Enoteca Maria - Italian restaurant in Staten Island - 27 Hyatt St, USA

We went there for lunch and were the only visitors at that time. The service was very nice and the food was amazing. We had the lasagna and a greek salad with apples and pears. Portion size is really big as well. If you ever visit Staten Island, make sure to visit Enoteca Maria. It's also conveniently located, only a couple of minutes from the ferry.

Went to Staten Island to accompany my mother to try out a Michelin-recommended restaurant near the pier. The chef is a very funny and nice Italian granny who greets every table warmly as if we're family. All her dishes are of the traditional family style. Tried the lasagna, meatballs, and braised duck. The red sauce meatballs have a classic taste, and the meat is soft as it should be and well seasoned. The Lasagna is baked dry enough and topped with a rich chunky tomato sauce. The most outstanding one is the braised duck, which is stewed with potatoes, carrots, onions and spices. The duck is braised to perfection and is richly flavoured but not too salty. The most delicious part is the head, neck and back (from an Asian palate perspective). The atmosphere is comfortable and there are many classic super hero action figures as decorations. The service is friendly and attentive. The wine list is okay but they store their wines in quality wine fridges. What’s special about this restaurant is that they invite a granny or nonna from a different country to be their guest chef every night to cook their own local dishes. This time, the nonna is from Armenia. We tried a grape leaf wrapped dolma with seasoned rice which has the Mediterranean homey flavour and was delicious. I heard that they have nonnas from China, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Greece, Poland, France, Algeria, Turkey, Columbia, etc as guest chefs. Dinner time is 5:30 or 7:30, reservations are recommended and the restaurant only accepts cash or Venmo.

Wow. This was easily one of my favorite meals… ever. The concept in itself is such a unique and cool concept. We were fortunate enough to be there when Nonna Sahar from Egypt was sharing her delicacies with us. I’ve never had a calamari soup, but it was amazing and would highly recommend. The branzino was cooked perfectly. The lasagna was very saucy (a miss with many other lasagnas) and had a nice tangy-ness to it. Start to finish, no letdowns. Take the free ferry!

I love this restaurant - the personal warm concept (sure, corporate glossy restaurants in the city are beautiful and hire skillful chefs but their brand is impersonal), the execution and the lovely grandmas, one of whom came out to warmly greet us. We sampled dishes from each grandma that is currently on the menu (Algerian, Japanese and Italian), my favorite was Japanese grandma’s Shojin Ryori (a set of dishes that Buddhist Monks eat) And the wine we had was excellent! It’s a unique concept and will cheer you up after a long journey to Staten Island.

The restaurant has the information wrong on Google. Call before going to the restaurant. We arrived at 4:40 pm and the kitchen was closed. We have to wait until 5:15 pm they opened it again. We ate Italian food today. María is a lovely lady who is 89 years old with an amazing actitud. She is an amazing woman. She remains me, my husband's Nonna. The food is good, nothing outstanding. Homemade food. You feel you are eating on your grandma's home on sunday !! The guy behind the bar is not very friendly. We asked him for two glasses of prosseco, and he never offered us a bottle of $ 39. Instead, we paid for 4 glasses $52. But besides that, he was grumpy. Good experience, but we won't return it. The check was $ 145.00 to much money for someone who cooked italian food as a Nonna. Only cash or Venmo payment. 75 % recommended it.

Great concept and the food was delicious. Everyone was very friendly and the atmosphere felt very homely. This place is like a third place for our family, a place to try out the different cultural foods. I would come often to try out the other dishes on the menu as the entree portions are filling. Double check with the portions as grandmas love to stuff you as much food as they can ;) Most of the menu is prepared by Nonna Maria and each day would have a guest grandma preparing a few dishes. As you're seated surrounded by a motley crew of figurines and action figures, you would start off with their freshly baked focaccia before your entrees come out. They have a wide selection of wines and alcoholic beverages to choose from so you would never be tired of drinking the same thing. At the end of the dinner, try out their different desserts and a cup of joe from Joe. Joe, Paula and Safa are the best and will take care of you through your meal. I highly recommend giving Enoteca Maria a try!

Everything here was so good and everyone was so nice! It’s a relatively small space so best to make reservations beforehand. The miso salmon was the best I ever had and the meatballs and sausage were so soft and flavorful. Would definitely come back again!!

One of the best restaurant experiences I've ever had. Great food, cozy atmosphere and people. The restaurant is decorated with super heros and movie memorabilia. The guest Nonna concept is great and ours made 3 fantastic dishes and got a standing ovation when she left. Portions were huge and prices very fair. A very fun night on every level.