If you’ve lived in New York for at least twenty years, Babbo probably has a place in your heart. I know that it does in mine, as a restaurant that represented everything cool about New York. After all, what was better than walking into Babbo in the early aughts with AC/DC blasting on the speaker system and Bono eating a plate of pasta in the front bar? The answer is nothing, and that was just Babbo NYC on any given day.

Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich transformed Italian cuisine and restaurant culture when they opened Babbo in 1998. It wasn’t so much a place to eat, but rather an institution. I would say that those were the good old days, when you could still run through a $10,000 dinner as a work expense, so the Barolo could flow freely for you and all your friends. But as we know, things took a turn for Batali, and the pandemic happened. For a while, Greenwich Village and the NYC restaurant scene just wasn’t the same, and Babbo was part of that.

Enter Stephen Starr, the prolific restaurateur who bought the space and brought back original Babbo team member and Del Posto alum, Mark Ladner, to run the kitchen. All signs pointed to literally a second coming. But now, they’ve been re-opened for almost a year, and time has told. This is my take on the 2.0 version of Babbo.

Atmosphere

In this facet of the new Babbo, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The last time I was in the room was in March 2020, right before the world shut down. We thought we would have a brief break of two weeks in the city. However, we all know it was over six months before anyone saw the inside of a dining room again. So, I am especially nostalgic about my last supper at Babbo. When I walked in the door, it felt like nothing had changed, and personally, before I had a bite of food, it felt good.

Design firm Gachot handled the restoration, and they clearly understood the assignment was preservation, not reinvention. The signature round table at the base of the stairwell is back exactly where it was. The leather banquettes have been refurbished, rather than replaced. Downstairs still has that bustle that made the original room famous. Upstairs has been repainted a confident oxblood red and is now where they seat larger parties. That’s where I sat with my party of three, and it may look slightly different, but it felt exactly the same.

The new Babbo is lively again and full of the kind of downtown crowd. What made the first rendition of Babbo so special was that it felt like the top-of-the-food-chain New Yorkers. Overall, like the decor, it felt like a similar crowd. Either that, or tourists have become more fashionable and cool. And like the original, you had some people celebrating a special occasion, and some not celebrating anything at all.

Food + Drinks

I’m going to cut to the chase on this. The food is nothing like the original Babbo, and that’s not a good thing. We were celebrating my friend’s Mom’s 70th birthday, which is as big of a deal as it gets. She and her daughter both sent back their pastas, as they were inedible. My pasta was also way over-salted, but I didn’t want to pile on an already terrible meal. So instead, I picked out the lobster (which in itself was nondescript) and had them pack up the pasta. I’ll get into specifics more on what went wrong, but the biggest point is that the chef is like the emperor with no clothes. I’m not sure why people are entertaining that food should be remotely prepared this way.

The Starters

In concept, I loved the option of crudos, so we took the fluke and scallop. The fluke had no flavor and the scallop was just fine. I would have expected Marea-level crudos, where there is something exceptional, but that wasn’t the case at Babbo. However, I was still on a high, full of optimism that the meal would have flecks of brilliance, like the original. My friend and her Mom also ordered bruschetta, but apparently the tomatoes were overcooked. We also had the celery salad that was overdressed in a Caesar dressing with more croutons than salad. It was all out of proportion, but would have easily been forgiven with the iconic Babbo pasta course.

The Highly Anticipated Pastas

I’d like to take a moment to mourn the loss of the gargenelli on the original Babbo menu. It’s okay though, as with the linguine vongole, lobster fussiloni and black spaghetti with rock shrimp, I should not have gone home hungry. We added a fourth pasta for the table, the corn triangoli, which is a new addition for Babbo too.

Galavante is generally positive and always constructive on our reviews. In the case of Babbo’s pastas, I’m going to be brief when food doesn’t meet expectations (I go into the service issues more below). First, the positive. The corn triangoli, although a bit of a hot buttery mess, was the highlight of the main courses. It’s the only pasta we ate between the three of us, as otherwise we would have had no dinner.

The linguine vongole and black pastas were cooked in water that was way over-salted. Neither were edible, and both were sent back. Ditto on the lobster, but I felt so bad for the team. As I said, I just picked at the lobster and had them pack up the pasta. The lobster was also unremarkable; I would never pick this dish out of a lineup. In other words, unlike the old Bobbo, nothing stood out in a positive way.

Thank Goodness for the Brunello

I like to end on good notes so will report that the $50 glasses of Brunello we ordered were the true stars of the meal. The wine bottle list is also comprehensive and has a nice range of options.

