Misi

Misi is one of the best Italian restaurants in NYC full stop. It's hard to get in but when you can make room in your schedule and get yourself over there! The vibes are good for friends or date night. The ambiance: 8/10, it's dimly lit a d good for a date night. The open kitchen is very cool if you're at the bar. Only downside is they don't have a coat check and if you're at the bar they don't have chairs you have to use a hook below the bad and it hands in the ground. The food: 10/10, it's off the charts good. In the conversation for the best pasta in NYC. The drinks: we had wine and it was a nice soft red to compliment powerfully flavored pastas The service: 9/10, our waiter was kind, attentive and informative. He was great! Overall, A+. This place rocks, everybody knows it which is why it's hard to get in. Overall awesome. One thing I'd note, there were bar seats open all night, so if you're in the area it's worth an attempt at walking in. They may say no, but worth a shot.

My husband and I have been a loyal customer at Misi Pasta for 6 years, but after this recent experience, we plan to never go back. What was supposed to be a special Sukkot and welcome celebration dinner with our family visiting from abroad turned into a nightmare. It all started with a mistake made by Misi staff on our reservation. We clearly told them during booking (made 3/4 weeks in advance in person) that our party would consist of 2 kids (under age 10) and 6 adults—yet when we arrived, they had us down as a party of 7. The kids (twins) are both under age 10, eat kosher, and would only eat plain pasta boiled in water with salt. But the restaurant manager seemed incapable of understanding this basic dietary restriction request and accommodating such a simple request. Upon arrival, first my mother in law was kept waiting standing (60 year old woman) without being offered a chair and then later I had to stand for 15 minutes with no seat, no hospitality, while the Misi staff tried to figure out their mistake with the manager. Not once were we offered a chair, even though my husband and I have been loyal customers since Misi opened. Eventually, the staff told us we couldn’t sit at our chosen table due to a “fire hazard,” even though there was a private room next to us filled with 20-50 people cramped together—a much bigger fire hazard if you ask me! After keeping us waiting another 10 minutes, the manager insisted (without accepting their reservation mistake and without trying to be accommodating to our family) that we needed to order double dishes with a maximum of 4 dishes because it will put a "strain on the kitchen." He basically came to our table and told us what we can and cannot order. The manager's audacity and privileged attitude were astonishing, as he approached our table of 8 and dictated what we were allowed to order. This level of disregard for customer choice is unacceptable and something we have never encountered before in our life. This is despite us clearly stating that the kids would ONLY be eating plain pasta due to their kosher diet. He completely ignored the fact that we were ordering for 6 adults and that the kids’ food request was incredibly simple. Apparently, plain pasta “puts a strain on the kitchen.” And ordering all 6/7 flavors Gelato's on the menu for dessert—which is simply scooped by one person in the back kitchen—was somehow also a strain? Ridiculous! When things got heated- the Misi staff were in corners giggling by the bar and gossiping about the whole situation which made us as guests feel more unwelcome. The Misi when it first started, and the one I used to know was humble, welcoming, and considerate. Over the years- its become very stuck up. Most of the time we put up with all the "rules" and bad hospitality just because we enjoyed the pasta. Now, they act like they know better than their customers, dictating what you can and can’t eat. This experience was the last straw (and a major discriminatory behavior by the manager when he clearly dismissed the fact that the kids are not eating from the menu) that left a sour taste in my mouth and my family's. I’m so disappointed that a place we once loved has now become so pretentious, inhospitable, unwelcoming and dismissive by the people who are supposed to be representatives of the brand Misi. We won’t be returning. The Misi chapter has ended for us.