damnlines for iPhoneLive lines & push alerts — freeGetdamnlines.comNo-reservations 1956 Southern Italian room on East Houston whose celebrity-fueled sidewalk line regularly runs two hours or more.
55 E Houston St, New York, NY 10012
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Emilio's Ballato takes no reservations. You wait on the sidewalk on East Houston Street until a table opens up. The Infatuation notes you can't put your name in and leave for a drink; it is a standing line with no callbacks. The one exception, per Reporter Gourmet, is the private back room held for family, friends, and the most loyal regulars.
Reported waits swing hard on day and hour. Reporter Gourmet says the line out front lasts 'no less than two hours.' The Infatuation clocked a couple at 2.5 hours on a Friday but seated its own Tuesday group of six in about 30 minutes. The Ressies with Mags writeup was quoted 'something ridiculous like three hours' on a Friday, then walked in and sat within 15 minutes on a Monday at 5:45pm.
The crowd grew after the room became known as a Taylor Swift regular. Woman Around Town reports that when Swift left one night there were roughly 2,000 people outside. Part of today's line came to eat; part came to stand near a celebrity.
Patterns as reported by press and regulars — not measured by damnlines.
Reservations: Per itsadate.nyc, Emilio's Ballato is famously walk-in only for most guests, with reservations generally reserved for a back room and unavailable for parties smaller than six, who are seated on a walk-in basis instead.
Walk-ins: Per itsadate.nyc, the restaurant only seats walk-in parties once everyone has arrived (no calling ahead or leaving a name), and arriving before 5pm is recommended to avoid a wait that can run up to about 2 hours.
Per itsadate.nyc: Mon-Thu 12-4pm & 5-11pm, Fri-Sat 12-4pm & 5pm-midnight, Sun 12-4pm & 5-11pm.
It varies widely. Reporter Gourmet says the sidewalk line out front lasts no less than two hours. The Infatuation reports a couple waiting 2.5 hours on a Friday, but seated its own Tuesday group of six in about 30 minutes.
No. It is walk-in only, and per The Infatuation you can't even put your name down and leave for a drink. The single exception, per Reporter Gourmet, is the private back room reserved for family, friends, and the most loyal regulars.
Early on a weekday, right around the 5pm dinner open, before the rush. The Ressies with Mags writeup was seated within 15 minutes at 5:45pm on a Monday, versus a quoted three-hour wait on a Friday.
The no-reservations policy is part of it, but the crowd swelled once the room became known as a Taylor Swift favorite. Woman Around Town reports about 2,000 people were outside when Swift left one night.
No. Per The Infatuation it is a physical line on East Houston Street with no name-drop and no callback, so you have to hold your spot on the sidewalk.
Yes, per itsadate.nyc it's largely a walk-in restaurant; you can't call ahead or leave a name, and waits can reach about 2 hours, so arriving before 5pm is recommended.
Sources: The Infatuation: Emilio's Ballato review (Nolita) · Reporter Gourmet: The Italian restaurant in New York with two-hour waits outside · Ressies with Mags: Emilio's Ballato · Woman Around Town: The Best Italian Food in New York Is Worth the Wait · itsadate.nyc: Emilio's Ballato Reservations: When They Open and How to Book