Bocca Lupo

Jeff, who I assume is the owner, was very responsive to my emails and took my reservation for 8 people just one day before NYE, which I greatly appreciated. Everyone in my party thoroughly enjoyed their meal, each ordering something different on the menu.
The highlights of my meal were the burrata caprese, eggplant manicotti, pasta special of the evening, which was a homemade papardelle with short rib (?) ragu, and the brussel sprouts.
I love the ambiance of BL and think this restaurant is great for any occasion, whether it be an intimate date or a group dinner. And the noise level is great, such that you don’t have to be yelling to speak to the person next/​across from you. Thanks Jeff & team for an awesome NYE dinner.

After being a loyal customer for years, and turning my eyes to declining service, I’m done. I recently had an experience where I was over/​upharged, after being given the bill and giving my credit card. When I caught it and pointed it out, nicely, the waitress gave me major attitude. She then proceeded, instead of canceling the charge and running it again, double then triple charging me, which I only realized when I checked my account online. I called the restaurant but never heard back on my message – FYI, they don’t pick up the phone, even during business hours, as standard practice. I had to dispute through my bank. Sorry, BL. Just bad business.

I had a negative experience. Since the food is just average, I don’t see me coming back.
After an exchange of emails with Jeff (owner) in which he told me that he would tell the staff we were coming at 7, I arrived on time with friends. A waiter told me that he knew nothing and we needed to wait half an hour. I told him about the email exchange and asked to speak with the manager. He said there was no manager, and from what I could see there was no leadership in the place. He made me find the email and show it to him, which I did. Then, he did nothing but waste my time with puerile arguments about why the email exchange was irrelevant. He gave another group a table before us.
I sent another email to Jeff telling him of the problem and he wrote «please accept my apologies.» That was all.
I understand that mix-​ups occur, but with so many tasty and fun restaurants in Brooklyn, why go here to get average food, small portions and clueless service?

Great little neighborhood Italian place. Small yet very tasty portions. If you are looking for large bowls of pasta with tons of cheese this might not be your best pick. Choices include delicious salads (to share) and a nice variety of small dishes including meat or fish. Wine list is nice and have a full bar. The restaurant is wide open and filled with light during the day and has a nice open feel during the evenings.

Came here Saturday for brunch with the lady.
Getting in:
— Walked in and sat at the bar. There was no one really paying attention, so we sat ourselves
Atmosphere:
— Large windows and a bar area with a small open-​ish kitchen off to the side
— Place was a little messy when we walked in: tables didn’t look like they had been bused
— There were empty plates and debris all over the bar area
Service:
— I have had better. It was almost like the bartendress was in a bad mood and it showed
— Service seemed very slow for having very few ppl in there
Food:
— Food was nothing special
— I had the wild Mushroom leeks & goat cheese frittata which was very large and filling but it wasn’t anything to write home about
— Lady had the scrambled Eggs w/​soppressata, mushrooms & rosemary which was good but nothing special — again big portion
Drinks:
— We just had some espresso bar items which were good
Other:
— Nice little neighborhood spot — would be so much better if the quality of the service and food improved
— Given the experience, I was glad we got out of there for a good price

I may just have had a very unfortunate experience here. I shared an appetizer with a friend and in the middle of eating it, they brought along her main (pasta dish) and squeezed it down beside her on the very small table. We had only been there about 15 minutes at this stage. She asked to send it back to be kept warm and then as soon as I had finished my portion of our shared starter, my main came out and put in front of me, despite the fact that she was still eating her portion. I ordered pizza and instead got a small, chewy flatbread that had a thick base, and must have been sitting under a heater, hence the chewiness. I sent it back and chose another dish, which was fine and the waitress was very nice about this.
Another waitress then accidentally dropped a glass on water on my friend from behind her, going on her head and down her back and then the glass dropped and smashed. Not her fault, but they did not offer anything off the bill or a dessert or something to apologize. Instead, they overcharged us for our wine.
This was very average food which was accompanied by a comedy of errors in service. I really wanted to like the place, but it may have just been the most unfortunate service I have ever had in my life!

First, the food was fantastic. Everything we ordered: pasta primavera, bruschetta, zucchini, and eggplant were delicious. I’d give 5 stars for sure if not for:
The service was just horrible. After 10 minutes of looking around after sitting down, our waitress (Heather) finally came up and just straight up asked if we were ready to order, no hello or anything. We hadn’t decided on wine, and rather than helping us choose from their extensive menu, she impatiently said she’d come back later. It wasn’t that busy for a Friday night, and we often saw her leaning against the bar drinking something, and had to wave her down to get her attention. Water was never refilled without waving someone down to ask, since they don’t stop by to ask how things are.
The place is also deafeningly loud. It looks so quiet and cozy from outside, but with the place half full, we had to yell across the table and couldn’t carry on a conversation. The music was kind of loud, but it’s mostly the bad sound insulation.
next time, take out, or at least make sure someone else is waiting the tables.

