Sauce

I went here on a whim. Found it online just looking for something different.
I made a reservation and when I got was greeted with a smile and warmth… just like the food!
We had the homemade pasta of the day. THEIR SAUCE IS AMAZING! (ok…insert joke here) but really! IT was. The garlic bread… the dessert (pannacota!) the poured the warm chocolate on it at your table. SERVICE was fantastic. I have seen a variety of reviews here but I truly stick by my 5 stars! ***** GO! NOW! YUMMMMM!!!

You’ll definitely leave this place full, but otherwise it’s very mediocre Italian fare. Pretty popular for date night — I came here with a date, and literally every other table in our section consisted of couples out for dinner. Swing by for the unique décor, but make sure to call in first for a reservation — it gets crowded!

The atmosphere is nice and warm and the food was ok. I had a very classic dish, spaghetti bolognese, maybe that was the reason I was not impressed. But I’ll give this place another chance and try few more things (maybe some specials) since I heard good things about it.

I think I’m over my initial excitement of Sauce. A couple years ago we’d dropped by on a whim and loved our food, but now, not so much. I’m sorry to say the food has declined each time.
Last time my date and I went, our wine tasted like CH2O (formaldehyde). Items we’ve had over our many visits: the gnocchi in Dad’s marinara, the brown butter sage pasta, Grandmother’s gravy with meatballs, the bolognese w/​spaghetti. They’re all… just, well, fine. Nothing mind-​blowing or spectacular. It also doesn’t help the dining experience if you’re practically seated shoulder to shoulder with the patrons at the adjacent tables.
And, as others have pointed out, the music is LOUD and terrible. The music selection at Port Authority Bus Terminal is better.

Came here for a friends birthday. The décor feels kind of homie like with utensils as hanging everywhere. The food was good, but small portions. I got the raviolis but where extremely salty.
The only thing is that my friend brought a cake and we were charge $ 20 for eating it on premise… Which we didn’t know about, first time I hear about something like that. Most places are totally ok with bringing cake and stuff. $ 20 was a bit to much of a charge…

Great food. Pathetic wine list, 3 red wine options yet one was no longer available. Service beyond the specific waitress was OK… lil Frankie’s by far better.

Typical East Coast Italian– American cuisine. As the name suggests, their delicious secret recipe homemade tomato-​sauce, slowly cooked in huge cauldrons boiling in the middle of the kitchen, is an absolute must on many dishes. Friendly, casual ambience, nice wood decors. 35 – 40 Usd with a glass of Italian wine.

We just happened to stumble upon this place one night after going out. We got lucky no wait for a pretty large group, but it seems like it’s something that could be easily accommodated with the large tables they have. Loved the vibe, ambiance, and playlist on the speakers. Get the bolognese!!! So good but does have a lot of cheese — which I liked but my friend didn’t.
I don’t remember all the dishes my other friends got but everyone enjoyed their food. I’ll be going back!

Rating: Outperform
Price Target: $ 30
Venture capitalist should be fighting for investments into Frank and his Italian restaurants, Frank (FRNK), Lil’ Frankies (DJ), and Sauce (SAWZ). After attending brunch with 12 people, we were baffled to see how few people were in the restaurant, seemingly pulling in weak revenues during a prime Saturday afternoon brunch time. With the brand name value, we feel SAWZ should have a high market/​book value. We are bullish on SAWZ because of very low price/​quality ratio due to high food quality value. Bloody Mary’s were made from fresh tomatoes and did not layer spices to attempt to cover up any inventory write downs. SAWZ is a solid ROI, would recommend for an Italian craving. Assuming chicken parm sandwich and 3 for 1 Bloody Marys, PT at $ 30. Initiate Outperform.

Coming from a life nourished by my Grandma’s homemade sauce, to say I’m picky about Italian food is an understatement. I usually shy away from Italian cuisine beyond the family dinner table, but I must say after 3 visits to Sauce, I’m willing to reconsider — or for now Sauce can be the exception.
Reasonably priced, dimly lit, with a staff that isn’t pushy or salesy, Sauce is a great LES spot enjoy a low-​key dining experience with simple but delicious dishes. The menu offers a wide range of options, safe for both meat lovers and vegetarians, with portions generous enough to share.
Insider scoop: the burrata is delivered fresh every Thursday from Italy. Get it. Every.Single.Time.

