518 West Italian Cafe

08/30/2008 Posted by anight

My wife and I were celebrating a special occasion and decided to try a restaurant we had not been to before. The location is great and it’s a nice building. The wine was very good but those are about the only pros to this restaurant. I had the chicken marsala and was very disappointed. My wife ordered the beef tenderloin. She ordered it but could not eat it. She ordered it to be cooked medium and when she cut into it the waitress offered to take it back because it was obviously under cooked. I finished my meal before they brought the meal back out. When it came back it was cooked properly but the meat was such poor quality she could not eat it. It was like trying to cut and chew a piece of shoe leather. I don’t know where they get there meat from but I have never had a piece of meat of such poor quality. They did do the right thing and take the meal off of our bill but I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Pros: Location and Wine

Cons: Very Disappointing Food

07/01/2008 Posted by projecte

I've been here a couple times and every time I've been underwhelmed with their pastas or desserts. And the times I took dates there it indeed lacks a romantic setting. It actually gets pretty loud and it hard sometimes to talk to the person across from you.

06/30/2008 Posted by 518

If you come to our restaurant (or any other for that matter) obviously overly intoxicated and acting belligerent, please do not expect to be served more alcohol. In fact we take pride in serving our guests with respect and dignity. I should hope that you could try to do the same in future encounters with service staff.

06/29/2008 Posted by Cores51

Waitstaff and management are rude. Do not go there on a Saturday night an hour before they close or all you will get it is a bunch of attitude from a staff who would like to go home. We had out of town guests in our party and were embarrassed that this is where we chose to take them. Don't spend your money were you are not wanted. Instead walk down the street to the 42nd street Oyster bar where both the food and the service is excellent.

06/25/2008 Posted by gooie

I don't see what the problem people have with 518...they are not trying to be the next gourmet food restaurant where you don't know or can't remember what you are eating. They are simply the place to go for fresh food that tastes great at an affordable price. Everything is made in house, from the pasta, sauces, salad dressings to desserts. The specials are always good and solid and fresh. No frozen seafood, organic salmon and great pizzas always keep us coming back. The wine list is always very unique and affordable and the servers seem to be very educated in what they are serving. I like the lemon linguine quite a bit and my husband always gets either the tenderloin (best in town) or the ribeye. We have been dining here since we moved here 5 years ago...sure we get the occasional miscook, but the staff is very attentive and very willing to correct their mistakes. They have recently added some very lovely curtains to the upstairs dining area that helps with the noise levels. Cudos to them and the management for consistently turinng out a great product at an affordable price in a wonderful atmosphere.

03/17/2008 Posted by bkomenda

We dined out with a group of 5 adults and all had a variety of meals. The worst chicken marsala I have ever had. Chicken was overcooked and asparagus tasted burnt. The crab cakes were unremarkable and the drizzled sauce was completely the wrong flavor to accompany them. The shrimp appetizers were okay but again, nothing here wowed me or would even make me want to go back.

01/28/2008 Posted by Anneater

Naturally curious, I wanted to know what the table near the lionhead fountain is like and why is it so romantic. We arrived, and was shown to the table at the lionhead fountain. Our initial reaction was - what, this it the lion head fountain? We expected a larger, grander fountain but it was just like a garden version of a small lion-head, but the goldfish was entertaining, they seemed to be watching us and we had fun watching them too. The table was located in a high-traffic area, in fact, it was kind of blocking the major pathway for the waiting staff, we felt really awkward sitting there. Also, the restaurants used white flourescent lighting, killing any romantic setting. The restaurant, at least where we're seated, gave us the feeling of a diner. The service was bad, our waiter gave us the feeling we were in a diner, most of the time he shuffled past us without asking us anything, all the while he attended to the table next to us with great diligence, maybe we were new and they were old patrons who tipped him handsomely before? We felt very ignored as first-time patrons. The food was just okay, nothing spectacular to rave about, it's like food we can have at any place. We were so unimpressed that we decided not to stay for dessert. The dining experience was so plain. I was so glad we tried it out before treating our friends to dinner there. One more comment, it is my personal opinion that the bread served in a restaurant usually tell if the restaurant is good or not, the bread we were served was so loose-crusted that it literally fell off when we try breaking it in smaller pieces, it will make good bread-crumbs but certainly not good enough to serve patrons, our salad come with a really good bruschetta bread that we felt should be served instead of the plain bread we had initially. Driving on our way home, we felt a little depressed having spent $65 on a meal we didn't really enjoy.

01/05/2008 Posted by 21ja

The food is average and definitely not worth the price they ask, but the ambiance is nice, so I guess it could be a decent moderately priced date place if you must have italian. The extra you pay here is not for the food..it's for the atmosphere.

Pros: Atmosphere

Cons: Overpriced for average food

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

12/29/2007 Posted by kileyq

We have been several times, a few of them on New Year's Eve. We were always seated promptly with reservations. The pizza and pasta dishes are excellent. The best part is the value. I say value and not price because you can get a low-quality cheap meal anywhere. Other restaurants with similar romantic and chic ambience and a delicious menu and wine selection would easily charge twice as much for entrees. If you want to experience a memorable evening without breaking the bank, consider 518 West. We have never been disappointed.

Pros: pizza, ambience

Cons: parking

10/28/2007 Posted by jaf071984

Pros: Prompt seating in a practically empty restaurant on a Sat night. Fast service Cons: Food was bland. I ordered the pear and blue cheese and walnut salad. The blue cheese lacked flavor and the pears were mushy and overcooked. Also, the dressing on the salad was sparse and tasted like it came directly from a bottle. Also tried the Margareta pizza, this was just OK. Too much cheese to cover a poorly made crust. The breadbasket contained the worst attempt at foccacia I have ever eaten. I think the average supermarket chain produces better bread than this place. In addition, the bread was cold and stale and tasted like it had been sitting out all night. I would not recommend this restaurant unless you happen to be on Glenwood ave late at night and are hungry as happened to us. Otherwise, this is a poor bland attempt at Italian.

Pros: Fast service on a Sat night because no one wants to eat bland food.

Cons: Bland food; cold, stale bread; overcooked pear salad