Adventurous Italian with a killer wine list, offering unique dishes like offal and a praised 'fire and ice' starter.
Amber Sutherland-Namako reviews Foul Witch, an East Village Italian restaurant with connections to Roberta's, noting its rustic charm but small portions for the price.
Foul Witch, an East Village Italian spot from the Roberta's team, offers a cozy ambiance with a contemporary take on Italian cuisine. Diners can expect creative dishes, with highlights like 'Fire and Ice' featuring 'nduja and stracciatella, and standout pastas such as veal agnolotti. While many appreciate the adventurous menu and excellent natural wine selection, some find the portions small and the pricing high.
Foul Witch offers an Italian-influenced menu with adventurous and unique dishes, including offal and a notable 'fire and ice' appetizer. While praised for its creative execution and quality ingredients by some, others found the food to be underwhelming, overpriced, and served in very small portions. The pasta dishes, such as veal tortellini and spaccatelli, received mixed reviews, with some finding them delicious but small, and others deeming them bland. The wine list, however, is frequently highlighted as a strong point.
"Standout dishes include the 'Fire and Ice' appetizer (a combination of 'nduja and stracciatella), veal tortellini, spaccatelli with aged squab, and the 'pici al peposo'. The pancakes are also noted as a surprisingly good option."
Customer reviews for Foul Witch are highly polarized. Many praise its adventurous Italian cuisine, excellent natural wine list, and unique dishes like offal and an off-menu 'fire and ice' dish. However, a significant portion of customers found the food overpriced, bland, and the portions minuscule, leading to disappointment.
Important Note
Portion sizes for some dishes, particularly pastas, are noted as being small relative to the price. Customer opinions are heavily divided, with some finding the food exceptional and others greatly disappointed.
"This commenter also recommended Foul Witch for their pancakes, suggesting they are currently a sneaky good option."
Positive"This user recommends Foul Witch as a great Italian option in the city, disagreeing with some other suggestions."
Positive"This user noted that Foul Witch provides delicious free bread and butter, even for those just having a drink at the bar."
Positive"This user stated that the bread and butter at Foul Witch is excellent."
Positive"The user agreed that Foul Witch is solid but questioned if it truly fits the "past its hype" criteria."
Neutral"The user included Foul Witch in a list of recommended restaurants."
Positive"The user notes Foul Witch is different from Lord's, describing it as younger, kitchier, and probably more fun. They suggest choosing based on menu preference."
Positive"This user strongly defends Foul Witch's service as some of the kindest and most attentive in NYC, though acknowledges food tastes differ, finding the food good as well."
Positive"This user had a positive experience regarding service at Foul Witch, contrary to a previous negative comment."
Positive"Despite getting special treatment, this user found Foul Witch's food to be very good but noted the server was quite meh."
Neutral"This user found Foul Witch to be just okay, with nothing particularly impressive about the food, but praised the service as lovely."
Neutral"This user described Foul Witch as one of their biggest disappointments, citing an uninspired menu, minuscule portions, and disinterested service."
Negative"This user agreed with the previous comment, stating they loved Foul Witch."
Positive"This user asserts that Foul Witch never deserved to be on the list, suggesting its best offering is comparable to a dish found at another restaurant."
Negative"This user is glad Foul Witch left the list because it ensures easier reservations; they praise its extremely good, unfussy cooking and high-quality ingredients, disagreeing it's overpriced."
Positive"This user had a positive experience at Foul Witch despite low expectations, finding it to be a great time."
Positive"This user agreed with a negative assessment of Foul Witch, stating it was not good a few months prior."
Negative"This user considered their meal at Foul Witch to be the most unremarkable they had in 2024."
Negative"This user disliked Foul Witch, finding it overpriced and serving genuinely untasty food."
Negative"Foul Witch was among the restaurants noticed to have fallen off the NY Times list this year."
Neutral
