Weve rounded up the absolute best restaurants in Little Italy so you can find, piled high with capicola, heaping plates of old-world pasta and the, Photograph: Courtesy Facebook/ Caffe Roma Pastry, The Michelin-starred Thai restaurant Uncle Boons has opened a, well, sister restaurant with this takeout spin-off. Where to Eat. For more than 100 years, Marios on Arthur Avenue has maintained the culinary traditions of New Yorks early Italian settlers. As businesspeople, we [all] definitely try to keep Little Italy alive as best we can, without killing each other, Russo says, laughing. The purported oldest cheese shop resides in Little Italy where they have been serving dairy ingredients since Pina Alleva opened it more than a century ago. Great for intimate or large parties for lunch or dinner being served by professional old school waiters in the heart of Little Italy, NYC. I enjoyed this place and I'm glad I experienced it. And while many old-school Italian restaurants in the outer boroughs are inconveniently located and notoriously challenging to get a table at, its impossible not to get a table in Little Italy. Rubirosas crisp yet pliable pies have a delicate char and a small ring of cracker-like crust around the edges. All that technically remains of the old Little Italy, a section of New York City that once spanned a considerable number of square blocks and served as a mecca for thousands of Italians, is a row of restaurants, cafes, and shops on Mulberry. Mario's is the oldest restaurant in one of the most intact Little Italy's in the United States On a recent visit, Joe Migliucci, Mario's son, overlooked the dining room from the kitchen. Penne alla norma is a nod to her fathers Sicilian roots, while trofie al pesto alla Genovese is a culinary ode to Genoa, where he migrated to before leaving for North America. Bari MusacchioRubirosas longtime general managertackles the old-fashioned boil-and-bake technique at this diner upgrade. His friends would come by for a slice and called the restaurant Marios. Gennario Lombardi opened his shop in Soho in 1905the first pizzeria in the U.S. Its hard to vouch for how the pizzas tasted over a century ago, but theres definitely more elbow room after a modern renovation. Rao's is the oldest restaurant on this list established in 1896 and without question the most exclusive. 8. 340 Reviews. May be that I should change, but it is difficult to find other restaurant with the quality of the food and "Italian touch service". This intimate eatery serves up delicious Italian dishes made with the freshest ingredients, along with a selection of fine wines. Theyve been killing Little Italy for 30 years, says Robert Ianniello Jr., owner of local institution Umbertos Clam House. That heritage remains evident todayLittle Italy's streets are lined with restaurants serving Italian staples on red-and-white checkered tablecloths. The restaurant soon grew into one of New Yorks most celebrated, attracting mayors, governors and celebrities like Joe DiMaggio, Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor. Consider the clam pie, every bit as good as those at Frank Pepes in New Haven. Sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news, events, offers and partner promotions. Side-by-side, it was easy to imagine what Joe looked like at Damians age, as they share the same profile and gentle demeanour. Founded in 1999, Peasant was one of the first Italian restaurants in town to prepare most of its menu in a wood-fired oven, which is a magnificent sight to behold in the restaurant. Right now, the space where the museum was, on the southwest corner of Grand and Mulberry, is an empty lot, but Dr. Scelsa hopes the revamped museum will debut in its brand-new building around the spring of 2020. We use cookies for analytics tracking and advertising from our partners. Founded in 1919 as a pizza parlor,Mariosis the oldest restaurant in the Bronxs Belmont neighborhood (aka Arthur Avenue, or the Bronxs Little Italy). Go early to secure a table and dont miss the steamed artichoke or the sweet creamy vodka pizza. While Lower Manhattan's Little Italy is popular with tourists, true New Yorkers know that the 'real Little Italy' is in the Bronx (Credit: zodebala/Getty Images). A post shared by Aunt Jakes (@aunt.jakes), Want to get your pasta fix while wearing a sweaty t-shirt from walking around all day? But even though he laments the state of Little Italy today, hes also bullish about the neighborhoods future. Price range: $10 - $30 . After school, young Mario worked at the restaurant selling slices of pizza on the sidewalk for five cents. All were terrible. Mafia buffs more partial to The Sopranos than the Colombos should grab a drink at Mulberry Street Bar, established in 1908 and situated between Broome and Grand streets. The food is fundamental in its simplicity. Typical of NYC it is very cramped but again, its typical, if you want personal space don't be in NYC. This Restaurant in Colorado Serves an Edible Candle. Not in the grand style it once was, but its still there. We made reservations at Angelo's for a party of 4 a week in advance and they just took our name, time and party size and hung up the phone. Coated in olive oil, the thin crust provides a crunchy, blank canvas for the garlicky, parsley-flecked mollusks. Over on the other end of the block, off of the main thoroughfare of Mulberry and at the intersection of Grand and Mott streets, is another longtime fixture of the community: Di Palos Fine Foods, an Italian grocery established in 1925. Tomino - Taberna Gallega 236 reviews Closed Now Spanish, Wine Bar $$ - $$$ Menu ". I had to walk over and lean down to her ear to hear what she was saying. Visitors come to the neighborhood to see where The Irishman was filmed and then sit down for pizza, pastries, or pasta. Souvenir shops are as much a part of the scenery as the outdoor dining pods that have stayed in place since COVID. When your first restaurant goes platinum, all eyes are trained on your next project. If you know where to look, you can still find the old Little Italy. 