“ Amazing menu and exceptional service. The pasta is home made and absolutely amazing. Reasonable and delicious lunch prefix menu with a great wine list. Definitely, my absolute favorite neighborhood restaurant!!! ”

“ Selected this restaurant because of the many choices available on the New York City Winter Restaurant Week menu. My partner and I were not at all disappointed with the food which was all served freshly prepared and nicely presented. The portions were generous. We chose a Salmon and a Veal entree. In addition, we opted for a $30 bottle of wine which was also lovely. Overall, the restaurant's ambiance is intimate, service professional, friendly-- not rushed and the again, the food, delicious! ”

“ The food is authentically Italian and so is the owner and staff. Price is reasonable, especially for NYC. It was quickly evident that we were from out of town and they were helpful and kind, engaging us in conversation. I would definitely recommend. ”

“ We stopped into La Gioconda for lunch at 1:30pm today. It wasn't crowded and the server was attentive. We had a latte & prosecco to start. Then we ordered 2 prix fixe lunches. The calamari with julienned zucchini & the seared shrimp over cannellini beans were both fresh & delicious. For our entrees, we both ordered the braised short rib in red wine with truffle oil risotto. The meat was tender & seasoned perfectly and the risotto was cooked perfectly. We shared a piece of tiramisu della nonna which was not too sweet. Highly recommend this cozy, relaxing place for fresh, authentic Italian food. ”

“ La Gioconda is really romantic Italian restaurant in midtown with tight tables, a great crowd, and a delicious past. La Gioconda was our first spring date, and we headed out early in the evening to try the food. Our pasta was delicious, though the food was on the expensive side. It is well worth a second trip, and for the newbie looking for a romantic spot, this may be the place for you. Bon appétite ”

“ Great service and wonderful food! Special eggplant amazing. Pesto Burrata fusilli superb! ”

“ What an amazing dining experience at this wonderful Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar, I felt like I embarked on culinary journey through Italy. Beautifully presented culinary delights , lovely ambience and great service. Perfect place for any occasion, whether it's special celebration, romantic dinner or just a get together with friends for a glass of wine or two and some light bites. ”

“ One of my favorite neighborhood hole-in-the-wall italian places! Great service, delicious food, and fantastic wine selection, what more can you ask for? I always get the cacio e pepe here and it is divine! My friend gets the bolognese and loves it every time. They also had a special pistachio panna cotta last time we went and it was INCREDIBLE! I still think about this panna cotta. 10/10 recommend if you're looking for a quality italian food with reasonable prices on the east side. ”

“ I was craving pasta so i decided on La Giocanda .I ordered the carpaccio di manzo for an appetizer.It was delicious.The thinly sliced beef with the arugula and and the lemon vinaigrette was incredible.I ordered the pasta special.Red beet gnocchi with radicchio,walnuts in a Gorgonzola cream sauce .One of the best pastas I ever had.I highly recommend La Gioconda for a great dinner with family or friends ”

“ Solid 4 or 4.5! Beginning to explore our neighborhood restaurants, and a new friend alerted us to this place, up a few steps from the street on E 53rd. It was in the back of our minds until we drove almost 5 hours home from several days with our grandchildren out of state, returned the rented car, and just needed a quick dinner out. We found way more than we could have imagined! This is an intimate place on a block full of a variety of restaurants. Maybe there are 12 tables. The room is dimly lit but not too dark to read the menu or see your dining companion(s). The background music is just that, softly playing in the background. The tables are all 2-tops or 4-tops, though I suppose they could put a few together for a larger party - but we really appreciated that we could hear each other and didn't have to raise our voices. The menu is a bit smaller than a typical Italian place, but the choices are varied enough to please carnivores, vegetarians, and pescatarians. Once we ordered, a bread basket and small bottle of olive oil were brought to our table. We had a glass of Chianti, very reasonably priced compared to other places. We chose to start by sharing a salad, and the tricolor was enough for two, and nicely presented. We also shared the grilled calamari con zucchine (menu spells it that way) and the seafood was absolutely perfectly grilled; delicious. I was sopping up the bit of liquid (probably olive oil) left on the plate with my bread! For entrees, my husband had the paccheri alla norma, rigatoni with cubes of eggplant in tomato sauce (notably - not drowning in sauce, a pleasant surprise) with dry aged ricotta. That was shreds of cheese , not the creamy ricotta we buy in the supermarket. He loved it. I ordered the appetizer of eggplant parm. It's served as a square about 2-3 inches each side; the eggplant was not "hidden" under the sauce and mozzarella. It was a carefully layered piece that featured good eggplant. We were both quite pleased with the nice sizes of the portions, filling but not so much that you can't finish it, just right. And we were both rather impressed with the flavors and textures and good service. It was a busy dining room, one waiter, and he genially managed every table. We had no intention of getting dessert, just wanted to get home and unpack from the trip and wind down, but he put the menu on the table...I can report that we did not regret having a slice of their most excellent almond chocolate flourless cake, which was served with a small scoop of rich vanilla ice cream in a little dish on the bigger plate. This was our first meal here, but for sure we'll be back. Prices are reasonable, food and service top-notch, ambiance pleasant, quiet, and wine choices abundant both by the glass and bottle. And it's local, but worth a longer walk. Buon appetito!!! ”