Oddly enough, Lupa is also the name of a kick-ass restaurant in New York City owned by the great Mario Batali, my own personal god of the food network.
I finally made it to nyc this spring break and i just had to go eat at a Batali establishment. But i am very poor, so i decided to go to Lupa because Frommer's said it was cheap. It was, sorta.
Lupa is situated somewhere in Greenwich Village and because it doesn't have a giant flashing neon-lit sign hanging above it, i had trouble finding it. Well,we had trouble. I was joined for dinner by my hostel-mate( her identity is not being withheld for any particular reason,except that i've forgotten her name ) who did a good job of humoring my enthusiasm.
The atmosphere of Lupa is definitely cozy. You can apply this two ways. Atmosphere-wise, it was rather low-lit, with yellowy walls and candles. People wise, it means there wasn't much elbow room. There are two rooms in Lupa. The first is at the entrance and contains the waiting area (minuscule, at best),bar, and some noisy tables. The other room is a bit quieter and towards the back.
We were seated in the back room, which was fine with me. I ordered this orichetta with spinach stuff. It was the best pasta i have ever, ever eaten. My comrade got a bunny on her plate. She said it was good too. The funny thing about Lupa is that it's pretty cheap, yet comes with all of these extra restaurant amenities i wasn't expecting. Like a wine steward, and a little guy who re-folds your napkin as soon as you get up to go to the bathroom. Cool.
This was definitely a happy restaurant experience. go to Lupa!