordered the Mixed Green Salad which is tossed with a light dressing and candied walnuts, to start. The I had to try the Meatball Panini, which had the restaurant’s signature pork meatballs in their delicious red sauce and tucked into their freshly baked bread. God dinner was delicious.
My dinner at the bar
This is the perfect comfort food on a cool November meeting. The meatball to sandwich ratio is perfect and the sandwich is not overwhelming like at some pizzerias.
The Fresh mixed Green Salad
The salad was crisp and fresh and the perfect side dish to the sandwich.
The Meatball Panini, with succulent pork meatballs simmered in their red sauce
The sandwich was delicious
The simplicity of the food is excellent coupled with excellent service and a lively atmosphere. I love this place. It’s great when you can get a table but it is also fun to sit at the bar as well. When I go to the movies at the Anthology Theater down the road, I love coming here for dinner and relaxing at the bar.
Sitting at the bar at San Manzano just after the holiday
The selection of liquor and wines is pretty extensive
I still enjoy their freshly brewed ice tea with my meals
The Chicken Parm Panini is a really over stuffed sandwich
I ordered the Chicken Parmesan panini for dinner with an ice tea and it was just enough. The sandwich had two huge freshly fried chicken cutlets with a very rich red sauce. It was so big it could have been two meals.
The portion sizes here are rather large and the chicken was larger than the bun
The sandwich was larger than the plate
On a cold night after an evening at the Grey Gallery around the corner, I came in for a late dinner and wanted another sandwich. These are over-sized and make a nice late lunch or early dinner. This time I ordered the Grilled Chicken Caprese sandwich. It was perfect on a cool night.
The sandwich has two nice juicy breasts grilled to perfection with arugula, mozzarella and aioli sauce on top and the roll tasted like it was freshly baked.
The one thing about Sam Marzano is they are very generous with the size of their sandwiches
Yum!
I always enjoy my meals here. The food and the service here are excellent.
San Marzano Restaurant at 117 Second Avenue in the East Village
There are some restaurants that develop over time and there are some restaurants that become popular immediately. When I had read a restaurant review on San Marzano a few years ago, it seemed that the restaurant opened and quickly became the ‘go-to’ neighborhood dining establishment for NYU students and residents of the East Village. This was due to the quality of the food and the extremely reasonable prices. Now you can rarely get a table any night of the week.
The main selling point of the restaurant is that all of the pastas are homemade and made inhouse on a daily basis. The prices are very reasonable for a restaurant in NYC. The…
mywalkinmanhattan 
Don’t miss the wonderful food and excellent service at San Marzano in the East Village. This place is a real treat!
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The food and the service are just excellent.
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San Marzano has the best pastas and sandwiches around and they are reasonably priced.
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