San Matteo Pizzeria e Cucina

San Matteo Pizzeria e Cucina reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. B

   Bruncher

   Phoenix8 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Best pizza! Love that smoky crust and eggplant. Upstairs space, pleasant, service excellent.
   

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2. OT

   OpenTable Diner VIP

   New York City4 reviews

   2.0

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 2

   The pizza is still great, but they’ve officially jumped the shark.  do takeout only. 
   

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3. A

   Anna VIP

   Central Coast30 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on April 15, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Best pizza in our entire 6 week stay in Manhattan. Highly recommend!
   

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4. A

   Antonella

   Unspecified1 review

   3.0

   Dined on April 12, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   Pizza buona ma non buonissima. Della Mozzarella di bufala ( 4 $ in più ) neanche l’ombra… quindi consiglio una margherita normale. Personale tutto straniero. Nessun italiano.
   

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5. GG

   GlossGal VIP

   New York City49 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on March 14, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   A friend who once lived in Milan (and now lives in Manhattan told me the best pizza in NYC is at San Matteo. I was born in the city and have lived more than half my life here. How I never ate at San Matteo until March 1st 2023 is anyone's guess. And what I thought was the best pizza in the city (Di Fara's in Brooklyn, which closed for good 2022) was replaced. The Vesuti was perfect. Crust, sauce, basil, cheese, ground sausage. Together, the pie was a textural and flavor dream. I ate nearly my weight (I'm a big girl) in it, insalata mista (which could use a few more castelvetrano olives), meatballs (which were a touch dry and still delicious, and what I know as arrancini, though they're called something else here. The music being played was awesome: classic R&B and pop, bringing the ideal vibe and rhythms. Opportunities for improvement are few. They include the brand/vineyard names of the wines on the list, or if the availability changes often, write them on the chalkboard. Right or wrong, people want to drink from the winemakers they know and no one is served by not sharing the full information. Also, if the guests request a specific order for the dishes they selected (i.e., salad, primi, and then pizza), that ought to be provided. If that isn't possible, tables need not only to be bigger so as to accommodate simultaneously so many plates, and guests need to be told dishes are not served as courses. What does NOT need to change (besides the food) is meeting the spectacular Carmela and Alfredo being your table's primary server. With a seemingly photographic memory, I've seen Alfredo manage a whole lot of customer traffic, orders, and hustle on a very busy night in a space where I only saw one free table once we were in conventional dinner hour (my first ever reservation was 5:00). San Matteo Pizzeria e Cucina on 2nd Avenue and E. 81st. You need to dine here. You need to make it your go-to.
   

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6. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   New York City4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on March 9, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Excellent across the board as always and Carmela is always amazing.
   

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7. S

   Shane VIP

   New York City2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on March 6, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   San Matteo consistently has amazing food with great service. It is a long time neighborhood staple.
   

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8. J

   Jana VIP

   Naples19 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on February 23, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Best pizza in NYC! Great local spot...always a fun crowd!
   

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9. S

   Sachi

   Washington DC1 review

   3.0

   Dined on February 17, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   The food is really great, but main courses came out at different times. Service was a little bit slow.
   

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10. C

    Clifton

    New York City41 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on January 30, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    The best steak on the upper east side. Such a good restaurant. Great service, friendly and delicious food!
    

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