NYCReview

photo credit: Noah Devereaux

The interior of Bamonte's.
8.0

Bamonte's

Italian

Williamsburg

$$$$Perfect For:Big GroupsBirthdaysClassic Establishment
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Bamonte’s is a New York institution, and if you haven't heard of it before, your life must be boring. That's a joke (mostly), but also everybody should know about this Williamsburg Italian restaurant, which has hosted group dinners averaging one wine bottle per person since it opened in 1900. 

The food at Bamonte’s is not spectacular. People who've been coming for decades will say things like, “the food here used to be a lot better.” Maybe it was. But what you eat never really matters. Because by the time a platter of totally okay penne alla vodka lands on your table, Bamonte’s will have already won you over. No New York City restaurant entertains with bow ties and bottles of red quite like this one.

A spread of food at Bamonte's.

photo credit: Noah Devereaux

broccoli rabe with meatballs

photo credit: Noah Devereaux

burrata at bamonte's

photo credit: Willa Moore

A spread of food at Bamonte's.
broccoli rabe with meatballs
burrata at bamonte's

Bamonte’s might be the only restaurant with a parking lot in Williamsburg, and every night that parking lot is full of Escalades with Jersey plates. People descend from their SUVs wearing fur coats and high heels, mingling seamlessly at the bar with folks who moved to Williamsburg in 2013, after finding success in the tech startup world. A tattooed bartender mixes stiff, rubbing alcohol-adjacent martinis, while parties of six and eight wait for their tables. 

Beyond the bar is a cavernous dining room with chandeliers dangling from high ceilings, and thick red curtains covering the windows. The fluorescent kitchen lights shine out onto tuxedoed servers as they pick up orders of pork chop parmesan from an army of cooks. Service is gruff, but humorous—on a recent visit, a server brought one too many wine glasses and exclaimed, “Mamma Mia! One for me!” 

The interior of Bamonte's.

photo credit: Noah Devereaux

Birthdays are celebrated, forks clink before speeches, and napkins are tucked into collars in preparation for red sauce slurping. Ten childhood friends from Windsor Terrace pass around six bottles of wine, and platters of baked clams. One of them takes flash videos of his plate, to share with his large Facebook following. 

Those baked clams are good, because everything tastes good when you submerge it in butter and breadcrumbs. But by the time the food starts arriving, your wine has been filled to the brim for the third time, you’re full of free bread, and the little imperfections of some of the dishes—a slightly watery tomato sauce, or a plate of calamari that would have benefitted from a bit more time in the fryer—are easily ignored. Call for a table, and don’t be surprised if a last-minute reservation request isn’t possible. This place is quietly one of the busiest spots in town.

Food Rundown

Bamonte’s image

Clams Casino

The clams are under thick strips of smoky bacon, and anything under a layer of bacon tastes good. Get an order of these, and the baked clams too.

Fried Calamari

The fried calamari here leans a little pale, and doesn’t feel like it reaches its full crispiness potential. But it’s also fried calamari. So it could never really be a bad idea. Apply your lemon wedge liberally and enjoy.

Bamonte’s image

Ravioli

This is where you’ll find that slightly watery red sauce. But the huge ravioli are loaded with soft cheese, which oozes out when you cut into them, so if you’re into that sort of thing, you’ll likely be able to look past it. If not, go for penne alla vodka.

Bamonte’s image

Pork Chop Parmesan

The pork chop parm is our favorite thing here. When you order it for your table, the kitchen will cut the cheesy mess into the correct number of pieces for your party size, and you will feel extremely well taken care of.

Bamonte’s image

Penne Vodka

We find it difficult to pass up a penne alla vodka, and the one at Bamonte’s is a solid choice. It’s an onion-heavy, chunkier sauce, and it’s a good wine-drinking carbohydrate.

Antipasto

The one thing that has likely changed about Bamonte’s since it opened in 1900 is that they often have some sort of burrata on special. Don’t get it. Opt for the antipasto instead, which arrives with all the usual suspects, draped in anchovies.

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FOOD RUNDOWN

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