67 Best Restaurants in New York City, New York

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

It shouldn't take more than one bite of tender barbecue squab to understand why it's so hard to get a reservation at this casually elegant restaurant, whose menu strays widely from Italian standards and hits numerous high points in dishes such as rabbit with Brussels sprouts and house-made pancetta. This is the perfect spot for a raucous celebratory dinner with flowing wine and festive banter. But be forewarned: if anyone in your party is hard of hearing or bothered by loud rock music, choose someplace more sedate.

There's something about Bar Pitti that, in this city jam-packed with Italian restaurants, feels much more authentically Italian than its pasta-serving brethren. Maybe it's the servers who prefer speaking Italian if they find out you can say a few words, and who show up at your table with a chalkboard scribbled with the daily offerings (written in Italian, of course). Perhaps it's the simple, but flavor-bursting pasta dishes; maybe it's that they only take cash. Or perhaps it's all of the above. In warm-weather months nab an outdoor table and don't be surprise if an A-list celeb is sitting at the next table. 

Chef Jonathan Waxman had to shutter this beloved West Village Italian spot in 2019, but he fortunately found a new home for it around the corner the following year. Waxman hardly tinkered with the menu for the new location. And why would he when everything here works so well? The specialties here are rustic Italian preparations with bright flavors, like house-made gnocchi with tangy tomatoes, grilled striped bass, and pasta carbonara, though the menu changes daily, depending on what's available.

The two pricing scenarios at this Italian spot make bustling Becco a prime Restaurant Row choice for time-constrained theatergoers: one includes an affordable all-you-can-eat selection of salad, antipasti, and three pastas served hot out of pans that waiters circulate around the dining room; the other adds a generous entrée to the mix. The pasta selection changes daily but often includes gnocchi, ravioli, and fettuccine in cream sauce. The entrées may be braised veal shank, grilled double-cut pork chop, and rack of lamb, among other selections. Decor is somewhat basic here, and the exposed brick amplifies the volume during busy hours, but the convivial vibes prevail.

Di Palo's has been an integral part of Little Italy since Savino Di Palo opened a small shop making fresh mozzarella and ricotta in 1910. That store grew into Di Palo's Fine Foods (at 200 Grand Street), which sells all manner of gourmet Italian products, and now Savino's great grandchildren have opened this spacious, though rather nondescript wine bar, serving those excellent products paired with lovingly selected Italian wines.

Chef Ignacio Mattos's sequel to his much-lauded Estela, nearby, is an airy, high-ceilinged spot that's called a café but is more of a paradise of satisfying Italian fare. Pasta lovers melt over the perfectly prepared cacio e pepe, but the kitchen also turns out expert fish and meat dishes: perhaps a caramelized fennel-spiked pork chop, pork milanese, or hake with cauliflower and capers.

It's hard to miss this charming little café when strolling down Vanderbilt Avenue with its big, faux floral design adorning its doorway. Inside, the decor is just as inspired by flowers and plants, as intended by its Colombian co-founder Camila Soto, who designed it. Her Colombian-influence is evident on the menu (i.e., arepas) of what's otherwise Italian-inspired, thanks to co-founder and namesake Stefano De Martini. Stop in for a quick cornetto or a cortado.

New York’s oldest Italian caffe, open since 1891, pulls espresso and serves homemade gelato, cannolis, and Sicilian pignoli cookies, in a quaint space with pressed-tin ceilings, tiled floors, and heart-shape chairs.

Set on a nondescript block of Broadway, the original branch of the small, now-national chain is a favorite for families celebrating special occasions, pre-prom groups of teens, and plain-old locals looking for reliable Italian food. They come for mountainous portions designed to share, family-style, of tried-and-true Italian favs like fried calamari, linguine with white clam sauce, chicken parmigiana, and veal saltimbocca, all loaded with garlic or red sauce—or both. Family photos line the walls, an antipasti table groans under the weight of savory meats, cheese, and salads, and there's a convivial feeling amid the organized chaos. If you want a quiet or romantic dinner, this is not the place.