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Giulietta NYC Review: Great Burrata, Good Carbonara, and One Dish I Still Think About
Some Fridays write themselves.
Friends in from out of town, nobody wants to do anything complicated, no reservations, long week all around. You just need somewhere good that is not going to require a group chat meltdown to organize.
Giulietta NYC fit the bill perfectly.
It is a relatively new Italian spot in Midtown and we hit it on a Friday around 5 PM which meant the bar was already packed with the after work crowd and the front of the house was filling up fast. The back dining room still had space when we got there but that did not last long. Friday at 5 in Midtown is its own kind of chaos and Giulietta handles it well.
The Space
Chill environment. Good energy. The kind of room where everyone seems happy to be there without anyone making a big deal about it. The bar area had that Friday after work buzz going and the dining room felt relaxed without being quiet. No complaints on atmosphere.
The Drinks
Started with a martini. Pretty good. Solid program without being anything that requires a dissertation. The espresso martini at the end was excellent, served almost gelato style with a creamy finish. Fair warning, though, if you are planning to go somewhere else after, the espresso martini is very sweet and will mess with your palate for whatever cocktail comes next. Order it as a nightcap, not a transition drink.
The Starters
We ordered the Frito miso, the Burrata di Puglia, and the Diavola pizza to start.
The Frito miso was the clear winner of the three. Fried calamari and vegetables with a miso angle. Look, fried things are fried things and life is better with them in it. Solid, would order again without hesitation.
The Diavola pizza was okay. This is New York. For pizza to genuinely impress me it has to clear a very high bar. Was it good? Yes. Would I order it again? Probably not when there are other things on the menu worth exploring. Save your carbs for the pasta.
The Burrata di Puglia, a quick note on sizing. They have a large format Buffalo Mozzarella Tresse for the table and a regular Burrata di Puglia. Unless you have a six top, do not get the large one. I am a fat guy from Brooklyn and even I know my limits with cheese. The regular Burrata di Puglia was great for a small group. Have a plan. I know, I know. Do I look like a man with a plan? But trust me on this one.
The Cavolo Salad
Solid salad. The green to cheese ratio was exactly right, meaning you could barely see any greens. That is the correct approach to a salad and more restaurants should understand this.
The Pasta
The Mezze Maniche Carbonara was good.
One critical note: do not let it cool down. Standard carbonara rules apply. If you start talking, moving your hands, telling a story, the pasta cools off and it is not the same dish. We like to talk. This was a problem. Learn from our mistakes. Eat first, talk second.
The Main Event: The Dish I Still Think About
Here is where things get complicated.
The Whole Roasted Lemon and Rosemary Chicken at $64 was the star of the show. Full flavored, incredibly moist, large enough that three of us finished it without needing another protein. It was genuinely one of the better shared dishes I have had this year.
And they removed it from the menu.
I get it. Menu changes happen. Restaurants evolve. But at $64 I am fairly confident that chicken was running at a loss because nothing that good at that price point survives forever. It was delicious, it was great value for three people, and it is gone.
If you went to Giulietta and had that chicken, you already know. If you did not, I am sorry. That is just how it goes in New York sometimes. The best thing on the menu disappears and you spend the next few months telling people about it.
The Dessert
We finished with the almond cake, which came out almost gelato style with a creamy, ice cream forward finish. It was good but very sweet. If you are heading somewhere else after dinner for cocktails, skip it. If you are done for the night and love sweet, go for it.
The Service
Good. Solid. Nothing that made me want to come back specifically because of the staff but nothing that made me want to leave either. Sometimes good service is just good service and that is perfectly fine. Not everything needs to be a story.
Final Verdict
Giulietta is worth a visit. The Frito miso and burrata are reliable starters, the carbonara delivers when you eat it hot, the cavolo salad gets the cheese ratio right, and the espresso martini is a strong closer.
Would I go back? Yes. Probably sooner than later given the location. I want to see what replaced that chicken and whether anything else on the menu earns the same level of enthusiasm.
The roasted chicken being removed is a real loss. I hope they bring it back. At $64 for three people, it was one of the better deals in Midtown this year and whoever made that call should think very carefully about what they are doing.
As always, what do I know? I am just a fat guy from Brooklyn trying to survive the week, one martini at a time.
Looking for more NYC restaurant reviews? Check out my Best Steakhouses in NYC, Best Burgers in NYC, and Best Restaurants in NYC lists.