1. If you liked this story,sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newslettercalled "The Essential List". "Oldest restaurant in Little Italy- est. The cozy annex is an ode to the Italian-American deli. And so it was here at 2342 Arthur Avenue in 1919 that the family opened G Migliucci, a pizzeria with just six tables. The menu is the perfect evocation of Italian-American cuisine, including a spaghetti with meat sauceand meatballs and a pork chop with sweet or hot peppers. Try the banana walnut bread with espresso mascarpone oranother Australian phenomenonsmashed avocado toast with pickled shallots and chilies. Also a must-get: the spumoni, which comes in perfectly colorful scoops in disposable cups. My family and I had a wonderful dinner at Angelo's. Please resist the temptation to ask for marinara. Not if I can help it.. The sidewalk clam bar was located at the corner of Mott and Hester street in Little Italy, New York City, Where it still flourishes today, serving succulent varieties of Italian Seafood. Sure, this spot hasnt been around for a hundred years, but the service is friendly and the food comes out fast. Yet it feels understated because the walls are not covered with pictures of every New York Yankee, movie star, and former NYC mayor who ever dined here (an aesthetic youll encounter at many Italian restaurants around New York). Thats what you learn when youre here., I asked Damian if he thinks he might take over Marios someday. Since 1905 Gennaro Lombardi crafted pizza in the United States using his bakers trade he learned from Naples. People come here for the seafood. Contact : +1 212-349-6779. Gluten-free diners and large groups are especially pandered to here, and the place has some pedigree: The pies were at least partly inspired by the super thin crusts at Joe & Pats in Staten Island, with a branch in the East Village. Its impossible to go wrong with, say, tagliatelle and an eggy carbonara, or herbed four-cheese ravioli mantled with pesto. Film buffs might be aware that Il Cortile is the spot where the Sopranos cast held going away parties when a members character got whacked. T here are almost 75,000 pizzerias in the US, and the granddaddy of them all is Lombardi's, an unassuming place opened more than a century ago at 32 Spring Street, in New York's Little Italy . Ferrara has been serving up treats like these, alongside daily lunch specials, since opening in 1892. One week is used to deep clean the restaurant, and the second is theirs to rest but the two have always opted for easy getaways to the Caribbean. Originally, the Little Italy institution had announced a March 5 shutdown, but the New York Post reports that . Italian-Americans living in the suburbs drive in each week to do their shopping here, and when tourists from Italy arrive on sightseeing buses each day, they marvel at foods they havent seen since their grandmothers made them. Originally founded by Frank DeCarlo, he was replaced by chef Marc Forgione a few years ago, and theres a newer wine bar in the basement for more informal dining and drinking. 4. This 130-year-old business's Manhattan storefront is parma-gone and mozzarel-ocating to the Garden State. Today, my family is one of the restaurants hundreds of generational customers. Still located in the Little Italy section of Manhattan offering its beautiful, smoky-crusted coal oven baked pizza, topped with purist tomato sauce, fresh whole milk mozzarella, and basil, keeping locals and visitors alike coming back. Now that shes in charge, Russo says she tries to distinguish her business by featuring live music on weekends and hosting gay pride events; she wants to hold onto some neighborhood traditions, but also update the idea of what a meal in this area can mean. Super Bowl NYC: Where to Order Food For Your Party. Little Italy is next door to Chinatown, Manhattan, NYC. Whether youre in the neighborhood for The Feast of San Gennaro or the nearby New Museum, this is your no-fail guide to Little Italy dining. But Benito One feels intimate and exclusive without any pretense. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. Shes right. 1. with Szechuan-spiced mayonnaise and daikon. 2. The menu calls itself Neapolitan, but has a wider geographical span with dishes such as linguine with red clam sauce and Roman spiedini, as well as Italian-American hits like chicken giambotta and veal marsala. 1905, Last delivery order taken 1 hour before closing, 2023 Lombardi's. Nowhere in the world does red-sauce Italian-American fare as competently as New York City. La Mela is famous as a staple of Mulberry Street in New York's Little Italy. Something went wrong. The answer was simple: time. The flat white is the biggest thing to come out of Australian coffeehouse culture, but. When we showed up to the pretty crowded entrance of people waiting to be seated (some without reservations), we sent one of the gentlemen to the front to check in as we were right on time. A few doors over from Umbertos, its Christmas every day of the year at a massive ornament store. Italian Little Italy. Something went wrong. We're sorry, hotels cannot be booked for more than 30 days. Mario's dining room is filled with old images of Naples painted by a distant Italian relative (Credit: Danielle Oteri). When Marios opened in 1919, pizza was strictly an Italian dish that was almost exclusively found in Naples. Marios shuts down for two weeks every August. Food was good, it wasn't amazing but it was still good. We will never return. Cacio e pepe with house-made fettuccine will be on the specials menu from time to time, as will lobster fra diavolo. But this visit is about knowing where to look. You'll often find owner James Bari seated outside this small eight-table restaurant which dates back to 1968. In Manhattan's Little Italy, multiple dining rooms and seating capacities over 100 are the norm. Lombardis was, quite simply, the place where modern pizza as we know it was invented. This cavernous 1907 hall miraculously persists, nearly the same vintage as nearby Totonnos, and now given over mainly to banquets. Much of the menu is served straight from Peasants open-fire hearth, with hits including lamb merguez, smoked linguine with clams and pizza with sopressata and nduja. Once youve slaked your hunger, you can shop responsibly. My family and I had a wonderful dinner at Angelo's. The gift shops Im not too crazy about, I think they take the Italian flavor away, she says. 13 Crowd-Pleasing Restaurants for a Group Dinner in New York City, The 16 Best Restaurants to Order Pasta in NYC.