Info

header underline

Hours


Lunch
Saturday - Sunday
12PM-2:30PM

Dinner

Monday - Thursday
5PM-9PM 

Friday
5PM-10PM

Saturday
4:30PM-10PM

Sunday
4:30PM- 9PM

***Hours shown reflect last seatings

Contact

Email
sandrosrestaurant@gmail.com


Phone
212 - 288 - 7374

Address
322 East 86th St New York, NY 10028 

We are available for private parties. Please inquire with us.

Get Directions

About

header underline

It all started with what seemed like a simple decision. Sandro’s father gave him the ultimatum of either continuing his studies or going to work. He started washing dishes and peeling potatoes, working his way up in the kitchen of Ristorante Cacciani ( Frascati – Rome). On his 17th birthday he became sous chef to the renowned Franco Carbonari. Just a few days short of his 21st birthday in 1968, he won a first prize at the prestigious Circolo della Stampa in Milan. In presenting him with his award, the dean of Italian food critics, Vincenzo Buonassisi said, "given the opportunity, you will, one day, bring a whole new dimension to the thousand year old tradition of Italian cooking."


After working at Cacciani, Sandro was ready to open his first restaurant, D'Artagnan, named in memory of the great Dumas hero who, in one of the chapters of the The Three Musketeers, outlined a dessert recipe with 20 pounds of ingredients and a quart of liquor. D'Artagnan was a success, featuring a variety of innovative dishes that were to become Sandro signatures: risotto with strawberries, salads made with fried tulips, penne with a sauce of vodka. He also excelled with the more familiar presentations of roast meats and fowl, homemade pastas and soups. The olive oils were seasoned as were the vinegars and the fiery grappas - with garlic, rosemary, chili peppers, oranges, peaches, bananas and raspberries.


In 1984 while attending the GRI (Gruppo Ristatori Italiani) convention in Parma, Italy, Tony May, GRI's chairman, owner of San Domenico NY and a long-time friend, offered Sandro an opportunity to open a restaurant in New York City. The original Sandro's, which opened in 1985, was an instant success, introducing both Sandro and authentic Italian cuisine to New York City.


For seven years, Sandro drew people to his restaurant with dishes then unheard of to New Yorkers. USA Today considered Sandro’s to be one of the top 10 new restaurants in America.


When Sandro's closed in 1992, Sandro consulted for restaurants like Nello’s (NYC),Coco Pazzo (Chicago),il Buco (NYC), and Sapore Di Mare (Hamptons). He moved to the Caribbean where he opened an eponymous restaurant and enjoyed the island life with his family. After a hurricane destroyed the restaurant, he returned to New York to open Sandro's on Ninth Avenue at 22nd Street.


In the spring of 2007, Sandro came full circle with the opening of his fourth restaurant on East 81st Street. The restaurant, serving Sandro's signature Roman-style cuisine, is a favorite to both New Yorkers and Italian food lovers everywhere. After making it through the Covid pandemic of 2020, Sandro's on East 81st street closed in January of 2022 because of non-covid related issues. 


Wanting to stay on the Upper East Side, Sandro's moved a mere five blocks away to East 86th street in July of 2022. Keeping the same staff and menu from East 81st street, the only change here was the location.

Press

header underline

"For the worlds No. 1 amatriciana, no plane is required. I need risk only a cab ride to East 81st street in Manhattan to my currently favorite hometown Italian restaurant, Sandro’s, where the chef-owner cooks as the romans would like to." - Mimi Sheraton, NEW YORK TIMES

"The food at Sandro’s, a loud trattoria led by its unpredictable chef can make you weep with joy." - Alan Richman, BLOOMBERG MARKET

"But he (Sandro Fioriti) belongs to an older breed, embattled but not yet extinct." - Joshua David Stein, MANHATTAN MAGAZINE

"But his latest—a slim, simple, all-white spot—is pure Fioriti. Our bucatini all’Amatriciana was a fine balance of thick, chewy pasta and piquant tomato sauce, dense with chubby nibs of pancetta. Spaghetti al’ limone was a tangy explosion of citrus tempered by sweet cream." - Tony, TIME OUT NEW YORK

"I remember too vividly the glory days of my own Italian innocence in 1985, when Sandro Fioriti first thrilled us with pungent sea urchin ravioli, lemon spaghetti and his exquisite fried calamaretti. Pan seared cuttle fish combines brilliantly with slivers of artichoke" - Gael Green, BITE: MY JOURNAL

"A well known chef in Italy for more than 25 years, Fioriti’s interests extend well beyond cooking and a predilection for Roman-style dishes." - Diners club 48 of our countrys best chefs 1995

"That sprawling veal Milanese with breading startlingly crisp, laughs at the one I had in Milan."- Steve Cuozzo, NEW YORK POST

"Where restaurant critics go when they're spending their own money" - John F, Mariani, ESQUIRE

"Sandro’s brings Rome home" - Pascale Le Draoulec, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

"When not in Rome, Sandro’s is the next best thing" - Moira Hodgson, NEW YORK OBSERVER

"WINNER FOR MOST ARTISTIC ARTICHOKES" - VILLAGE VOICE, 2001

"Chef-owner Sandro Fioriti produces Roman-style and pan-Italian specialties with just enough spin to entice both serious eater and trendier diner." - Mimi Sheraton, DEPARTURES MAGAZINE

"What you will find in a long, narrow store front space, is well cooked Italian food, with an accent on the Roman – which, frankly, is all to the good." - Linda Perney, NEWSDAY

Accessibility

header underline

Sandro's Restaurant is committed to the accessibility and usability of its website, https://www.sandrosrestaurant.com/, for all people with disabilities. With that, Sandro's Restaurant will be implementing the relevant portions of the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 Level AA as its web accessibility standard to the greatest extent feasible.

Please be aware that our efforts are ongoing.  If at any time you have specific questions or concerns about the accessibility of any web page on our website, please send us an email at sandrosrestaurant@gmail.com.  If you do encounter an accessibility issue, please be sure to mention the specific web page in your email, and we will do our best to make that page accessible for you.

If you have questions or need any assistance with obtaining our products or services, please call us at 212 - 288 - 7374  during our regular business hours, send us an email at sandrosrestaurant@gmail.com, or complete the form below. We will be more than happy to assist you.


<script> (function(){ var s = document.createElement('script'); var h = document.querySelector('head') || document.body; s.src = 'https://acsbapp.com/apps/app/dist/js/app.js'; s.async = true; s.onload = function(){ acsbJS.init({ statementLink : '', footerHtml : '', hideMobile : false, hideTrigger : false, disableBgProcess : false, language : 'en', position : 'right', leadColor : '#146FF8', triggerColor : '#146FF8', triggerRadius : '50%', triggerPositionX : 'right', triggerPositionY : 'bottom', triggerIcon : 'people', triggerSize : 'bottom', triggerOffsetX : 20, triggerOffsetY : 20, mobile : { triggerSize : 'small', triggerPositionX : 'right', triggerPositionY : 'bottom', triggerOffsetX : 10, triggerOffsetY : 10, triggerRadius : '20' } }); }; h.appendChild(s); })(); </script>

An error occurred.

Success! Thank you for your message. Someone will be in touch with you shortly.

Powered by BentoBox