Sambuca -- Restaurant In Nyc

[celiac3270]

I live in NYC with maybe 15 options for dining out gluten-free (not including chains) and I've only eaten out at two of those. The first was Risotteria--FABULOUS--the gluten-free jewel of Manhattan that I would recommend to any of you who visit.

So I had high expectations going to Sambuca (oh, and I went with an e-mail pal from the board--Kristina--mysuicidalturtle).... I was a little disappointed. It's gluten-free--and that in itself is very nice--good to have such options so I feel bad saying it, but the food wasn't very good. The bread was...lacking and the pasta was a bit hard. It's nice to have gluten-free options, as I said before, but the verdict-- don't mess with Risotteria

[MySuicidalTurtle]

I had the Traditional Marinara. I enjoyed it. The pasta was a bit too hard but not enough to send back. I did not like the bread, either. However, I would eat there again, I think.

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I also ate at Risotteria, again. It was very good! I had a tomato sauce pizza without cheese.

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[Carriefaith]

The bread was...lacking and the pasta was a bit hard.

That's too bad, maybe it was just a bad day there.

[MySuicidalTurtle]

The bread isn't a white bread. It didn't really go with the meal. It had like a vegetable in it or something. It would have been better with different food but it was just very unexpected in taste and all. The hardness of the pasta would be different every meal, I think.

[Carriefaith]

It had like a vegetable in it or something.

weird...

[jkmunchkin]

I'm so bummed to hear that. Sambuca is one of my favorite restaurants (even went their for my birthday last year) and I was so excited to see they had a gluten-free menu. I guess I'll still try it but I was definately expecting it to be great. May go to Rissotteria for brunch on Sunday to try it for the 1st time!

[MySuicidalTurtle]

You should really go try it. celiac3270 and I ordered the same thing. They have a lot more than what we got. Those other options oculd have been better. I would eat there again. Go to Risotteria, too! They are open everyday starting at noon.

[celiac3270]

Yes--some of the other options might be better--who knows?

Risotteria is amazing...and almost entirely gluten-free...except for regular pizza and one or two of the risottos, it seems....even the entire dessert selection is gluten-free.

[jkmunchkin]

I'll definately still try Sambuca and I have a date with one of my friends/co-workers to go one day after work to Rissotteria. I'm going with a group of people to Florent for brunch this weekend and was thinking of suggesting Rissotteria but there was plenty of options at Florent (looked at the menu on menupages) so figured I'd save that to go with someone who really wanted to go with me.

[sarah513]

I wasn't impressed with Sambuca either. The pasta was blah, and the gluten-free bread was so hard that it was actually inedible. I couldn't even get my knife into it. I would have asked my server about it-- but he NEVER CAME BACK. Very disappointing. My friend was taking me out for a special celebration dinner, and the meal was so bad for the price, even for the non-gluten-free people there, that I was embarrassed to have recommended it.

[jkmunchkin]

I haven't tried the gluten-free menu here yet, but have you tried Lumi? I had a pasta there that was AMAZING!

[mookie03]

I am actually very surprised that so many people hated sambuca-- i went there in October for my birthday and had a great meal- and was there with several non-celiacs, everyone left happy. We were there on a sunday night and they were out of the gluten-free rolls, but it sounds like that was a blessing in disguise- maybe thats why im the only one who liked it on here! But, i will say, its nothing compared to Risotteria, thats for sure!