Best Historic Restaurants in Little Italy / University Village

Having experienced High Tea at different locations, including overseas, I had expected an elevated experience for the price. The ambience was a lot more casual than I expected. The modern music was loud and our seating was in a heavy foot traffic area and directly sandwiched between the hotel bar and the window. The curtains next to us were dirty with food and grease stains. The menu for High Tea was on the same page with their standard bar menu with daily specials, not a separate menu. The tea selection was limited to standard teas, and were allowed only one serving. Since we weren’t shown a sampling of the teas, it could be assumed that the teas were from commercial brands, not higher end. When the food tray was brought to our table, it was dropped off with no explanation of what was served.

Ambiance is lively, fun, warm. Service was good. The pesto gnocchi and carbonara alone are worth going back for. We split the 24oz dry aged NY strip and very much enjoyed it, also a great value. The patata larda and sautéed mushroom sides were lackluster. Mushrooms cooked in scorched oil, not even a pinch of salt. Overall kind of disappointed with the sides. But we'll definitely be back for the pastas, maybe try the steak with the bitter green salad next time. Although we didn't try the pizza they looked and smelled delicious.

One of the best dinners I’ve ever had. Jess was the sweetest and most knowledgeable server, who made us feel relaxed and comfortable, and suggested an amazing bottle of wine to pair perfectly with our dishes. Everything was fantastic and it was a great experience!

The venue was beautiful. We went for an early Christmas Eve supper. The lobster roll was stuffed with lobster. Hamburger was tasty - especially the added bacon. We topped it off with warm chocolate chip cookies. Decadently delicious meal!

A unique dinning experience. It was our first time and the staff did an excellent job of guiding us to a wonderful experience. We got to enjoy several different types of seafood and tried two different steak types. Everything was prepared well and tasted fantastic. The sommelier was helpful and paired our meal with very nice wine.