11/04/09

Best In ALL of NYC

by review3d

This is the MOST wonderful restaurant in all of New York City, not just Brooklyn... for 7 years they have put out the most tasty, most delicious food and kept it that way... never swaying, never a bad meal, never bad service... I'm telling you... you should travel from the Bronx to try it... great food, great wine list, great service in a great neighborhood... so delicious!!!!!!

• Pros: Yum Yum Yum

08/19/09

amazing

by QueenTBone77

we have eaten at the best restaurants in ny and al di la is one of our faves. reasonable, wonderful, consistent, dependable, always worth it, always romantic and fun, great service/staff, excellent wine choices, some of our favorite dishes (TRY the beet ravioli even though it sounds odd, it's fantastic, the cuddlefish risotto special is often on the menu and is amazing, the tripe app is awesome and the carpaccio is divine) -- it's just never a disappointment and always leaves you feeling like you just made all of the right decisions in life and didn't have to break the bank to feel like a million bucks.

• Pros: consistent and wonderful
• Cons: long, long waits and no reservations

06/13/09

What a hassle!

by SoSlope

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.

• Pros: Very good (but not great) food
• Cons: Not worth the circus and attitude

04/10/09

Over rated

by simplesolution

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.

• Pros: bar to wait for your table
• Cons: tight setting, loud, mediocre

03/31/09

Overrated......

by JessicaDee

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.

• Pros: Example: best croissants in town
• Cons: What are the drawbacks?

10/10/08

Excellent Place...

by oliverpesc

I don't agree with reviews.I had been to Al Di La Trattoria before and it was excellent. I knew it would be good again, so I chose it for a special occasion. I was not disappointed. The staff are extremely accomodating and pleasant, the atmosphere is calming, yet vibrant. The food had a couple of issues, but the staff absolutely made sure we were happy.

• Pros: food,staff

10/01/08

Horribly Disappointed!!!

by joed777

Can't seem to understand why this place is so crowded all the time. I chose a slow night to dine there with about 6 or so friends so that we didn't have that long of a wait. Don't waste your time. It's not worth the time or wait. We all agreed this place is waaaayyyyy over rated. Horrible at best! The food is of poor quality. Way too many other places in the Slope that far exceed what this place can offer.

• Pros: No pros
• Cons: Many cons

06/23/08

inconsistent food, overly dramatic servers, poorly managed

by bgourley

the first 2 or 3 times I ate here I loved it. I live in the neighborhood, one block down in fact.

The past 2 times I have been have been lukewarm and downright cold respectively.

the front dining room you can have a great experience if you get a good server. we did not . they were snobby, inattentive and generally speaking unhelpful. the food was mediocre, I guess the acclaimed chef had taken the evening off the night before.

last night i went to the wine bar, and the bartender was horrible. the restaurant was not busy when we arrived but she kept on forgetting simple things , like, ummm.. drinks. water. and, oh yeah , food.

when I pointed out that a couple that got there 30 minutes after us, got their food before us, and asked to just cancel our order, she slammed down her tray on the surface, stormed out of the room and then we were told our meal was comped.

I just cant deal with attitude, especially drama when I go out to eat. I would rather go down the street to family run La Villa where they appreciate their customers.

06/04/08

One of the best, if not THE best, restaurants in Park Slope (and NY in general)

by zaranoff

Been there several times. I don't recall what I ate exactly (it's been a while...) but all I can say that everything on the menu is superb. This establishment is the real deal. Wish NY had more of these kind of places: intimate, superb food, homey, top notch all the way around. Everyone's complaining about the lines. In a sense I prefer that. If the place would take reservations, I would never make it there. I can't plan a meal three months in advance. I go out to eat spontaneously. If that means I have to while for 30-60min, that's life. Certainly worth the wait. Some people have been complaining about the service. I don't recall having bad service there, but next time I'm there I'll pay attention to that.

• Pros: top notch all around
• Cons: a long wait

03/02/08

Disappointed!

by EGF

I was looking forward to dinner at Al Di La, but was greatly disappointed. We waited over an hour for a table after being told it would be 30 minutes. The tapas starter featured great shrimp, but the other tapas selections were nondescript. The orange salad was quite good with a dressing that enhanced, but did not overpower the salad. The rabbit that I ordered was tender, but too salty for my taste, and the pear cake with chocolate was really a chocolate infused cake with an almost complete absence of pear. On balance, my experience at Al Di La failed to live up to its reputation. As a new resident of Brooklyn, I find the Garden Cafe on Vanderbilt, Convivium Osteria in Park Slope, and The Grocery in Carroll Gardens to be superior to Al Di La in both food and ambiance.