A casual Italian pasta shop located in New York City's Penn District, offering a quality dinner destination near Penn Station.
Insights
ItalianPizzaSeafoodBakeryVegan-friendlyModerateLunchDinnerCasualCocktail Bar
Last updated: 7/8/2026, 4:29:11 AM
Key Information
Bar Primi Penn District is a casual Italian pasta shop located in the Penn District of New York City. It is known for its fresh pasta and lively, cool ambiance, making it a popular spot for both casual dining and events. The restaurant offers a cozy and festive atmosphere, suitable for various occasions.
Customers consistently praise Bar Primi Penn District for its delicious Italian food, highlighting dishes like hot knots, ricotta agnolotti, vesuvio scampi, and sea bass. The service is frequently described as excellent, attentive, and accommodating, with specific staff members often receiving shout-outs. The restaurant's vibe and decor are also highly rated, creating an enjoyable dining experience. Some feedback notes that appetizer portions can be small for the price, and occasionally main dishes might be too salty. There was also a comment about feeling pressured to order more, which negatively impacted one customer's experience.
Additional Details
Bar Primi Penn District offers dine-in, delivery, and takeaway services. The restrooms are unisex. The establishment is also noted for its ability to host events, with staff being highly helpful and organized for outside vendors.
The restaurant is open for both lunch and dinner, with extended hours on weekends. It's a great spot for a casual lunch, a lively dinner with friends, or a special occasion like Christmas Eve. The patio is a popular choice during pleasant weather.
5
This is a two part review because both experiences were PHENOMENAL.
I was hired to do decor for an event at Bar Primi and from the moment I walked in, the manger Kyle and his entire team were beyond helpful and made me feel welcomed. They went above and beyond in making sure the unloading process was seamless and quick. All the event staff were very helpful as well and offered a helping hand many times to make sure all the details were perfect! If you are thinking of hosting an event here-I would highly recommend it!! You can tell a lot about a place by they way they treat outside vendors and it was so refreshing to be treated with such kindness and easy to work with as they are super organized and have great communication.
The other part of this review is for the food! My husband and I decided to stay for dinner while the event was going on and everything we ate was delicious. The vibe of the restaurant is also extremely cool and well done. We had hot knots and the best Caesar salad I’ve had in along time as appetizer. The ricotta agnolotti and vesuvio scampi were very well done as well. For dessert we got tiramisu which was also yummy. 10/10 overall experience and will definitely be going back!
“Bar Primi Penn District” in NYC, is absolutely delightful! Highly recommend! A great place to chill with friends. My friend booked the table. The only way to let the restaurant know you’re running late is by email. Thankfully, they were very accommodating. We weren’t waiting too long when we arrived and sat indoors. Thankyou Merina for taking care of us. Both of us had the Sea Bass alla Grigila and broccolini with too much garlic to share. Desserts: cherry luxardo sorbetto (gluten free) and tiramisu - each large portions! Restrooms are unisex. Nice touch with the candle. Negroni adrift and Montoni Nero d’Avola was excellent!
Nice vibe, but disappointing experience overall
I was really looking forward to trying Bar Primi at Penn District — the space looks great, nice decor and a lively atmosphere. The appetizers were actually pretty good, with nice flavors, but the portions were quite small for the price.
Unfortunately, the main dishes were a letdown. Mine was way too salty, almost inedible, though the pizza was okay. Drinks were just so-so — nothing special.
What made the experience worse was the service. The staff kept pushing us to order more, which felt uncomfortable. We ordered plenty of appetizers, but they insisted everyone needed to order a main dish too. Once we ordered less than they suggested, they seemed to take less care of our table.
Overall, I liked the vibe and decor, but the food quality and service really need improvement. With so many great spots nearby, I expected more from Bar Primi.
Portions are too small for the price. Flavorful but insufficient portions. Some of the presentations are confusing like the Fried tomatoe rice wasnt rice at all but a very mini rice ball (qty of 2), barely bite size for $16 served in a cup of uncooked rice used as garnish?? The steak is too small for the 59 price tag. The pizza could be bigger for the $30+ price tag. The decor and customer service are what's truly enjoyable here. A larger selection of soft drinks woulr be nice as well as a mote diverse entree menu. Meatballs are very good and more in line with expected appetizer size. Been a few times and I feel Im out of options on trying something new here. Staff is super attentive and courteous.
Good food and great service. The portions were a lot lager than I expected them to be. The interior is beautiful and it’s a great spot to have an event lunch/dinner. Just know that they closed the kitchen at ~3:00 PM on a Thursday afternoon. I assume they opened it back up for dinner service though.