Took my son and my love to Sauce today. I had been there before, but this was their first visit.
First, this is such a cozy, lovely, unpretentious place. Second the food is amazing. My son had the chicken Parmesan sandwich and we both had the meatball sandwiches, all off the brunch menu. Another perk was the 3 drinks for $ 10 (what?!?) that you get with brunch. A great place!

Great little dinner spot in the neighborhood for quick dinner or whenever you can’t decide what to eat. We came here on a week day night and go seated right away. Our waiter was very sweet and knowledgable and gave us great advice on what to order. We had the burrata and fried zucchini, they give you a GREAT amount of burrata. I’ve notice that they put a good amount of sea salt on almost all appetizers and can be too salty for some people. Make sure you let them know to go light on the salt if you’re not into too much salt. Although I think they can do a little better for the garlic bread, which is only half a slice of bread for each order.
We had the steak for two, funghi spaghetti, and rigatoni with grandmas gravy. The entrées are good proportions.

Way too loud. Mediocre service. Unimpressive pasta (and sauce).
The décor is nice — cute and rustic, but totally offset by how loud this place is. Maybe it’s trying too hard to be an LES bar and not doing enough at being a restaurant. The pasta is fresh, but not very impressive beyond that — pasta itself doesn’t taste outstanding and the sauce ratio was off (some dishes had too much, others had not enough). There’s so much good Italian in the city that Sauce just did not cut it for me.

Recently after a night out downtown we were hankering for a late dinner and while walking by Sauce decided to give it a try. Who doesn’t like a good sauce? This place have a big list of them and is the basis for their existence.
Walking in even as late as it was the place was packed. They did squeeze us into a small table for two right away so that was no problem.
The major problem of this place is the noice level. Holy cow I thought I was deaf when I left here! Horrible acoustics with loud music and everyone trying to talk over it. Hey, I love loud music and rock concerts but not when eating dinner.
Terrific décor though. Very cool comfy kind of look from what I saw. Decent service. Very cozy spot with dim lighting and candles. Pricing was ok for what it was.
We went with the Buratta appetizer, and the Polenta with meat sauce on a «board for two» was delish! Cool plating.
It is a unique spot with great décor. Weekends are obviously the most crowded as we found. Not a good spot for an intimate date though. You’ll go deaf trying to hear each other speak. Try a weekday for that.

Charming neighborhood gem on the LES. I met a friend here for a casual bite after work on a Monday and it was quite busy which is always a good sign on such a random weeknight. The wine selection by the glass and bottle is nice and fairly extensive for such a small moderately priced restaurant. Bartenders are happy to give you a taste before committing to a selection too.
The corner restaurant has a few dining areas adorned with wood furniture. The doors were also open to the air on a cool fall evening which was refreshing. The bread is served alongside pickled green peppers and chunks of carrots which are salted and dressed with good quality olive oil. I had a glass of the Chianti and my friend enjoyed her Barbera.
We shared a special romaine avocado roasted corn salad which was seasoned with EVOO and coarse salt and super flavorful. I had the zucchini alla limone which is an entrée portion of zucchini served spaghetti style with butter olive oil tons of lemon and Parmesan! Sensational… the salmon entrée with arugula also super fresh and nicely grilled-​a bit on the salty side.
Service is very caring and they aim to please. Had a lovely cappuccino to finish our meal. Just a nice place for clean rustic simply prepared Italian food. Truly a neighborhood favorite without the trendiness you find down the street in soho or the east village. Would love to come back to try the crostinis and the gravy and pasta!

Top quality Italian restaurant. They have a killer polenta that they serve warm in your table and prepare the dish right over there. Bolognesa and parmiggiano grated in front of you. Very nice touch! And I don’t even like polenta! Good call, it changed my mind over polenta.
Then the meat alla pizzaiola was superb. They have great sauces (I guess that’s why the name). The pasta dishes were good too, I really liked the one filled with ricotta because it’s hard to find stuffed pasta and I love it.
It’s not an inexpensive place but it’s worth it.
We’ll definitely come back!