I really like this place. Brunch, lunch or dinner the menu is simple and to the point. The specialty cocktails are also great. Must try a panino next time.

Most reliable Saturday or any night sit at the bar and have great drinks and meatballs

The food was really bad and the place is really expensive for what it serves. No salt and condiments in the food!
The brocoli was like a horror film. Place looks nice but food doesn’t resemble anything i know of italian.
Sorry i wasted the tome and money.

Best thing to do here is come early for brunch, sit at the bar or by the windows, bask in the sunlight, the paper and an espresso (a bloody mary may be substituted, or both). All the brunch items are pretty delicious, as it is in the afternoon or dinner, although I prefer Bocca Lupo during the day. There’s something about the light that feels a little magical.
The staff here is really sweet and friendly — I’ve been regaled with tales of Cobble Hill History and also randomly asked them to hold a package once while I went back to the city to pick up my keys — the bartender let me do so with great kindness and empathy.
Lovely, slightly off the beaten path spot in the hood.

2 and ¾ of a star because our waitress came running out of the restaurant with my bag of shoes. She was a pretty great waitress. This isn’t traditional Italian. Or it strikes me as just being a whole load of putrid over-​pretentious nonsense. A former roommate from 7 or so years ago and apparently my Unilocal (makee) Is that the right word? Well, I’m apparently a Unilocal Maker now. But we wanted to grab dinner at an Italian restaurant relatively close to a bar in Cobble Hill for someone’s birthday. It was a Cobble Hill adventure! Or friday night for me. Emma G. is Jersey Elite. But she was bent on this restaurant because it is called ‘Mouth of the Wolf’. Even I have to admit, that’s pretty cool and this has to be at least kind of an interesting place. Also, it had 4 stars and other *cough* eliters gave it raving reviews.
It’s very rustic inside. The tables are all made of wooden planks that are a little uneven and hollowed out. The napkins are tied together with twine and feel made of the kind of paper you get from Bounce to throw into your laundry dryer. It’s slightly charming and slightly hipster yuppishy for those middle-​aged folks I feel with babies. I saw them in there, trust. The tables are also kind of close together, providing for awkward movement I imagine if it gets crowded, though, it being around 6:30 pm it was not.
For beer I ordered just a Session red ale and it was a $ 6 bottle poured into a water glass. Okay.. .. sigh. My friend ordered the sangria, which I’m glad I didn’t because no sangria cup is worth $ 11. Though, this was very boozy and tasted more like a rich plum wine than sangria. So, I guess I could get behind an $ 11 glass of wine. They didn’t skimp on filling her high ball glass either.
The food — The options sucked. They had 1 pasta dish and 1 risotto dish. A number of panini. A number of single and share-​able small plates and that was about it. I kind of wish I read the menu before dedicating myself to sitting down. But whatever. I went with the proschiutto, porchetta, pepperonchini and piavi panini. It’s small for $ 10. Kind of filling. Kind of bland. I didn’t taste any pepperonchini. Just a sliver of greasy meat and oil, some kind of cheese shavings? Not sure what piavi is but neither does google apparently. Anyway, they give you a pickled piece of a cauliflower for some bizarre reason on the side. Nice touch? I’m just not buying this. Maybe if I wanted an expensive lunch.
My friend had over-​glorified macaroni and cheese for dinner. It was under the share-​able plates and claims of having three different kinds of fromage. She said it tasted like a cheesy english muffin and she wasn’t far off from that description. The cheese had no taste except of a bread like crumbiness after taste. I probably won’t come back just because there are so many better options and more affordable options in the neighborhood.

You absolutely CANNOT beat the wine list here, in terms of extensive-​ness. It’s like a novel. Which is awesome!
The food, while tasty, is a little over-​priced for the portion sizes. Went there expecting a full dinner & was disappointed on that front.
However, if you go there for the experience of an amazing, comprehensive wine bar, you will be satisfied.

You’ve had it all 100X before, but you know, at least you get what you wanted/​expected. There is nothing much inventive but the restaurant has many reliable and even welcome features. There is always a table. Please love not waiting. The combinations are comforting and familiar. People love familiar. Everything with cheese is super cheesy. People love cheese.
Only real complaint is with the odd portioning — chicken liver toasts had enough liver to feed a small, offal-​loving army. Portions are really large for a small plates concept. Am I complaining about large tapas portions? Yes, it’s like just overload of everything in an unappealing way. Also avoid anything meant to be fresh — the tomatoes and other produce items are wan and lacking.
Service is fine if a bit flighty — could spend more time with customers and less time flirting with one another.

