Nardi’s

Nardi’s also known as Frankie and Johnnie’s to the locals. An old-​school, authentic Italian restaurant in the tiny town of Hurleyville. Stepping in to Nardi’s is like stepping into a time machine (in a very good way)
You’re always greeted and seated by the owner’s mother, she’s a hoot. She has no filter and where you fit, you sit. No questions asked.
They are a well-​oiled machine with service, the menu has been the same for years and some don’t even have to look at it. Questions you hear in the dining room «Is Frankie in the kitchen? If he is, tell him I want my regular.» Who doesn’t love that?
Portions are HUGE, I mean HUGE. I order the Chicken Valdestano and it was literally the size of my forearm to my hand. You can eat for days on leftovers. Side options are in abundance. Prices are great for the portions and quality.
I love this place. It’s old school Catskills still at it’s best in Hurleyville.

I LOVE Nardi’s Frankie and Johnny’s. Don’t let the décor fool you. The food is consistently GREAT and the portions humongous! Our Waiter is usually Evan (just happens to work out that way). He is awesome. Friendly, attentive, and just a great guy. I have eaten here on almost every trip up to the area and I make sure I bring whatever guests we have there too! One of my guests asked for carbonara (which was not on the menu) they happily made it for it and it was AMAZING!!! I’ve tasted a lot of dishes and have loved EVERY ONE! Don’t take my word for it… TRY IT! Your tastebuds (and wallet) will thank me … Your waistline is another story…

This hidden gem of a family friendly, family run restaurant has been a cornerstone of the local eateries for many years. High praise for the large portions and consistently excellent food.

Nardi’s (Frankie and Johnny’s) has superb old-​school Italian. It is a pure, honest red-​sauce joint — and considering it is run by the family that used to run El Monaco’s in White Lake (if you’ve seen the movie «Taking Woodstock,» it’s the restaurant at hotel, though it is never shown), that is exactly what you’d expect.
Sure, the décor is a bit tired, and the waitstaff can sometimes be the same, but you don’t come to this area for a Michelin star experience. You come for the food, and that’s something Nardi’s does well. The portions are very generous, but you never feel as if you are trading quantity for quality. Fried dishes (like chicken parm) are perfectly crisped, not too oily, and smothered in sauce and cheese. Pasta is cooked perfectly and well-​sauced.
Nardi’s is well worth the visit.

I heard about this from a neighbor and hadn’t had the time to try it until now. We decided to take the 18 minute drive to Hurleyville and go for it.
Our simple journey along Route 52 to this very sleepy town was extremely heartbreaking, one wreck of a bygone Catskills era after another. My neighbor said Hurleyville once figured prominently in the «Borsch Belt» but now there was nothing there, most residents worked at the nearby prison or didn’t work at all. In the summer the town had some life as the Hasidic community from NYC vacations nearby.
That said if you are driving by you wouldn’t think to stop here in a million years, and you wouldn’t possibly expect the gem inside the nondescript exterior. If you thought it was just another seedy local bar or coffee shop in a broken down town you would be dead wrong.
What a find, this had to be one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve been to in a long while, as good as any I frequent in NYC. The interior décor was nothing to write home about, typical 1960s décor; wood paneling, old worn carpeting, fluorescent lighting and paper placemats with local advisers «Eds Auto Repair» and «Jill’s Baby-​sitting».
The youthful waiter, Evan, immediately greeted us with a big smile and welcomed us to «Frankie and Johnnies», he couldn’t be prouder. Evan took our drink order and promptly returned for our dinner order, I had what I always order in an Italian restaurant I frequent for the first time the capellini bolognese, because if you know how to make a good bolognese you can make anything! My daughter ordered the Pasta Fagiole and my wife the rigatoni bolognese and my neighbor sausage pasta.
When the plates arrived, after a short wait, I was astonished at the portions, they were more than double what I expected, and this wasn’t so called «family style» but they were gigantic solo portions! I should have known, the table next to us a woman ordered fried calamari and it was enough for six people! I almost always have to ask my waiter for more bolognese, not this time, there was plenty, just the way I like it. The bolognese was perfectly made, meaty, sweet, just enough cream, fabulous! One of the best I ever had. There were no down sides to this place, yes my daughter wasn’t crazy about the Pasta Fagiole, but that’s because she was raised on my version and that is the Italian way, your is always better! We had plenty of leftovers to take home and when I asked for the check, I almost fell over! I was expecting $ 150.00 tab for this wonderful dinner and the bill, was actually only $ 65.00! Astonishing! I will be back and add to this review but for now if you up in the Catskills run don’t walk to this place you will not regret it!

