Al Di La Trattoria
(718) 636-8888
248 5TH Ave
Brooklyn,
NY
11215
40.6754
-73.9814
Neighborhood: Park Slope
What People Are Saying About Al Di La Trattoria
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
The Scene
Since 1999, locals have quietly coveted this friendly trattoria, charmed by its casual, candlelit elegance and superb Northern Italian cooking. Now, an all-borough crowd crams the communal tables, sharing reverential sighs under a gigantic glass chandelier that dominates the small room. Venetian-born Emiliano Coppa is the quintessential host: He welcomes guests, busses tables and describes his wife's daily-changing menu.
The Food
Chef Anna Klinger cooks the food of the Veneto, a region flavored by Venice and the countryside that surrounds it. Start with fennel-fragrant grilled sardines and the extraordinary pastas, such as poppy-seeded sweet beet ravioli, brown-butter-slicked squash tortelli, and airy swiss chard-ricotta "malfatti" (misshapen gnocchi with fried sage). Days later, you'll dream about luscious polenta beneath braised rabbit with thyme and olive gravy, tender calves' liver slivered over sweet and sour onions, meaty monkfish with lemon-rosemary escarole and sublime chocolate pear tart.
User Reviews
SoSlope
June 13, 2009
The food is very good, but not outstanding. There is no way it justifies the accolades it receives, the attitude of the staff or the wait for a table. On our last visit, they skipped over our name on the list, leaving us waiting an extra hour for a table. Mistakes happen, but they are usually accompanied by an apology, perhaps even a glass of wine...but not the grunt that we received from the Al Di La staff. Without the wait or attitude, I would probably go back, but there are just too many other restaurants in Brooklyn that are as good or better and don't make me jump through hoops.
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simplesolution
April 10, 2009
I've heard a lot about this place and tried to come a few times. Due to the wait (1+hr), I usually did not bother. This time I did. The wait was not an hour and more like 15 minutes. Definitely a good start. Had to squeeeeeze between the tables and the chairs in a communal fashion to get to my tight seat. And, unfortunately, the food. It seemed that the chef may have been out that day or there was a huge sale on pepper. My wife and I shared apetizer and had 2 mains. You could not taste anything in all three dishes due to the very heavy hand with the pepper. At least we didn't have to wait long to get disappointed.
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JessicaDee
March 31, 2009
I gave this restaurant another chance, oh was I wrong. Extremely overrated. The service is so poor, they try to rush you in and rush you out as quickly as possible. After waiting an hour to be served you think they would let you enjoy your dinner. I was asked three times if I finished my appetizer than finally they just dropped my entree down. The whole experience lasted about 30 minutes. Beyond this the food is mediocre. Definitely not worth being treated like cattle. You want to feel satisfied after leaving a restaurant not stressed.
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Know Before You Go:
Like many neighborhood favorites, Al Di La doesn't take reservations. So give the hostess your cell number and head to the restaurant's new wine bar around the corner.
