Macelleria

New York, New York, United States

Macelleria

Macelleria is a restaurant in the meat packing district of New York City. They have a small entrance on the outside, although the restaurant itself is fairly large (it is long and narrow).

We were quite disappointed with Macelleria. The upstairs was very noisy, and it was difficult to carry on a conversation. The food was definitely overpriced, and really wasn't very good. All the items we ordered were average, with the exception of the fish (which was both bland and difficult to eat).

There was a much nicer and cozier seating area downstairs. Had I known about it, I would have asked to be seated down there. I only discovered it when I went to the visit the bathroom before leaving.

Dress

Casual / slightly nicer. Jeans are certainly fine, but some people are dressed a bit nicer.

Cost

Above average, although most restaurants in the meatpacking area are above average.

Service

There were lots of waiters in the area. It felt like they were always hovering (possibly because the restaurant was so narrow).

Reservations

We arrived around 7pm on a Thursday, and were seated immediately.

Items Ordered

Arugola, pear, & pecorino toscano salad

Arugola, pear, & pecorino toscano salad

This salad was alright... it was arugola with a bit of a vinaigrette dressing, some cheese on top, and pieces of pear to the side. It was a good combination of flavors, but they didn't mix them together on the plate. It was a bit tricky trying to get a bit of each into every bite.

Pumpkin ravioli with butter and sage

Pumpkin ravioli with butter and sage

The pumpkin ravioli was probably the best dish we ordered at Macelleria. It came with 7 ravioli. They were pretty good. Pumpkin ravioli isn't something you can order everywhere, so it was a bit of a novelty. The ravioli came in a creamy sauce. For $18 I feel like they could have served a few more pieces.

Home made ravioli with zuchini and ricotta cheese

Home made ravioli with zuchini and ricotta cheese

The cheese ravioli with zucchini were pretty average ravioli. There weren't any zucchini in the ravioli. The ravioli were just plain cheese, and the zucchini pieces were piled up in the middle of the plate. They came in a similar creamy dressing to the pumpkin ravioli, but I found it very salty.

Chicken scarpariello, spicy sausage, and mushrooms

Chicken scarpariello, spicy sausage, and mushrooms

The chicken dish was pretty good - it had a tasty sauce. I found the mushrooms to be too chewy, although other people at the table enjoyed them. The chicken was chicken, and the sauce made it pretty good.

Whole baked orata

Whole baked orata

Fish with bones is just annoying. I don't think anybody likes picking the bones out of their teeth, or struggling with the fish to try and get at the "meaty" pieces. This fish was no exception. The bones were just unpleasant.

The fish itself didn't really have much flavor. It was quite bland, and what flavor it did have was just "fishy". There wasn't anything enjoyable or special about the fish.