San Matteo Pizzeria e Cucina

This place is under rated. For a few exceptional reasons.mentioned after the obvious. Yes, there is very accommodating service. Yes, the food is worth every penny. Yes, the special are amazing. Yes there is a chance you can get a table during peak hours because there is also an upstairs.
But did you know they have award winning burgers? Did you know the awards were hosted by food network?
The pac-man shirts the staff are wearing are a clever attempt at letting you know.
Unfortunately I was not able to put all that together prior to ordering. Besides it was my first time there with my family and had to go big. We were celebrating. Had the porterhouse steak for two and the grilled calamari. My wife and kids and myself left very very full. I can't wait to go back and try the award winning burgers.
Sorry about the steak picture. I was hungry and had to have some before taking it.

We were a party of 10 - and I thought the pizza was solid. Appetizers were all tasty especially the prosciutto and mozzarella.

Atmosphere was nice upstairs. Drinks were strong and had a nice wine list. I think this place is nicer than a traditional pizza joint.

Would come back with a large group.

I ordered delivery from San Matteo again and pizzas arrived quickly and in perfect condition. One pizza is perfect portion for one person.

I tried the PROSCIUTTO & BUFALA (pizze rose or pizza with tomato sauce) and the CENTENARIO (pizze bianche or no tomato sauce). They was soft and elastic with great flavor. Ingredients were high quality. I would just say the Centenario had very little nduja salami.

I loved both of them, probably one of the best pizzerias in the neighborhood.

ESPAÑOL:
Pedí a pizza a domicilio de San Matteo de nuevo y llegaron rápidamente y en perfecto estado. Una pizza es la porción ideal para una persona.

Probé la PROSCIUTTO & BUFALA (pizze rose o pizza con salsa de tomate) y la CENTENARIO (pizze bianche o sin salsa de tomate). La masa era ligera y elástica con un increíble sabor. Los ingredientes de alta calidad. Tan solo diría que la CENTENARIO tenía poco ndula salami.

Me encantaron ambas, probablemente una de las mejores pizzerias del barrio.

Ordered delivery from a few blocks away, which kept very well.

RATING: 7/10

PRO TIP: The pizza is actually not bad.

PIZZA DIAVOLO
It's hard to stand out these days given the amazing neapolitan pizza scene in NYC, and you may not have seen San Mateo pop up on any lists, but this UES stable with a few locations actually did a solid job on authenticity and flavor. The diavolo was nicely spicy, and had a savory red sauce and importantly, the curst was fluffy, chewy, soft.

MEATBALLS - not bad, nice and salty, and hearty. Good addition if you're used to having meat with your meal and you're getting a meatless pie especially.

BRUSSEL SPROUTS - was surprised by this. Another classic Italian dish and it had these crispy pieces of panchetta over it and cheese which added this salty richness. Not bad.

FINAL CATEGORY: GOOD/GREAT
(terrible / bad / ok / GOOD / GREAT / excellent)

My coworker said this place was "the best Italian place ever". He failed to mention that there was cheese and cream in everything!
Not a fan of the dish I got which was the mushroom pasta with burrata. I said no burrata and it still magically showed up in my pasta. My husband got a pizza, which was pretty generic. Nothing special about it.
Service was alright. This place is really popular for large families. As we sat there, one large family came in after another.
If you like cheese, this is the place for you, but as someone who is lactose intolerant, this is not the best place. Sorry.

Made a reservation here after having it in my screen caps from a social media post. Upper east side on a corner- they have indoor and outdoor seating, as well as tables and bar seating. We were sat inside due to the rain during the day and ordered drinks and an appetizer.

Place could be loud from the bar area, the bell ringing from kitchen to pick up orders, etc - but it doesn't deter from the dining experience.

I ordered an old-fashioned which came out and really wasn't one - probably one of the worst mixed drinks I have had this year. We also ordered the fried burrata carroza to start. This was ok - not a big Pablo guy and only ate one of the items.

For the entree I went with my usual chicken parmigiana - which I thought would come with a side pasta or anything - it doesn't. Ok? Wasn't even offered.

The entree was spectacular - and probably the best chicken parmigiana I have had this year bar none. The chicken just melts into the cheese topping and the sauce was very good. Chicken had a nice crisp to it but again just melts in your mouth.

