One frustration on my part when it comes to NYC dining in the post-pandemic era is how difficult it has become to secure reservations at most popular restaurants (thankfully, the DC area where my wife Jun and I live hasn’t been as bad so long as I planned in advance for the opening of reservation windows). One particular restaurant that I wanted to check out with Jun but had been very unsuccessful in getting table was Torrisi, which is not even that new anymore, having opened in late 2022. The restaurant has all the attributes that make it one of those impossible to get dining destinations: a fancy Italian American concept by Major Food Group under its superstar chefs Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone, with an opulent setting that takes you back to the retro glory years (real or imagined) of New York. One of our friends who was lucky enough to dine at the restaurant once remarked to us that she really wanted to hate the restaurant for how difficult it was to get in but everything tasted fantastic. I learned that lunch reservations at the restaurant are a little easier to secure so long as I hit Resy when the reservation window opens (reservations are released 30 days in advance at 10 a.m. each day), so on our recent trip to NYC last month, I decided that we will have an early lunch before watching Wicked musical on Broadway in the afternoon (as a preview to the movie release to premiere later that month). The verdict? Torrisi was a very good restaurant but we weren’t sure if it merits this reservation frenzy (more on that below).

We started with a few appetizers to get the lunch going, and we weren’t disappointed. The endive salad (accompanied by pine nut, persimmon, ricotta and golden raisins) was a very promising start to the meal with a nice blend of citrusy and sweet flavor. I was also very fond of one of the signature dishes, thin slices of Italian and American hams with zeppole. The ham’s texture was spot on, even more so with the soft deep-fried dough. Among the pasta options, we chose the classic tortellini pomodoro and it was indeed a wise choice, with the clean flavor of the tortellini showcasing the kitchen’s ability to turn simple pastas into standout winners at the table. The one dish that we thought was somewhat mixed was the chicken alla griglia that our server highly recommended. The chicken’s skin was crisp and the meat below the skin was tender and juicy; Jun, on the other hand, remarked that she had had better chicken dishes in other restaurants that we enjoyed and thought the seasoning was a little aggressive. We certainly had no disagreement when it came to affogato that ordered for dessert. If there is one dish that I would gladly return to Torrisi for, it was this affogato which tasted more like the best frozen tiramisu (underneath coffee granita) you could get in the world.

If you are too lazy or frustrated to hit refresh buttons on Resy, one way to dine at Torrisi is to try walk-in tables. If you go with that route, be prepared to show up as early as possible. We certainly were grateful we didn’t have to wait on the long line of eager diners in a chilly November morning. There is full bar with classic cocktails and Italian-focused wine list. As noted above, the snazzy décor and ambience of the dining space, with sleekly dressed staffs walking around confidently to serve their guests, certainly makes you feel like you are living and breathing high-end New York culture. Did we like our meal at Torrisi? Certainly. But when it comes to the trade-off on the restaurant’s quality and difficulty of getting a reservation there, we both came away concluding that we expected a little bit more. Perhaps we should come back again and try other dishes from the restaurant’s expansive menu (I did wish we had come with more people to try other dishes), but I am not sure if I will be as diligent with waiting for reservation spots to open.

KenScale: 8.25/10 (Jun’s Score: 8.0/10)

Address: 275 Mulberry Street, New York, NY 10012

Website: https://www.torrisinyc.com/

Reservation via Resy