A bit hard to find as the restaurant name is not clearly visible, but definitely worth a trip! They have a spacious outdoor area, indoor bar and seating. Staff is super friendly too!
As soon as you walk in, you’re welcome to the Italian scents, as the name suggests, you will be surrounded by marinara!!! You can see the cooks stir the huge pots of sauce too!
Tried three types of pasta and all were pretty fresh and authentically Italian. Love how they carry grass fed beef meatballs– you can seriously taste the difference in taste (no fillers). Whatever you do, definitely order the asparagus side. It’s topped with cheese and a sunny side up egg– so good!!!
They have a nice selection of wine too! Was a bit disappointed in their desserts as I only had three to choose from, and when I opted for the chocolate cake, I was saddened to find that it tasted somewhat flourless and was overly topped with whipped cream.

Sauce has a lot going for themselves. They very appropriately have called the place by what they do the best. This is some of the best tasting sauce for Italian food that I’ve had in New York.
We started with the Roasted Stuffed Pepper and a few pieces of Bruschetta. Both were very good (while a little pricey) and a great way to start the meal. (I started at the bar while waiting for my friends — I always recommend a Campari and Soda before some Italian fare).
I had the Lasagna alla Bolognese (Grass Fed Beef Bolognese with besciamella). It was absolutely divine. We got a few bottles of wine for the table — a wonderful Primitivo from Puglia — and we were almost too full for dessert. But not quite… Since we couldn’t decide on just one, we went with the Chocolate Cake, Panna Cotta and Tiramisu. All three were exceptional and I wouldn’t recommend one over another.
As many of these reviews state, the noise level here is oddly loud. I can’t think of another place I’ve dined at in NYC that was at this level. With tables being so close together, perhaps they’re packing too many people in. Don’t expect to have a very involved conversation… and if you already have trouble hearing, you’re basically screwed.
The entrees are the only appropriately priced items on the menu. You should be prepared to drop some extra money on anything before or after your main course. Other than that (and the fact that you won’t be able to hear too well) you’ll be in for a great night of dining out in the LES.

Yea um, this visit was off of a recommendation.
We stayed at The Orchard Street Hotel.
Side Notes: Unfortunately we couldn’t Unilocal the place because it’s not on here. But The Orchard Street Hotel is nice, quaint, convenient. They have The Body Shop lotion, soaps, and shampoo. It’s clean. The dude was nice enough to ask what I wanted in my room, and I wanted a good view. We stayed on the 8^th floor which gave us awesome views of the skyline where we saw the Empire State Building and the One World Tower. It was pretty dope. The windows opened for fresh air. Just gawgous! Bed slept comfortably, shower pressure was dope. A couple gripes: no iron, and no floor length mirror that could have been on this empty wall next to the door.
That folks, was my short review for the hotel around the corner from «Sauce»… now onto the review for Sauce…
Our lovely host at the hotel gave us a few options and one of them was Sauce. Yea ummm… perhaps we should have gone with the more expensive option. Although what isn’t expensive in NY… when it comes to a good restaurant?
So I always get the Caesar salad and let’s just say I’d rather get my salad at the Outback compared to this joint. I’m not big on raw spinach. But I can be convinced with a good dressing and accoutrements. Well it had an extremely light dressing and no tomatoes or something to cut out the «bite». So I was kind of disappointed but you best believe I scarfed that $ 8 salad down. Shoo!
The bolognese… huuuu… it needed salt and something else… maybe some other sort of seasoning. It just wasn’t hittin it right. I mean how does a place called ‘Sauce’ not have good… sauce??? Even my dude’s dish was lacking in the flavor department.
Nah! I’m good… I’m not going back… when I go back to NY. Maybe we’ll try the more expensive option next time.

*** Loud Atmosphere, Group Friendly, Decent Italian Food ***
I came here last night with group of girlfriends. Despite arriving only a few minutes after our reservation, we had to wait awhile while to be seated; there is no waiting area so you’re basically standing in the entrance area. It was very packed and loud. The restaurant plays good music (Top 40’s, hip hop, old school music), but it was loud so you had to really raise your voice to talk to people. I ordered the Perfection Carbonara and Bruschetta. Both were okay. I found the carbonara to be too oily. The bruschetta was great but it was spicy (which I’ve never had before). I don’t think I would come back here.