Old-school Italian-American joint w/ family-style portions. Some say it's the best, others cite salty dishes & poor presentation.
Don Peppe is a classic, old-school Italian-American restaurant in Queens that aims to provide a family-style dining experience with generous portions. While some patrons praise its traditional ambiance and specific dishes like white clam sauce and baked clams, others find the food to be overly salty, poorly presented, and overpriced.
Don Peppe is known for its Italian-American, red sauce cuisine, often served family-style with large portions. Highly recommended dishes include the white clam sauce, linguine with clam sauce, baked clams, and chicken scarparella. However, a significant portion of feedback criticizes the food for being excessively salty, lacking flavor, and having poor presentation, with shrimp cocktail and chicken parmigiana being specifically called out as disappointing.
"Customers frequently recommend the linguine with clam sauce, white clam sauce, baked clams, fried peppers, and chicken scarparella. The veal dishes and stuffed mushrooms also receive positive mentions."
Customer feedback is sharply divided, with some hailing it as a classic favorite and others deeply disappointed by salty food, poor presentation, and even hostile service.
Important Note
This establishment is cash only. Some reviews indicate service can be unfriendly or hostile. Additionally, there's a significant divergence in opinion regarding food quality and presentation.
"In response to a recommendation for Don Peppe, this commenter found the clam pasta to be just okay."
Negative"The commenter claims Don Peppe has the best clam pasta they have ever had."
Positive"For Don Peppe, it is important to note that it is cash only and serves classic red sauce family-style meals."
Neutral"Don Peppe is recommended, and it's clarified that a group is not required to dine there."
Positive"Don Peppe is suggested as a Queens experience, and it's noted that a group is not necessary to enjoy it."
Neutral"The commenter compared the restaurant's interior to the event room or basement of a church."
Negative"In response to a defense of Don Peppe, this commenter reiterated their negative experience, emphasizing the salty, flavorless, and unimpressive nature of the dishes, including the portions, despite understanding the comfort food style."
Negative"This user humorously questioned the expectations of the original poster."
Neutral"This commenter reacted to the post with a neutral emoji."
Neutral"The commenter remarked that the lettuce needed 'prozac', implying it looked wilted or sad."
Negative"The commenter initially thought the post was about a Portuguese restaurant in Newark, only realizing it was Don Peppe after seeing the dining room picture."
Neutral"This comment simply states 'First world problems'."
Neutral"This user stated that Don Peppe 'sucked' in the 70s and apparently still does."
Negative"This commenter defended Don Peppe, suggesting that many critics are transplants who don't understand the appeal of classic, unpretentious Italian-American food catering to locals, and that the restaurant is for actual New Yorkers, not newcomers."
Positive"The commenter recalled Don Peppe being great in 2001 but hadn't been back since."
Negative"This user, a 'lifer', had never heard of Don Peppe and suggested a better pizza spot nearby."
Neutral"This commenter asked if the original poster had complained during their visit."
Neutral"This user finds the hostile waiters to be part of the Don Peppe experience and specifically enjoys the stuffed mushrooms and sorbet desserts."
Positive"This user stated they ate at Don Peppe last year by obligation and only enjoyed the wine."
Negative"The commenter described the food as looking like frozen items microwaved, with wilted lettuce."
Negative