The food here is decent but I’ve had really bad experiences with their «policies» a few times now.
I called to ask if they could reserve a table for my party of 4 (including my handicapped father) on a saturday at 2 — after the brunch crowd, so not a very busy time. I requested a table near the door so my father could easily access it. «Sorry we don’t take reservations» I was told — Really? Even in this situation you couldn’t make an exception? «No its just our policy, we just can’t do it» Ok, fine. Its your policy, I guess.
We still went for brunch the next weekend, and asked for a side of berries for our 6 month old. The waitress said sure, but shortly returned to let us know that the chef wouldn’t do the side of berries and we had to order something off the kids menu… mac’ and cheese? Chicken fingers? For a 6 month old? Um, can we just pay for a mac and cheese but get the berries? «No, sorry. We just can’t do that». Jeez. Well guess i «just can’t» ever come back to your restaurant.
Also, while I have has tasty food here, the savory bread pudding I ordered for brunch was still cold on the inside. We’re done with this place.

Bocca Lupo has quite the décor when my boyfriend and I entered the restaurant. I really liked how the windows are glassed from top to bottom. Atmosphere is very casual. The food on the other hand wasn’t so impressive.
The only dish worth mentioning and re-​ordering would be the Misti Antipasti and it’s only because of the cheese. I don’t eat cheese much, heck I really dislike them, but the brie that was served that night was quite exquisite. The cocktails were weak, probably should’ve stick with a glass of wine. I doubt I would be returning since almost everything we ordered was really just mediocre. On a lighter note, our waitress was really nice, friendly, and helpful.

I like that it never looks too crowded in here, which it wasn’t when I arrived at 3pm on a Sunday. Despite the two free tables since I was in a pair we were told we could sit at the bar or counter, because they ‘like to save the 4 seat tables for 4 people.’ OK, it isn’t prime brunchtime here people, then I might get it. So we sit at the bar until a table is ready, at which point instead of leading us to our table, she pointed which I missed and instead followed her to where she was separating the four person table into two, and then offered we could sit there. In the very same place we could have sat 10 minutes early. Illogical.
Their food would taste better if service was friendlier. I did have a delicious panini with sausage, broccoli rabe, mushrooms and fontina. The bread was kind of perfect, and at $ 10 I felt the sandwich was stuffed nicely. I also tasted a nutella banana dessert (a match made in heaven, it would be real difficult to mess this up!) and it was paired with fresh whipped cream.
Not sure if I would need to come back, but if you are in the mood for a good panini worth checking out.

This place is a neighborhood gem. Great food, great atmosphere.
Everything we ate was tasty.

Last night me, my fiancé and best friend went to this place for the first time. We were originally going to go to Pok Pok NY but because of the wait decided to go here because of all the good reviews. Long story short we were all really happy with our decision to eat here. I had for the first time Veal and I was nervous but not disappointed. The veal and porcini meatballs were amazing and although it was about four pieces and layered over a piece of bread it was absolutely filling. We were all very satisfied.
The environment was very romantic and a little fancy for what we were used to but we didn’t feel out of place at all after we settled it. I’ve decided to give it a 4 instead of a 5 because the menu was completely confusing and if it hadn’t been for the waitress to explain it to us we would have probably left. It was in Italian which is understandable since its an Italian restaurant but I think a small description in ENGLISH of what was what should have been added because if you didn’t know what Italian food was you would have trouble figuring out what to pick. I thank the waitress for having patients with us. Would I go again? Most definitely was a great experience.

You know what you see a lot of these days? Paninis.* They are so common, and so often underwhelming.
Bocca Lupo, the charming neighborhood spot in the heart of Cobble Hill, serves some of the best paninis around. They have the absolutely perfect texture that rides the line between crispy and doesn’t extend into roof-​of-​the-​mouth-​cuttingly crunchy territory. They are stuffed with exactly as much filling so as to be full without falling apart. The ingredients are fresh and well-​seasoned, and the combinations, if not unique, are classics for a reason.
(The pancetta, asiago and egg combination is a fancy bacon egg and cheese that hits the spot at brunch or lunch, and the sausage, mushroom, broccoli rabe and taleggio option is always a good decision.)
Paired with a surprisingly good bourbon cocktail or a selection off their very decent wine list, one of these paninis is the perfect afternoon meal.
And may I just say, Bocca Lupo seems to attract such a pleasant, local clientele. Once, the parents at the next table actually apologized for the essentially non-​existent noise made by their exceedingly well-​behaved children.
Doesn’t it always seem like the people who should apologize are the ones that never do?
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*I know panini is actually the plural form, but I’m an ignorant ‘murican and it sounds wrong to my ears.