Four stars is my standard rating for any restaurant that does what they are geared for very well. This is old school Italian. It is not fancy and it does not have to be. I’ve read the reviews. My dining companion knew our waitress and she was very pleasant to us. Can I see her as being a bit salty now and then? Yes. My grandmother was a diner waitress for many years and I am sure she had a salty side as well (I know from personal experience that she did). Her loyal customers loved her and my date would not have chosen to go here or asked for the waitress if she did not feel similarly. The décor is a little tired, but for anyone who grew up going to old style New York pizza/​Italian joints will feel right at home here.
OK, now that we got that out of the way, I would go back here anytime. I chose the eggplant parmigiana and spaghetti with garlic and oil on the side. My dining companion had seafood fra diavolo with string beans on the side. Both dishes came with a simple salad, a nice fresh start to a classic Italian meal. My eggplant was perfect, breaded and fried. Not overcooked. Not greasy. Covered in a simply delicious, classic red sauce and an overly indulgent amount of cheese, as it should be. The garlic and oil was also good. I almost never say «too much garlic» on anything, but this was close, though I did eat all of it. The other dish was equally good. The base of the sauce was similar to mine with some good heat added to make the fra diavolo sauce. The seafood (shrimp and clams) was also cooked properly which really can make or break that entrée. The string beans were good, not overcooked as a side vegetable can be sometimes. As stated in other reviews here, the portion sizes are huge. I used to think this was a detriment, as I think it can coerce people to eat more. With a little restraint anyone can make at least two good meals out of an entrée, which I did and got stuffed again for lunch the day after.
If you want a big, simple, delicious Italian meal in a casual atmosphere at a very fair price, go here.

Came in for dinner on a Friday night. The place was not that busy, but it still took awhile for the waitress to come over. When she finally did, she greeted us with, «yes?» ‘Hello’ or ‘how are you doing’ or just about anything else would have been better. After receiving our appetizer (mussels marinara), we asked for a bowl (for the empty shells). The waitress actually asked what we needed the bowl for before she would bring it. At this point we had had enough of her, and called her out about her attitude; we had even asked for another waitress (she claimed she was the only waitress working). She was okay for the rest of the meal, but the whole experience was very uncomfortable because of her. If this business wants to stop losing customers, they need to fire their rude waitress. I would not recommend this place to anyone.

All right, I’ll be up front and say that I’m giving them five stars for flavor, because, to me, that’s what’s most important about going out for dinner. I have literally eaten their marinara sauce by the spoonful, if any ever remains from my pasta.
I usually get the same thing, mainly because it’s so good: whole wheat penne (I love that they offer whole wheat pasta!) with marinara sauce. That’s it. Nothing fancy. It’s seriously the best marinara sauce I’ve ever eaten.
Their house dressing is amazing – you just have to accept the fact that you’ll be reeking of garlic and onions after you eat it.
The portions are huge and the food is great.
However, I will agree with previous reviews that the service here isn’t that great. The owner is wonderful – a great family guy who’s always willing to help out. I haven’t ever found their servers to be rude, just a little slow and not very attentitive – we typically ask for a pitcher of water for our table, even if there’s only two of us; otherwise we find ourselves never getting our water refilled. But, for those of us who consider Sullivan County home, I’ll tell you what I tell everyone about Nardi’s Frankie and Johnny’s: The service is rough, but the food is amazing, so it doesn’t matter.

If you love garlic, marinara and pasta, this is the best. Also the fresh sauteed green beans & broccoli. Enjoy.

This restaurant has been a fave for over 20 years. The Chicken Parm dinner is the size of a house, and I love it. I wish I could just get a slice of pizza — but that isn’t happening. Remember: it is the Catskills, so you need to reset your expectations of service a bit. But for regulars, it’s just «family.»

