Ferdinando's Focacceria

I thought the place is good! I just came for the arancini special. It’s humongous!! Delicious tho would get again. The rice was a little soggy but it actually went well with the panele (which I wouldn’t have gotten by itself). The sauce with ricotta on top was very very good. I would come back for that as a snack alone. Cash only!!

In a quaint area of Brooklyn lies an absolute gem; Ferdinando's Focacceria is an almost 120-year old establishment serving some of the most authentic Italian food in the city. I ordered the Pasta con Sarde on the recommendation of my Italian friend and the waiter. They said this dish is hard to come by in NYC. It is made with sardines, fennel, pine nuts, and raisins. The sardines completely melted and integrated into the sauce. Highly recommend this place.

the food is very average. Regular pasta from supermarket , not homemade. We took two types of pasta and both were so-so. Arancini was ok, but nothing more. After the waitress has brought us food, she forgot about us. someone else came up to clear away the dirty dishes and started complaining to us that he shouldn’t serve our table and our waitress would get the tip, not him. it was strange. we as visitors did not need to know this. It is impossible to pay by card, payment is only in cash, there is no information about this anywhere, but if you do not have cash, the owners have “carefully” installed a cash withdrawal machine and receive a 2.5 dollar commission from each withdrawal. leaving the restaurant, we saw that there was a device and we could pay by card, but no one would tell you about it, it is not profitable for them. Sorry for the wasted time and money. low-level place

Owner was a great gol keeper in the 70’s. Great shots of classic saves on the wall. Everything you could want from a Sicilian restaurant.

Because of the Google ratings, I had high expectations for this old-school joint. Once Joe’s of Avenue U was bought by Russians, the food went downhill; although, I hear it’s back in Sicilian hands. So pickings are slim for Sicilian food in this city. I guess because we can probably make it better ourselves. The only good thing about this meal was the cannoli—the shell was crisp and the cream was delectable. However, the panelles were inedible. In general, nothing looked or tasted fresh, just warmed up in the microwave, but these had the most horrible flavor. I asked for a little sauce to see if that would help, and it tasted like they opened a can of plain tomato sauce, dumped it in a bowl, and then watered it down. Then they charged me $3 for that!! The caponata and rice ball were good but nothing special. I could make them both better myself or find them better at any Italian deli or butcher. It was very expensive and so disappointing. I would never come here again. If you ever had a panelle from Joe’s of Avenue U, that is the best. Give them a try if you want Sicilian. Not this place.

Love it here food is outstanding