I have always been the ‘go-to’ when making a reservation at a restaurant with my friends and family. I always get “Wherever you want to go Rach”, “You pick the best places”, “What’s new and exciting in the Manhattan restaurant scene?”

While I’m so honored that everyone likes for me to pick where we go out to eat, the pressure is constantly on. I have been wanting to try Galli in SoHo for awhile and figured, for a Sunday evening dinner in the winter, there could not be a better place. Brick exposed walls, heat blasting, and delicious Italian food – it couldn’t be more perfect.

Galli is typically easy to get a reservation for at the last minute which, as you know, it isn’t always a feasible task in the city. The 6 of us sat down for dinner and every table surrounding us was filled. Galli runs an excellent reservation service as we were seated no problem and made the reservation earlier that day.

So Much to Choose from at Galli

The variety of dishes served at Galli is commendable. There is something for everyone here. Whether you like pasta, fish, meat, anything. We ordered a couple of appetizers for the table. The first appetizer ordered were rice balls filled with meat cheese and peas. This was a no brainer for Jordan to order as his starter. The grilled calamari, with arugula, I ordered was perfection. Four pieces of grilled calamari over a bed of arugula with balsamic – I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

The three men ordered their favorite, chicken parm, as an entree. I must say that usually chicken parm servings are a little over generous in how much they serve, but not Galli. The ideal portion of breaded chicken parm and penne was said to be satisfying and quality grub.

One of the other dishes ordered was a shrimp pasta called Gamberi. Rigatoni, shrimp, pink sauce, mozzarella and broccoli? Can’t go wrong there.

Galli features a variety of salads on their menu that you can add chicken, shrimp or steak to make them heartier. We ordered the Shrimp salad and the Kale salad. The Kale salad was served with avocado, almonds and oranges – such a delicious mix of flavors. The Shrimp salad had grilled asparagus, cheese on top of mesclun. Both were fresh and full of flavor.

Galli delivers on Taste and Price

One of the best parts of Galli was how affordable it was. The wine and food they offered were on point price wise. I definitely recommend Galli if you need a last minute reservation, have to appeal to variety of palettes or just want a cozy restaurant to dine at one evening.

Galli has two locations – One in Soho, where we went, and the other on the lower east side.

Galli in Soho is at 45 Mercer Street Between Broome & Grand.  The Lower east side location of Galli is at 98 Rivington Street.

For more information on Galli check out their website