A Gem In The Village by Jacopo Foti

Finally real Italian food in the city!

I am italian and I was tired of seeing french people opening italian restaurants...

You need to have a background of grandma cooked meals to know how a great italian meal taste like.

Awesome appetizers and pastas you will find at Mappamondo.

You won't be disappointed.

Staff is extremely attentive.

Buon appetito.

All Roads Lead To MappaMondo by Vinnie

I'm not a review-junkie, just a 40-something lawyer who likes to eat out, but I was very impressed by Mappamondo.

My wife, 4-year-old son and I went with a large group (15 or so), and there were no service complaints. The owner was present and attentive, and his wife was there, also trying to make sure everyone was happy (crayons for the kids, etc. -- the place did not seem to be a kid-magnet, but it was kid-friendly).

The food was delicious.

The spinach flan was especially exceptional and had the whole table talking, and I had to let a few people try mine (grudgingly, because I wanted all of it). The tiramisu was also delicious.

The prices were low enough that I was expecting not to like the place much, but I was pleasantly surprised that the food and service were much better than you'd expect at those prices. I suspect that once the word gets out (the place fairly recently opened), it will be hard to get a table, or the prices will go up, or both. A great find!

What A NYC-Restaurant Should Be!!! by fishsticks64, Atlanta

As a native-NY'er who moved several years ago to the land of chain restaurants and Southern fried EVERYTHING - Atlanta, Georgia, I relish my frequent visits to my beloved Manhattan for, among other things, unique and delicious restaurant fare.

Mappamondo, in Abingdon Square in the West Village satisfied on so many counts. I was beyond impressed by the food, the ambience, the service, the presence of an attentive owner/manager and the space.

For many years, I lived in the Gramercy Park area but used to eat out frequently in Greenwich Village where there were so many eclectic small restaurants with lots of "New York personality," charm and wonderful food. I had heard that one of my favorite places from the past, Mappamondo, which had closed in the late 90's, had re-opened with the same name and in the same space, and I thought I'd gather a group of friends and their children for an early dinner when my children and I were recently up for a visit. I contacted the restaurant to see if they could accommodate a party of 20 (they seemed to have seating for about 40 or so), and they replied in the affirmative.

We arrived around 5:30 and were immediately seated at a pre-configured and set long table arranged vertically down the length of the restaurant. One of the owners, Gianni Romagnolo, was on hand and could not have been more informative, welcoming or attentive (without being overwhelming.) We were 11 adults and 9 children (ranging in age from 3 - 10), and dealing with that many children (and a party of that size, in general) is not easy. When my 6 year old asked for a glass of chocolate milk, although they did not have chocolate syrup on hand, Gianni sent one of his staff out to a local grocery store to procure it. It was early and there were not a lot of other people in the restaurant, but, in my mind, that is the definition of "service."

Service was wonderful in general, but to me, Mappamondo was about the food, all of which was so fresh, so delicious and so wonderfully presented - at such a reasonable cost (especially considering traditional NYC prices).

The menu is diverse and they worked with us for half portions and very simple dishes for the children. My daughters ordered plain pasta with tomato sauce, and one of my daughters had sausage in hers. They both finished their handsome-sized meals (and trust me, that's a huge testimony right there.) One of the other four year olds present is a French Fries fan so a portion was ordered for her. She didn't get to eat too many though because as soon as the scrumptious offering was placed on the table, all the adults around her "dug" into those amazing potatoes!

I had a nice glass of the house chianti (missed the name of it in the turmoil with the large group) but it was a generous pour and quite tasty. I followed it with a spinach flan appetizer that was out of this world. I had never had anything like it and was enthralled by lots of the items on the menu so I asked the waitstaff for a recommendation, and they hit the mark with their suggestion. Mascarpone cheese, spinach, fontina - OK - not the least caloric offering on the menu - but my goodness, it was heaven on a plate. One of my friends had the portobello mushroom/polenta appetizer and it was also outstanding.

I had the salmon for my main course and asked for it rare which is exactly how it was served, with a side of roasted potatoes, a lovely rosemary sprig for garnish and aroma and some beautiful red chopped fresh tomato. No one at the table was disappointed with his/her choice and there were a lot of forks flying and dipping to try the different dishes. Many of my friends said they'd be back - very very soon.

We split an array of the delectable desserts among the table, and most of the children had the chocolate gelato. I thought I might have heard some purring and even saw some belly-rubbing as we were settling up on the bill.

The restaurant is well-located and easy to get to by mass transit; we'd been to a Times Square matinee earlier and just took the subway down to 14th Street (and just walked the couple of blocks down to Mappamondo). Usually, these small restaurants feel cramped and have bathrooms smaller than airplane restrooms but clearly, attention to detail was taken when building out Mappamondo. It is truly warm and inviting, decorated in rich wood and warm jewel tones, hosting an interesting collection of globes against a large mapped mural and the restroom is beautifully tiled and outfitted, immaculate and spacious, by Manhattan standards.

