Restaurant Review: Stella 34 Trattoria & Bar

Sakura's Note: I have read the reviews on Yelp and Google, and I am terrified that my dear aunt picked this restaurant for us to eat at. I have had better Italian food at cheaper locations. I will attempt to be as neutral as I can be.

Good day, human beings of the world! Today I will be reviewing this place Stella 34 Trattoria.

Stella 34 Trattoria
151 West 34th Street
New York, NY 10001

Stella is located inside of the world-famous Macy's Department Store on the 6th Floor. The visual aesthetic of Stella is a relaxed, laid atmosphere with an open floor layout. I do not know if this layout was this way prior to the pandemic, but I can safely assume that it has always been this way.


Server: Our server had a sense of humor and decided to interject while I opened my gift from my aunt. 
It showed me that he had a sense of humor and knew how to entertain the customer. I'll give him credit where due.

The Seating Arrangement: My aunt chose seats near the windows and the outside view was not impressive. The restaurant boasts great views of the city, and I have to burst their bubble and say that the views were lackluster. 
I did not like the open floor plan and there were too many patrons in the restaurant while we were there.

Staff: The staff had masks on and they kept their distance from the patrons. I approved of this method. Other customers did distance themselves from others when it was possible.

The Food: This is where everything goes down the literal crapper. My aunt enjoyed the crispy calamari and I did not. I have had calamari from other Italian restaurants and it was far better than Stella's.
My aunt ordered the eggplant parmigiana and I had the Caesar salad with Shrimp.
I will not lie the eggplant parmigiana looked good compared to the paltry salad I had.
The Shrimp were visually appealing until I bit into it. It was tough and chewy!
The croutons looked great on the outside, but they were hard as a rock. This bothered the left side of my mouth and I gave up eating them.

My aunt ordered an Arnold Palmer. This is a combination of iced tea and lemonade made with or without sugar. I never had one to say if I like it or not.
I ordered their Passion Fruit lemonade and our server warned me in advance that it was bitter.
I was not thrilled that it was sour and got through it as quickly as I could.

My aunt enjoyed her time at Stella's and I hid my displeasure until we left. 
My overall score: 65/100
My score does not include customer service due to the pandemic and 'the worker shortage' in the restaurant industry. I am a catering courier and I do understand the inner workings of most restaurants.
I will not rate all restaurants like this, but I cannot recommend this restaurant for its inflated prices and its inferior tasting food.

This is an avoid at all costs.



This is the Cesare (Caesar Salad with Shrimp) Photo taken by Lady Sakura (12/17/2021)


This is the Eggplant Parmigiana. The photo was taken by Lady Sakura (12/17/2021)

This is Crispy Calamari with a lemon wedge and spicy tomato sauce. This photo was taken by Lady Sakura (12/17/2021).

This is the Passion Fruit Lemonade. This photo was taken by Lady Sakura (12/17/2021).

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