Seeing as how this place popped up for me due to their pizza we ordered a margherita pie to share and try. So very good - the crust soft with a nice fire char taste to it - the cheese and basil a perfect marriage of all the necessities that make a perfect pizza. Wow.

For dessert we each got a cannoli and I went with an americano coffee.

Things were up and down - but the food really won the day. Very good.

Food - Yum! Loved the regina pizza since it was so saucy and flavorful. Cacio y pepe is my favorite pasta so this in pizza form was elite. Dessert never disappoints of course and had all this to chase down with some classic Chardonnay.

Service - The staff was extremely friendly and accommodating.

Ambiance - The place was a vibe. Definitely a great place to come to and watch a sports game or go on date night. Great for large groups too! A lot of space, but definitely make reservations.

I am not a huge pizza or pasta person but first impressions is great!
We started with the arancini. And then had a margarita pizza with sausage and sopressata. Sooo good. We topped it with chili infused olive oil and they offered some hot honey. Wow so good.

We ended it with gelato and a cannoli. Both very good.

Definitely recommend. Service was great but just don't be like my friend and ask for ranch lol

Great food - we had spinach salad fresh mozzarella with cherry tomatoes and the daily pizza special. Everything was very good. Service was friendly and attentive. We sat at the bar and everytime time the door opened it got dam cold. I gave them 4 stars because it just wasn't 5 star even for a Monday night

After walking by San Matteo for years on my way to work as a night shift nurse my wife and I finally decided to stop in for a prework meal. The ambiance is cute but seating is a little tight in some places. The service was decent but nothing over the top: like not attempting to rectify or confirm if everything was ok when my wife left her entire plate of pasta and didn't ask to wrap it and not telling us when things were additional charges/how much additional things would be ("fresh truffle" which was unable to be found in her pasta for $10).

The food in general was good but again nothing spectacular and for lack of better terms extremely inconsistent. For example, our arancini appetizer was mediocre but the pizza we got was phenomenal. My chicken was good but her pasta had zero flavor (even with the $10 of "fresh grated" truffles).

The white pie we got was described to us incorrectly by the first man who approached our table (but wasn't our server) so we were very confused when it came out though pleasantly surprised by the taste. I'm a sucker for fresh ricotta! The dough was wood fired, fluffy, and pillowy which happens to be my favorite kind of crust! The arancini on the other hand I could definitely have done without, it was overly salty and nothing special to order again.

My wife's main dish was the tagliatelle porcini cartoccio which had Fettuccini Pasta, Porcini Mushrooms, Burrata Wrapped in a Foil Envelope which was supposed to be $24. We paid $34 including the $10 truffle fee which I promise is not worth it, though trust me I'm well aware that's not a lot for truffle it was just none existent and should've been added after the foil package was opened. This was probably the least flavorful pasta I've ever had. Whatever seasoning they may have added was literally lost in the sauce.

I asked for the chicken Milanesa which I saw on their Instagram but it seems the don't make that anymore and the waiter talked me into the pollo sfizioso. This dish had Chicken Cutlet, Homemade Mozzarella, Baby Arugula, Cherry Tomatoes, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pesto Sauce and a Balsamic Glaze. When I say there was an entire container of cherry tomatoes baked under the cheese I am not exaggerating. The dish was decent but would be way better without an entire layer of hot unseasoned tomatoes whose only purpose seemed to be making the top the the chicken cutlet wet. They added zero flavor and became a nuisance and kind of an unpleasant taste after a while.

Lastly, as big dessert people and after two mostly failed courses, we decided to head to Anita gelato across the street to ensure we enjoyed our final course of date night.

Overall, it's a decent Italian spot on the UES but I would probably only go back for their pizza (and their pizza only).

The pizza is out of this world! Perfect dough, I ate it till the last bite (saying as a person who is always leaving crust behind). The menu has Italian titles, so that says something.
Red or white sauce..I had trouble choosing so I got one of each. For red, I got eggplant pizza called Paesana. The marinade on the eggplant makes this inimitable. I had a slice after slice but had to stop myself so I can try the white sauce pizza I got called Porchini Tartufo. Mushroom truffle, also delicious but a bit oily.
The order was through Doordash and even though there was quiet a bit of time between baking and eating, I still wholeheartedly loved the pizzas. I think I found my spot for when I'm in UES, as I usually don't like many restaurants up there.