Three of Cups

11/01/2008 Posted by shannonsweet

I heard that this place had been in the EV for the last 15 years and decided to try it out. Unfortunately I was really disappointed. The meatballs were cold on top of bland marinara. The pizza came out burned. When the owner came over to look at the pizza, he said it was meant to be that way. He was very rude! We will not be returning.

10/06/2008 Posted by aiwass

the pizza is good but the lamb stew is what's up, i've been coming here for a long time and i've never been disappointed, staff is always chill and food is always fast, i always eat at the bar. nice to have a place that never changes, is always good.

Pros: good spot, reliable

10/06/2008 Posted by frankiecat

Been here with my roommate a couple times for brunch. The french toast is delicious!! I dream about it. Service is fast & good, always the same waitress who is funny & always remembers us. Good special, came with a mimosa which was delish. Definitely our fave brunch spot in the village. Polenta was good too...but that french toast is damn good. I vaguely remember going to the lounge one night but I was trashed. Hot rocker guys yum equally delicious.

Pros: French toast, romantical, location, waitresses...

Cons: Lighting

09/22/2008 Posted by themackdavis

i lived w/an old girlfriend on the top floor of this building (crnr of 5th and 1st ave) almost 20 yrs ago, when the 3ofCups was a take-out chicken shack. moved to brooklyn soon after they built the restaurant, and never had a chance to eat there. recently reconnected w/the ex (thank you 'facebook') and we agreed to meet there to have dinner. a good call. got there at 730, sat at the bar to wait for my friend. owner was at the pizza counter helping a little kid build his own pizza. cute, so i let it slide that the guy was a yankees fan (go red sox!). pizzas looked good, big wood burning oven, but we did seafood thing instead. baked clams and a big bowl of mussels (soak up the sauce w/their bread!) and then we split the skate special. never had it before, but delicious. broiled with capers and lemon butter and spices, like a sole, but with a little more more personality. desserts were AWESOME - save some space. tiramisu and a pistachio ice cream 'snowball' - ice cream lover's fantasy. easily could've split one dessert, and maybe one appetizer as well - big portions - and after, we needed a walk around the neighborhood just to recover from the feast. they have a lounge too, downstairs. waiter said it was cool east-village dive, and i heard girls at the next table saying some famous rock stars were hanging out, but we didn't stay to find out who it was. next time. if i don't eat so much.

Pros: great seafood, comfortable dining room, relaxed

Cons: none come to mind

09/21/2008 Posted by onemanplannyc

been a customer for maybe 10 of 15+ years they've been in business. i don't write reviews because 1) don't believe 'em, and 2) don't read 'em. i'm that selfish old-school NYer who keeps my favorite's a secret. but was surprised recently to hear after pitching 'cups' to good friends from LA that they were 'worried' by a few bad reviews posted here. hmm. life's simple pleasures mean a lot to me, so now i sharpen my pencil. here's what you get at cups: a nicely priced, delicious home cooked italian meal in a warm, funky lower east side setting. salad's fresh and flavorful. great nightly specials w/seasonal ingredients. home cooked pastas, traditional dishes and desserts you wish your grandmother made, but deep down know she didn't (you love her anyway, just like i love mine). and PIZZA. had lombardi's. johns on bleecker. russo napoli on mermaid avenue in coney island. i'll put cup's pies (say, maybe - al giardino, melanzane, or clam) toe to toe against any of 'em. the service? pro's, friendly, but not over-bearing. nice east village balance of keeping you happy w/out all that hovering (if you want someone to cut your food for you, go to le bernadin or masa). the ambience? festive, rustic, warm, cozy. lot's of candles and brick. big banquets. everything from hank williams to elton john to the stooges playing on the stereo. cool vibe throughout, like a cozy dinner party you'd like to have at home if it wasn't for the dishes afterwards, or the fact that you live in a 5th floor studio walk-up. the location? east village. this is particularly important to me, because those of us that were around when cups was one of the ONLY spots in the 'hood LIKE the fact that it hasn't gone the way of so many other euro-techno-gastro rejects. i count maybe 7 or 8 'here-and-gones' on that block alone during my years at the cups. that ALONE should say something... so if you like what i like (and you might not - you wouldn't be the first), eat at 3 of cups. 'nuff said.

Pros: food, service, general cozy east-village vibe

Cons: none come to mind

09/17/2008 Posted by ganeshpuri89

Truly to die for authentic Sicilian cuisine. I've lived in the East Village for years and never tried Three of Cups. Had a second date last week and a friend suggested the Cups. Walked in on a Friday night. It was busy but was greeted warmly by the owner Santo who took my name and said there would be a wait of about 20 minutes for a seat outside. By the time we ordered drinks at the bar the owner was ushering us to our table. Upon seating us I noticed Santo looked at my cap which had "1st Brigade Combat Team" on it. We started off with the baked clams and steamed mussels. For entrees, I went with the center cut pork chop and my date ordered a small artichoke pie. She asked for fresh broccoli rabe as an extra topping. The waiter, a taciturn fellow sporting a pony tail shot her a look. What's this guys deal? Turns out, he's a real pro. He explained that due to the broccoli rabes high water content it was a bad choice for a topping on thin crust pizza. Would make the crust soggy. So, no broccoli rabe. Good call. As he took our menus he pointed to my cap and said, "the next round's on the owner." Whoa. Way cool. Order the Ketel One dirty martini, shaken vigorously, people. The food: The clams struck a perfect balance. The bread crumb topping crispy, the clams succulent. The mussels glistening in white wine, garlic, basil and chopped plum tomatoes. Added treat: sop up the juice with the fresh baked focaccia. Oh, almost forgot. We also ordered the roasted garlic with crostini. But it's better spread on the focaccia. Who knew garlic could be so sweet. Pork Chop: Wow. I've cooked center cuts at home but never managed to lock in the juices like they do at the Cups. Didn't taste the artichoke pizza but my date raved over it. Said it was better than Artichoke Basille's on 14th St. Post Script: Not to crazy about the date, but am gaga over the Cups. Won't be calling the girl, but will be returning to Three of Cups.

Pros: The food

Cons: no reservations for parties under 8

09/13/2008 Posted by dcopp

I highly recommend Three of Cups - there's a reason it's been around for over 15 years. The pizza is to die for... authentic thin crust brick oven pizza - always cooked to perfection. The pasta tastes like it's right out of grandma's kitchen... And, you can't leave without trying the arancini. Considering how good the food is, the prices are surprisingly inexpensive. If you enjoy Italian and or Sicilian food - you'll love it. An added bonus - it's a great place for people watching and celebrity spottings. Must try!!

Pros: Amazing thin crust pizza

Cons: parking

09/12/2008 Posted by 72068

This place is the best for a party. The pizza with arugla, fresh tomatoes, olives and mozzarella is crisp on the dges and full of flavor. One of the best I have ever had. The sangria kills. The prices and portions really work for a faily style party setting. The lounge downstairs has great tunes and East Village vibe as well.

Pros: Best Pizza anywhere!

Cons: Bring kids early!

09/08/2008 Posted by cayceesmith

These good reviews must be bogus. This place is horrible. While sitting at the bar waiting for our table the owner/manager was so blantantly rude to the staff it was embarrassing. After being forgotten about even after giving our name for the wait list, we were seated after 45 minutes. The service was a joke. It took forever to have our server take our order. The staff is cluless on ingredients in dishes and appropriate wine parrings. Not that the wine list is even worth a look. Typical cheap bottom of the barrel choices. We got appetizers before we even got bread or our drinks. The ceasar salad dressing had turned and smelled/tasted awful. The pizza is the worst woodburning oven style I've had. Talk about skimping on toppings. $25 for a large with few toppings??? The pasta was drenched in oil and completely inedible.$8 for a side of meatballs (2)??? When the host guy (who was the only nice person in the whole place) asked us about our experience, the bully owner yanked him away and told him to stop talking to tables and seat more customers. Poor guy, he was the only one trying to make the experience enjoyable. After paying the bill, we were finishing our drinks, when the owner asked if we would mind finishing and leaving so they could seat other people, even though the place was half empty. We then went down to the "Lounge" to finish our drinks, and were definitely not welcome. It's a dingy, disgusting "rock n roll" atmosphere with the most rude and unpleasant bartender. She definitely wasn't nice to us and the thrash metal music was so loud it made it impossible to have conversation. $3 PBR. I'd rather buy my own and sit in Thomkins Square Park with the bums! This place is an embarrassment to other hardworking Italian restaurants in the area. How has it been around for so long? Only good thing: It's cheap... and it shows!

Pros: None

Cons: Mean Owners, Slack/Rude Staff, Skimpy/Awful Food

07/21/2008 Posted by pj1010

Went there on saturday night. The decor is interesting, keeping with the name...very old church like. The food was great. I had the Talapia special wich was awesome and my friends had great food as well. The one thing....so I took a pic of friends and the table and immediately a waiter (who was not our waiter) came over and told us that there was no flash photography allowed....talk about a atmosphere killer (I felt like a little kid being scolded at school).....we had not even gotten apps yet. Anyway about 5 mins later you could hear a group of people singing happy birthday and they took like 20 pics...alll flash and nobody said anything to them.......so will I return...maybe but not if we are celebrating someting cuz....NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED!

Pros: Good Food

Cons: NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY!