Il Divino
We went into the city to watch a broadway show, and I had to look for a restaurant in the area without worrying about reservations. I stumbled onto this Hell’s Kitchen Italian restaurant that seemed to have pretty decent menu items. We were able to walk in around 5:00 PM on a Friday evening pretty easily, and there wasn’t much foot traffic at all. We were seated next to the window and had a very casual, quick dinner.
Ambiance & Service
The interior was definitely a very rustic, mom & pop vibe. In the early evening, it feels like one of the staff(?) plays some Italian music, and he karaokes on top of it. It’s a bit weird, but thankfully he was a decent singer. The clientele throughout the night definitely seemed like the locals or the theater crowd.
The service was extremely fast and attentive.
Food
The 820 “Kriya” Montepulciano D’Abruzzo DOC ($15) came from Vigna Madre, Abruzzo, Italy. This red wine was pretty decent with not a lot of complex flavors. It’s a very typical Montepulciano red where it’s medium body with straight forward tannins, some acidity, and notable red and black fruit notes.
The bread came with olive oil and parmesan. The olive oil was decent, and the parmesan soaked in the olive oil gave it a nice, savory flavor to it.
The Pollo Alla Francese ($27.95) came with sauteed chicken breast in an egg batter white wine lemon sauce served with spaghetti pomodoro. The chicken breast was tender, and the sauce was decent. The spaghetti pomodoro was flavorful, but also not something that was remarkable.
The Lobster Seafood Pasta ($45) was a chef specialty and came with shrimp, mussels, calamari, and squid ink pasta. We asked for the lobster on the side. My partner enjoyed this seafood pasta, but one caveat was the seafood in the pasta tasted like it was either frozen or stagnated.
This is the lobster on the side. It tasted frozen, and the meat did not have a good consistency to it. The meat was very shredded, almost like crab, and it didn’t have much flavor. It also tasted like the lobster was boiled in salted water.
Overall Impression
Il Divino is an average, decent Italian restaurant in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen and close to the Theater District. It’s not something I’d go out of my way to dine, but for an Italian option around the area, it’s acceptable.
Yelp Jabs
If you’re heading to Times Square, you should absolutely check out this quaint Italian restaurant! We had incredible service from Camila and food that knocked our socks off! The gnocchi was soft and pillowy in a creamy pesto. The chicken parm was hearty and cheesy. And the creme brûlée was truly the best I’ve ever had!!!!
This Elitist from DC hasn’t had the fullest experience around the city. In this area, there is definitely no shortage of Italian restaurants. I think for a very rustic Italian American restaurant, this meal will probably satisfy that hunger. However if you want something with a little more umami, there are better Italian restaurants in the area, such as Sicily or Giardino 54.
As if that weren’t enough, the food was phenomenal. We had the spaghetti carbonara, penne Bolognese, branzino, calamari, and lasagna. Everything was absolutely delicious. We’ll definitely be back!
All the food that this Oakland Yelper describes is a very run-of-the-mill type Italian seafood. If there is any indication, perhaps it’s better than Oakland Italian food.
Revisions
- Apr 18, 2025 - Initial revision.