I really cannot recommend this place more highly, but in a way, I selfishly hope it stays a bit of a secret as this could easily become one of those places that's difficult to get a table, and I always want to be able to eat at Mappamondo when I'm in town.

Eccezionale!!!

What A Meal! So Good! by Food Lovee

We were walking in the neighborhood and found this amazing Italian restaurant. What a bargain, superb:)

Heavenly Date Night by Anonymous

We spontaneously stopped here for a Friday night dinner & loved it. The service made us feel right at home. We had the special which was tuna with chanterelles and delicious. Loved the sausage & lentil app. Perfect coZy place & we'll be back.

Best Pasta In The Village by Tony

My favourite restaurant and one of the best in the city. The food is great delicious and service very attentive and fast. Great place for friends families couples. The papardele are awesome!

Welcome Back by westvillagerose

This is the third time this restaurant has opened in this same area -- it was across the street years ago and in this same location about 5 years ago. Each time the landlord kicked them out, i mourned. What great food! and they are so sweet. Don't miss the Bianchi and Neri pasta (made with squid!). I am so happy to see it back. We eat there once a week. Terrific food, friendly neighborhood service. Finally a neighborhood restaurant fighting back against landlords who close down the local joint.

Good New Addition To The Nabe by augusta wind

I've eaten here twice since it opened. Both times the pasta was good, and the service was attentive. The bill was reasonable. My friend and I both had salads, pastas dishes and a total of three glasses of wine. Bill before tip was $75.

Mappaawesome by Fat Bitch

I have eaten at Mappamundo twice, and let me tell you, it's not only mappamundo, but mappaawesome. I have gotten the tortellini with mushrooms and peas both times, and both times, it was great. I wish I had some tortellini with mushrooms and peas right now.

Amazing Inexpensive Pastas by Anonymous

Extremely fresh, homemade, and delicious pastas. I had the pappardelle with mushrooms and it was outstanding and incredibly fresh. I felt as if the old Italian grandma was in the kitchen cooking. As for the setting, I thought that the atmosphere was extremely conducive to conversation yet the restaurant could definitely host large groups. There was a group of 12 or so on our visit and my wife and I felt we could still have a quiet romantic dinner. Will definitely be back soon and I cant wait to try the other pastas and courses on the menu. A real neighborhood keeper, hope it's around for a long time.

Cozy Place with Great Food by Anonymous

The food at Mappamondo is simply amazing. The pastas are delicious and freshly made. Everything tastes so fresh and original. They definitely distinguish themselves from the other italian restaurants, namely because of great value of the place and the genuine food. I love it and I will be back many more times. It is a perfect place for a long talk.

Very Nice Place And Very Good Food by Anonymous

I really like Mappamondo, the place is nice and very cozy and the staff is super friendly and very professional. The food is very good, I had tortellini with peas and mushrooms and they were fantastic. Will be back again and again...

“FINALMENTE” by Arbitro Milan

Italian traveling to New York on businees trip I discovered this authentic Italian restaurant which satisfied me 100% From the apetizer to the dessert passing thoru the main course you can't go wrong. The list of wines make it a truly Italian experience. My favourite: Risotto con Osso Buco. A must. To make the lunch or dinner unforgettable, John the owner swinging throu the tables with his charme and... the check. Quality/Price ratio A ++

“Great Italian!” by Tripadvisor member

Great little cosy Italian restaurant. We arrived with no reservation on a Saturday night and were given a nice booth table. Staff were super friendly and we had some excellent pasta. Saw some people order some meat dishes that smelt Devine! It's not your typical trendy meatpacking restaurant - a great meal for 2 with wine and starter and desert at a little over 50 bucks ... A rare gem.

“Great Food in a Perfect Atmosphere” by Michaeldel

I went here with low expectations: this is not a place that gets written up in the Times or New York Magazine. Coming in from a really cold New York night Mappamondo presented an extraordinarily warm and cozy atmosphere. Mappamondo is your perfect, warm, welcoming, atmospheric Italian restaurant. The food value here is also a revelation: I had a beautiful rack of lamb with mashed potatoes and sauteed broccoli for $18. The service is warm and friendly and the wine list has the same quality and value as the food they serve. This place is a gem

“GREAT!!!!!” by Papoepiva

mappamondo genuine and healthy italian cuisine, great quality (as passionate food lover, the owner gianni selects raw materials personally), nice and relaxed atmosphere, very reasonable prices and fantastic west village location: abingdon square at bleecker and 8th avenue welcome back!

“Welcome Back!” by CAinNYC

I used to go to Mappamondo in the same location in the early 90s and now they are back. Pretty good Italian food. Good wine, great service and well-priced.

“Deja vu” by TriBillCa

I was glad to discover that Mappamondo has returned to Abingdon Square, especially since over the past ten years it has gotten harder and harder to find a casual, cozy neighborhood place in the West Village without the expense, attitude and tedious pretension--and all this just steps away from the Marc Jacobs Mall of Bleecker St. Good food, good wine, good service.