At the very least, you’re going to get a laugh out of a restaurant that chooses the name Bad Roman. Expectations may continue to plummet because it’s located on the third floor of a shopping mall. But after learning that the folks behind Don Angie are the mastermind, all bets are off. There’s a good chance you may just run, not walk, to try and get a coveted table. Lobster stuffed with pasta anyone? This is the Bad Roman review.

Overview

The restaurants at The Shops at Columbus Circle defy the logic that good dining can exist in a shopping mall due to the continued success of places like Per Se and Masa. So when Chef Marc Murphy closed Landmarc which anchored the third floor, there was a prime opportunity for the right restaurant to join the ranks. I got ready to do whatever it took when I saw that the guys from Don Angie were involved. The nutshell of this Bad Roman review is that it is classic Quality Eats. In other words, it’s pretty darned good hearty comfort food, with a finish of refinement. You may not even mind that it takes a few escalators up in a shopping mall to get there. For me, it’s become my drop-in spot to eat at the bar on a Sunday night.

Atmosphere

Bad Roman plays hard and fast with the Italian kitsch theme, so stone statues of lions, bright oranges, and reds dominate the decor. Even the bathrooms are inspired by a Roman bath, but done up in black and dark colors that take you back to the 1980s. They push that Sopranos/Staten Island theme to the very edge, and just stop short of plastic covers on the furniture. But then they surprise you by dialing it back with the elegant Florentine prints on the staff uniforms. When you back out of the driveway and look at the house, the bold decor creates an overall happy vibe. In my perspective, in this Bad Roman review, “happy” describes the overall atmosphere. I also like the crowd, as it draws everyone from shoppers to regular New Yorkers. On several nights there were even tier-two models dropping in for a meal.

As I mentioned earlier, the bar is the place to be for me on a Sunday night, where either at 5 pm or 7:30-ish pm, it’s pretty easy to grab a seat with a plus one. There are also proper bar tables that are for walk-ins. Otherwise, reservations are a challenge, because Bad Roman reviews have been strong across the board. So, everyone wants a piece.

Food

To level set this Bad Roman review, in my opinion, it’s doubtful that they’re going to get a Michelin star like Don Angie. But that’s not the point of Bad Roman, and the food is very good. It leans more towards the signature of Quality Bistro, which delivers elegant classics elevated. The Caesar salad, for example, has a kick to it and finely crushed breadcrumbs. The 2 lb lobster is stuffed with creamy vodka-sauce pasta and is one of the top dishes on the menu.

I think the real star though, of the Quality Group, is their steaks. The filet gives you an option for a Cacio e Pepe Ravioli on top. The point of this is not the ravioli, but rather to cut it open so that the sauce oozes onto your steak. It makes you never want to eat a steak without ravioli again. Side note: the gnocchi with caviar is one of the sleeper hits of the menu that I think gets overlooked. The potato dumplings are very light, even in the cream sauce, and topped with oscietra caviar.

Service

The team at Bad Roman is working their butts off, as the restaurant is constantly busy. Even though the main bartender seemed to be alone one evening, service was like a Swiss watch. Food comes out quickly to start with, then paced with your timing. There’s never a glass of water not filled and drinks continue to flow. The waitstaff at other places would be frazzled, but the guys at Bad Roman seem to take it all in as it comes. In my Bad Roman review, service is the one component that will keep this restaurant on my go-to Sunday evening list.

Overall: 8/10. A restaurant that’s a go-to for good, easy Italian.

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FAQs

Q: Is Bad Roman open for lunch?

A: Currently, Bad Roman is not open for lunch.

Q: What is the address of Bad Roman?

A: Third Floor, 10 Columbus Cir, New York, NY 10019

Q: What are the business hours of Bad Roman?

A: