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Don't let the unassuming air at this intimate restaurant on a leafy, largely residential block fool you: there is some serious cooking going on here. Case in point: any of the house-made pastas (perhaps cavatelli topped with shaved Parmesan and black truffles); bright, seasonal salads (maybe peach, arugula, and goat cheese); or any of the fish or meat main dishes, like lamb chops milanese or roasted chicken.
132 Greene Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11238, USA
Known For
- Unpretentious neighborhood spot
- Laid-back brunch
- Excellent cocktails
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon.
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$$ | Park Slope |
Roughly translated as "beyond," al di là has been consistently packed since it opened in 1998, and it's easy to understand why: it serves well-prepared Northern Italian dishes in a cozy atmosphere. The warm farro salad with seasonal ingredients and goat cheese is perfectly al dente; the hand-pinched ravioli are delicious; and meatier entrées like braised rabbit, Tuscan tripe stew, and pork loin scallopini with prosciutto are highlights.
248 5th Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11215, USA
Known For
- Knowledgeable servers
- Ragù
- Local favorite
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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$$ | |
Handmade pastas, exceptional antipasti, and wonderful brunch have earned homey Aurora a loyal following. Most ingredients are locally sourced, though the mozzarella and burrata hail from Italy. Ricotta, black truffles, and prosciutto di Parma elevate the eggs Benedict at brunch, when the French toast comes stuffed with apple compote and topped with Amarena cherries. The trattoria's main dining room is inviting enough, but angle for a seat in the enclosed garden (heated in winter), where lush ivy covers the brick walls.
70 Grand St., Brooklyn, New York, 11211, USA
Known For
- Rustic space with an enclosed garden
- Authentic Italian food
- Superlative brunch
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$$$ | Greenwich Village |
Perpetually packed, Italian-leaning Charlie Bird is the brainchild of sommelier Robert Bohr, who was in charge of wine at vino-mad Cru, and chef Ryan Hardy, who made a name for himself at Little Nell in Aspen and has been the private chef for Jay-Z and Beyoncé (not surprisingly, the restaurant has a hip-hop theme). The menu is divided into small and large plates, vegetables, a "raw" section, and pasta. The uni-loaded duck-egg spaghetti marries surf 'n' turf in a deeply satisfying way, while the Roman pasta dish cacio e pepe is one of the best versions this side of the Atlantic.
5 King St., New York, New York, 10012, USA
Known For
- The preferred spot of "cool kids" everywhere
- Hip-hop on the Hi-Fi
- Varied menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch Tues.--Thurs., Reservations essential
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$$$ | SoHo |
Perpetually packed, Italian-leaning Charlie Bird is the brainchild of sommelier Robert Bohr, who was in charge of wine at vino-mad Cru, and chef Ryan Hardy, who made a name for himself at Little Nell in Aspen and has been the private chef for Jay-Z and Beyoncé (not surprisingly, the restaurant has a hip-hop theme). The menu is divided into small and large plates, vegetables, a "raw" section, and pasta. The Roman cacio e pepe pasta is one of the best versions this side of the Atlantic. The wine list is an exceptional tour of old world vintages.
5 King St., New York, New York, 10012, USA
Known For
- Sublime cacio e pepe
- Hip-hop on the Hi-Fi
- Top-shelf wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon.--Thurs.
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$$ | Park Slope |
The rustic Italian farmhouse decor, Mediterranean wines, and candlelight at this renowned neighborhood restaurant will transport you to another land even before you try the food. The menu is inspired by Italy, with hints of Spain and Portugal, and organic ingredients and naturally raised, free-range meats are used in dishes like braised rabbit or pine nut–crusted rack of lamb. Pastas and baked desserts are made in-house.
68 5th Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11217, USA
Known For
- Romantic ambience
- Coveted wine cellar seating
- Antipasti selection
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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$$ | West Village |
Not all the grappa in this charming, diminutive Italian restaurant will help you pronounce its name, but you won't care once you tuck into the fabulous pasta dishes made in the open kitchen. The menu's focus is on Tuscany with a few nods south to Rome. The pappardelle al ragù is rich and satisfying. Same for the tagliolini laced with sea urchin. But for first timers and twenty-first timers, it's impossible to pass up the cacio e pepe, a simple, gooey, cheesy Roman pasta dish that tastes like it just magically materialized from the Eternal City.
114 Christopher St., New York, New York, 10014, USA
Known For
- Long wait times
- Cacio e pepe
- Affordable carafes of house wine
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Reservations not accepted
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$$ | Chelsea |
Brought to you by the pasta company Pastaficio di Martino from the renowned pasta-making town of Gragnano near Naples, Italy, La Devozione is: (1) a retail shop where you can purchase packages of the company's 126 different pasta shapes and (2) an exquisite restaurant, complete with an oval-shape table setting around the open kitchen, so diners can watch their four-course lunch or seven-course dinner get made. The menu changes regularly and is not listed on their website so it's always a surprise. Diners who don't want to commit to a long tasting menu can sit at other tables and choose from the à-la-carte options like the classic Roman dish bucatini all'Amatriciana.
75 9th Ave., New York, New York, 10011, USA
Known For
- Huge dried pasta selection for sale
- Amazing circular table around the kitchen
- Pasta-tasting menus
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$$ | Midtown West |
A nod to Midtown's famed, former Legacy Recording Studios, this chic eatery with a focus on the cuisine of northern Italy is well worth a far-west-side walk to the edge of Hudson Yards. The culinary dream team here also operates downtown's Charlie Bird and Pasquale Jones restaurants, bringing the talents of chef Ryan Hardy to these deco-style tables. Hardy focuses on the north's coastal regions and offers a crudo tasting menu, as well as more inventive dishes inspired by remote locales across Italy. The small bites and larger plates are sensational, elevated by the tantalizing cocktail program and enormous wine selection. The restaurant has a casual elegance thanks to its homey wood, leather, and brass details, with a compact dining room, lovely U-shape bar, and upstairs lounge (with limited hours).
517 W. 38th St., New York, New York, 10018, USA
Known For
- Crudo tasting menu
- Creative cocktail program
- Attentive service in casual but elegant setting
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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$$ | Harlem |
When Harlem resident Susannah Koteen opened Lido in 2011, she became one of the pioneers of Restaurant Row, which blossomed along Frederick Douglass Boulevard. A laid-back, yet classy restaurant with boundless appeal, this authentic Italian eatery is a neighborhood go-to for a casual dinner and the perfect date spot. The restaurant prides itself on its locally sourced ingredients and has become one of the most popular brunch spots in Harlem. Try the tuscan crostini with burrata and poached pears drizzled with honey and topped with sage as a starter and wash it down with a truly spectacular cocktail known as the Kiwi Breeze, made with coconut rum, kiwi puree, brown cane sugar, and white grapefruit juice. For brunch, don’t skip the braised short rib hash or spaghetti with veal meatballs. And to top it off, add bottomless mimosas for $20.
2168 Frederick Douglass Blvd., New York, New York, 10026, USA
Known For
- Bottomless mimosas for brunch
- Friendly service and excellent daily specials
- Patio seating
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$$$ | |
Tucked behind a 150-year-old pharmacy facade on a quiet residential block, this convivial restaurant feels like a large family farmhouse in Tuscany. The menu skews hearty, in the pastas (perhaps sage-scented pappardelle with braised rabbit), mains (there are usually preparations of beef, lamb, duck, and fish to choose among), and antipasti (the chicken liver risotto starter is sublime), with seasonal vegetables showcased as well. The wine list is, of course, excellent.
129 Gates Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11238, USA
Known For
- Hearty Italian fare
- Upscale family spot
- Seasonal wine dinners
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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$$ | Upper East Side |
One bite of the nearly perfect coal-oven pizza at the iconic, original Patsy's Pizzeria, and it's immediately clear why Frank Sinatra favored its slices. Don't try and get too fancy here; the "plain pie" or the straightforward chicken parmigiana entrée are more than good enough to justify the trek up to 118th Street. Pizzas are also available to go at the counter next door.
2287 1st Ave., New York, New York, 10035, USA
Known For
- Coal-oven pies and red-sauce dishes
- Old-school Italian vibe
- Cash-only spot
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$$ | NoLIta |
Locals have shown an insatiable appetite for this bustling but sophisticated Italian American eatery serving high-quality, classic Italian dishes. You can't really go wrong, so share an order of pasta alongside a Staten Island–style thin-crust pizza and maybe a fork-tender chicken Milanese.
235 Mulberry St., New York, New York, 10012, USA
Known For
- Tie-dye pizza (vodka-sauce and pesto)
- Individual and family-size pastas
- The wait: put your name on the list early, then have a drink elsewhere
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$$ | Boerum Hill |
Magnificently prepared seasonal vegetables in sides, salads, appetizers, and pastas are the focal point of the menu at this dark-wood Italian restaurant, but don't overlook entrées that range from roast chicken to perfectly prepared branzino or a leg of lamb. Dining at the communal table in the center of the restaurant is fun; opt for bar seating or the few two-tops for a more intimate meal. The cocktail menu has intriguing concoctions, and dessert usually includes at least one pie selection from Brooklyn's Four & Twenty Blackbirds.
190 Dean St., Brooklyn, New York, 11217, USA
Known For
- Seasonal ingredients
- Fine cocktails and desserts
- Romantic setting
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$$ | Greenpoint |
Neapolitan-style fried pizza—made with imported Italian flour, San Marzano tomato sauce, house-made mozzarella, and various toppings—is the highlight of the menu at this rustic Italian trattoria. Charmingly mismatched furniture conveys a low-key vibe. Start with the arancini (Sicilian rice balls stuffed with pesto, mushrooms, or sausage and fried) or an antipasto plate. Bonus: Oak barrels behind the bar hold "natural wines," made from sustainably grown organic grapes, on tap.
159 Greenpoint Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11222, USA
Known For
- Fried pizza
- Natural wines on tap
- Rustic vibe
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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$$ | Financial District |
It's hip to be square at this downtown pizzeria that occupies a long, narrow space with modern decor. At this favorite local family-run establishment, square (aka old fashioned or grandma) pies are worth the trek and are a convenient Stone Street stop en route to the Statue of Liberty. They also do a mean traditional round pizza, and first-timers should opt for the signature Old Fashioned: thin, crispy crust loaded with tangy tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. Salads, pasta, and familiar Italian American dishes are on the menu, too.
54 Stone St., New York, New York, 10004, USA
Known For
- Square, Grandma-style pizza
- Location way downtown
- Seasonal outdoor seating on plaza
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$$ | Prospect Heights |
This homey pizza-and-pasta restaurant splits the difference between sophisticated artisanal fare for adults and simpler, kid-friendly options. While thin-crust pies are available with just sauce and cheese (this is Brooklyn, so the tomatoes are organic and the mozzarella farm-fresh), Amorina shines when it comes to unusually topped pizzas, such as Gorgonzola and fruit with figs, or a sauce-free potato pie with caramelized onions. Pastas lean toward the classics, with tasty lasagna (meat and veggie) and fettuccine Bolognese.
624 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11238, USA
Known For
- Unusual pizza toppings
- Family-friendly fare
- Classic pastas
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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$$$ | |
The Williamsburg outpost of the historic Roman restaurant serves handmade pastas in an upscale setting. Though the decor is modern, the recipes uphold tradition: try the spaghetti cacio e pepe (al dente pasta with pecorino Romano and crushed black pepper) or the carbonara. The extensive wine selection (all Italian) ranges in palate and price from an approachable $35 Dolcetto d'Alba to the absurdly extravagant $900 Masseto. Antica Pesa draws the A-list—Madonna, Julianne Moore, and Giorgio Armani have all dined here.
115 Berry St., Brooklyn, New York, 11211, USA
Known For
- Roman cuisine
- Sleek modern design
- A-list clientele
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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$$ | Belmont |
There are several old school Italian-American restaurants in the Real Little Italy in the Bronx, and Antonio's Trattoria is one of the solid choices when looking for a place for good, honest fare. Start with award-winning fried calamari from the antipasti menu, then move on to a variety of classic dishes: baked clams, zuppe di pasta fagioli, linguine with clam sauce, or excellent pizzas, prepared either Sicilian style or baked in a brick oven with a thin Neapolitan crust.
2370 Belmont Ave., Bronx, New York, 10458, USA
Known For
- Classic red-sauce joint
- Brick-oven pizza
- Fried calamari
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$$ | |
Bay Ridge families have been coming to this lively, upscale restaurant for old-school Italian food and old-world service for more than 25 years. The waiters are genial and the atmosphere is gregarious, which just goes to show that everyone's having a good time. The menu features mostly Neapolitan cuisine and you can't go wrong with any of the baked pastas; the veal marsala and the sea bass are also popular.
8424 3rd Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11209, USA
Known For
- Red sauce joint
- Lively scene, especially on summer weekends
- Big portions
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