I have been craving «Frankie & Johnny’s» for a few weeks now. And I have also just found out that they changed it to Nardi’s because a restaurant in city threatened to sue. For Sullivan County I think it probably deserves 4.5 to 5 stars (along with the Yassou Café in Liberty), but in the grand scheme of things…
So I read all the reviews. I actually came online to get their menu so I could order. Let me say this, I do know the ‘rude’ waitress that everyone speaks of. She’s honestly not that bad, you just have to remove the thorn from her paw… Seriously, this is a small town, and if you frequent the place she becomes like Norm from Cheers. It’s true people should get friendly service everytime and without stipulations. But c’mon folks, we’re in Sullivan County, you gotta cut them a little slack.
The portions are humongous, as everyone says, but this is the way it’s supposed to be in the Catskills, the «Borscht Belt». The chicken/​veal marsala or Francaise is delicious. And you gotta try the hot antipasta, but I warn you, this is a meal in itself. The Porterhouse steak is also great, very large and reasonably priced. And their broccoli with garlic & oil, or butter n garlic is legendary. Not overcooked, it’s perfection. The fried calamari appetizer is also great and the marinara sauce is a perfect compliment.
For a little nostalgia, this restaurant is supposedly the cousins of the famous and now defunct El Monaco’s on 17B. Ang Lee made a movie, Taking Woodstock, and it takes place at this hotel, also a must see movie if you are a Catskill mountains buff. Their food was a little better than Frankie & Johnny’s throughout the years, but being that it’s gone, this is now the place to go for Italian food. Enjoy! I am going to place my order now, this review made me hungry!

old school red-​sauce italian joint with giant portions, great prices, family friendly, won’t knock your socks off but reliably tasty and satisfying. décor is definately dated but tha is part of the charm. when you walk in the door, it could be the 60s or the 80s or whenever… it feels sort of timeless. get the feeling that many of their customers have been coming there since childhood and that gives it a nice vibe. come hungry or prepare to bring a doggy bag home.

I was unimpressed when I came to eat here.
First and foremost, the staff was very rude. The waitress was giving us a hard time and reprimanded us when we asked a younger girl working there it she could get our check for us. The waitress intervened and said «she doesn’t do that» or something along those lines.
Also, as I was leaving, the owner, an older lady, was completely rude to me when I was singing my credit card receipt, telling me «it doesn’t matter which receipt you sign!» to which I was astounded.
Add this to the fact that the food I ordered was mediocre at best and that the décor looked like something out of a 70s mafia movie, and you get the idea. Underwhelming.

If I could give this no stars I would!!! Still not sure how they pass a health inspection, take a look in the kitchen or freezer and you won’t go back!

Good food. Huge portions. Shocked that it isn’t called «Frankie and Johnny’s» anymore. Didn’t realize until I saw it here, even though I have eaten there three or four times a summer for the past dozen or so years! My only gripe is I have had a really rude waitress a couple of times I’ve eaten here. Apart from that, I’ve always enjoyed my time spent here.

Fine if you prefer quantity over quality.

I’ve been dining at Frankie and Johnny’s (Nardi’s) since childhood. Their veal parm is amongst the best I’ve had. Huge portions, perhaps a bit too big. :) Always fresh bread and hearty salads to accompany your meal. They’re always able to accommodate small groups to large parties.

Only been here once. It gets a better than A-​OK for the pizza… maybe even quite delicious. However, no A-​OK for the waitress’ attitude which seemed to portray that we were purely a cog in her wheel, taking up her time, annoyed that we came to see if they had pizza by the slice. But they do, (which was surprising because the only thing listed on their menu is for a large pie) and it’s good (nothing different but great taste and texture– thin crust), and a very good price. ($ 1.50 a slice. I mean, this is cheap pizza, but it tastes good). Décor IS like traveling back in time. Like 1980’s/90’s. Kind of unique that way, but also a teeny bit depressing. No frills. Themed with baseball (Yankees and Mets) and community (fire dept., little league plaques, etc.) items. There were quite a lot of people in here at lunchtime. Feels kind of like a bar, which there is one, but even in the dining room.

Good food. The décor could use revamping, but that’s really all. Used to be «Frankie and Johnny’s» until a place in the city with the same name threatened to sue.