Opened in 1906 by Sebastiano Maioglio, and now owned by his daughter, Laura Maioglio. Barbetta is the oldest restaurant in New York that is still owned by its founding family. Located in the 1874 and 1881 Maioglio-Astor Townhouses. It’s exact location is on 46th Street between 8th & 9th Avenue, a street better known as
“Restaurant Row.”
Back in June 1984, Vince proposed to me with an engagement ring in the back gardens of Barbetta. It was a lovely setting, a beautiful dinner with delicious Italian wine and a true surprise of an evening.
Fast forward to January 2023, we returned to Barbetta (after nearly 40 years) for sentimental reasons and for its convenient location to the theater. It was a gift to Vince from me, along with tickets for the highly acclaimed Broadway show, Hamilton. The restaurant has not changed much at all; the décor remains as old-world Italian, with tapestries, marble, ornate sconces and chandeliers and table lamps with shades. Some would say it needs an update, it needs to enter the current decade, but there is a charm and appeal for the traditional and old-world look that has been maintained. I love great character!
Gardens & Fountain – Winter view
The menu contains many choices, Italian favorite hot and cold appetizers, pasta dishes, lots of veal and chicken and fish entrees. Dessert and espresso is a must!
We started our evening with a Grey Goose martini with olives in the bar area. As our first dish, we had traditional antipasto, or as we would call it today, charcuterie. Vince then had a pesto pasta Genovese style, which is with stringbeans. It was excellent. I had a chicken paillard with fennel (finocchio) and roasted tomatoes, light yet satisfying. A glass of Italian style chardonnay enhanced our taste buds with our meal. We tried to imagine what we had enjoyed for our dinner back in 1984.
Janett's Rating: Service was traditional, food was authentic and very tasty. The atmosphere was nostalgic, certainly for us. I think you would enjoy this experience. I rate it an 8 for food, 8 for service and 7 for atmosphere.
Keep your life and relationships interesting, try new restaurants, enjoy the theater and walk the streets of NYC There is nothing like it!!
Our special restaurant.