The Nutshell on Food

I rarely look at a food bill with anything but indifference, given how expensive it is nowadays to eat decently in the city. The exception is when the food isn’t good, and with tip and without two of the pastas, we clocked in at $420 or so. Yes, we ordered two of the special Brunellos (which again, were the best part of the meal, so essential to survive it).

Service

First, let me say that our server was the sweetest. Our server was well-versed on the menu and ticked all the boxes you would expect from a Stephen Starr restaurant. She knew we were there for the birthday for my friend’s Mom, and she tried to make it special. But we had a few glitches that just shouldn’t have happened. First, we ordered four apps and the salad, which was all brought out together. The issue though, was that there wasn’t enough room on the table for all the plates. This isn’t supposed to be Babbo’s first rodeo, so knowing we couldn’t fit all the dishes, it would have made sense to serve the salad as its own course. It was a situation where I knew I should have asked for this when we ordered, but do I have to both quarterback and catch the ball?

On its own, that wouldn’t have been a big deal. But in the shuffle of the plates, they somehow moved my friend’s water glass next to mine, which we didn’t notice until later. When I asked for a new glass of water for my friend, the server (not ours) brought a new glass and initially proceeded to fill it at my place. His expectation was that he would then move it over to my friend.

This would have meant him reaching over me and handing the glass to my friend. Anticipating this, when I moved the glass in front of my friend, the server was exasperated and poured over me, spilling water slightly on the table cloth. It’s been a while since I worked at Louis Linguini’s when I was 16, but I don’t think this is how it’s supposed to be done.

Now I’m Wondering if We’re Being Punked

Next up on the service issue, was when my friend’s Mom asked for them to split the salad for us on new plates. We had our first course of crudos and bruschetta, so didn’t think we were being unreasonable. The same guy who later explained to us that clam pasta should be over salted (more on that later), said that it was too late to split into three. Apparently, a random celery salad can’t be plated once it’s put on the table. My friend’s Mom then asked our server, who must have been briefed by her colleague. She quickly mentioned that she would happily serve it for us at the table.

Okay, if you’re thinking I’m being picky, the real context of why I’m highlighting the shortcomings is because they contributed to the experience as a whole. The real issue is what happened when my friend and her Mom returned their food, which I’ve never seen them do in 15 years. The manager came over and albeit politely, let us know that he and Chef both tasted the pasta, and it’s prepared exactly as it’s meant to be.

He then proceeded to explain to my friend’s Mom that vongole by nature of the clams is salty. It was comical, as it’s as though he thought it was her first time eating clam pasta, when it happens to be her favorite dish. Ditto for my friend, who ordered the black squid ink pasta. When I tried to explain to the manager that the pasta water was over-salted and perhaps they could modify, I was cut off politely, yet quickly. I get it; Chef thinks he knows best. In this food critic’s opinion, Babbo could be in real trouble, as New York diners are the ultimate decision makers.

To End on a Positive Note

Coming back to our lovely server, she knew we were disappointed with the food. She still brought out the most thoughtful birthday cake to my friend’s Mom. We all very much appreciated the gesture.

Overall: 6.9/10

If you’re looking for the old Babbo, this isn’t it.

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FAQs

Q: Where is Babbo NYC located?

A: Babbo is located at 110 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10011, in Greenwich Village.

Q: Do you need reservations at Babbo?

A: Reservations are strongly recommended and available via Resy. This remains one of the harder tables to get in the neighborhood, so book ahead of a special occasion.

Q: What are the hours of operation at Babbo?

A: Babbo serves dinner nightly. Hours can shift seasonally, so confirm on Resy before you go:

Q: Who is the chef at Babbo?

A: Chef Mark Ladner, a member of Babbo’s original 1998 opening team and later the four-star chef at Del Posto, returned to lead the kitchen. Restaurateur Stephen Starr is the new owner of Babbo.

Q: Is Babbo good for a special occasion?

A: The room, especially upstairs in the newly reimagined oxblood dining room, is well suited to a celebration. The food, however, doesn’t rise to the occasion for a special celebration.

Q: What should I order at Babbo?

A: The Goat Cheese Tortelloni or Yesterday’s 100-Layer Lasagna are said to be good. The Beef Cheek Ravioli is also reputed to be a good dish. Skip any pasta with seafood in it. The pasta water is over salted and with the kitchen cannot (and refuses to) adjust this fatal flaw. Skip the bruschetta and fluke crudo as well. If you’re a pescatarian, I would find somewhere else to eat.