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Esca

402 W 43rd St., New York City, NY 10036 (Manhattan)
(212) 564-7272
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Ranked #2,541 of 8,929 restaurants in New York City
Price range: $35 - $80
Cuisines: Italian, Seafood
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Restaurant details
Good for: Outdoor seating
Dining options: Lunch, Dinner, Reservations, Late Night
Dining style: Casual Elegant
Neighborhood: Manhattan
Cross street: 9th Avenue
Transit: Subway to 42nd Street - Times Square
Description: Esca is a Southern Italian Seafood Restaurant created by Mario Batali, Joseph Bastianich & David Pasternack. Esca showcases the style & sensibility of Italian coastal cooking. Dave went to Italy & saw firsthand what they were talking about. After years of cooking French food, Dave had finally found the food he had always wanted to cook. The best fish available, prepared in a simple & delicious way. In Italy that means the local catch, but in New York that means the best fish of the Pacific, Mediterranean & our own backyard. At Esca you can eat the most sought after Pacific Ocean delicacies along side Fluke that Dave caught on his day off. The menu changes daily & is driven by the fish markets of the world & the farms of Dave’s friends. Esca is the place where you can have stunning raw fish, an incredible bowl of pasta & then a Mediterranean Branzino cooked in sea salt. Esca is the best of Italian coastal cooking with access to the world’s greatest fish.
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245 reviews from our community

59% Recommend
    77
    69
    39
    32
    28
Rating summary
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere
Date Rating
California, South Bay
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
6 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 15, 2013 NEW

Refined,, great food,,, sophisticated without snobby... most gracious, three of us sat at a bar for lunch,, full meal,, and appetizers,,, memorable. short walk to our hotel.

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Vila Velha, ES
Contributor
14 reviews 14 reviews
13 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 15, 2013 NEW

Great Wine selection. Chef Dave Pasternack is great And the lobster its was fantastic! Great location And fine Classic forniture.

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San Francisco
Top Contributor
93 reviews 93 reviews
66 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 23 cities Reviews in 23 cities
37 helpful votes 37 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed June 13, 2013 NEW

4 of us had dinner here recently and all of us enjoyed our dishes. Service was very good and the pace of the meal well timed. I had the scallops which were excellent - sweet with a good crisp crust but still moist. Friends shared the fish baked in salt which was quite good although for one person was a... More

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See 2 more reviews by Oaklandish3 for New York City
Melbourne, Australia
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
3 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 10, 2013

I met a lovely couple who lived in the neighbourhood and they suggested that I visit their favorite local restaurant. For a truelly New York experience it was suggested that I sit at the bar and Victor the barman would look after me. Firstly I would have to say that the "Aussie" accent is gold in the USA but despite... More

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See 3 more reviews by Stephen M for New York City
Saint Louis, Missouri
1 review
1 of 5 stars Reviewed June 8, 2013

Over priced and overrated. Poor service and very mediocre food. Would not go back on a bet. They did not take all the orders at one time. Food undercooked. Very uncomfortable. Ran out of shrimp! How do you run out of shrimp in NY?

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california
Senior Contributor
22 reviews 22 reviews
8 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 6, 2013

Wonderful dining experience...this is what a restaurant should be. Service was excellent, food was memorable.

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See 7 more reviews by playridebikehike for New York City
New York
Top Contributor
51 reviews 51 reviews
44 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
20 helpful votes 20 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 31, 2013

A lot of other top notch restaurants either do not offer lunch, or have very limited lunch menus. Not Esca. The lunch menu here is a little bit smaller than the dinner menu but the items are substantially the same. Food is good. Service is efficient. Crudo is a must try. The seared monkfish liver was lovely. The pasta with... More

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See 23 more reviews by newyork123321 for New York City
New York City, New York
Top Contributor
84 reviews 84 reviews
74 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 21 cities Reviews in 21 cities
27 helpful votes 27 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 26, 2013

My friend from out of town and I walked into tonight without a reservation at 6:15 and the gracious hostess found a table for us. We both had the appetizer of soft shelled crab which was good but not outstanding. Each $20. portion had a medium size crab which was grilled with a tiny portion of seemingly cooked salad greens... More

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See 50 more reviews by jbgshrink for New York City
Chicago, Illinois
Top Contributor
138 reviews 138 reviews
63 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 20 cities Reviews in 20 cities
32 helpful votes 32 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 26, 2013

Lovely restaurant, excellent service, but the food was NOT special with the exception of the monkfish liver which was outstanding. Everything else was good, but definitely did not warrant the prices charged. I've eaten at other Batali restaurants and for the most part have felt that the prices were in-line with the quality of the food. I did not feel... More

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See 17 more reviews by metaligenics for New York City
Clearwater, FL
Senior Contributor
37 reviews 37 reviews
25 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 13 cities Reviews in 13 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 19, 2013

Looked forward to Esca from afar for many years and with perfect professionalism and a presentation and experience that was stellar, the meal itself was just a bit of a miss.....The Crudo, or Mediterranean Sashimi, was delicious but with three pieces the size of a triscuit for $19 I was in need.....the Oysters, especially from Maine, we succulent, delicious, and... More

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See 5 more reviews by F J for New York City

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