Nine Italian restaurants across Manhattan - from the carbonara at Lil Frankies to the hand-rolled pasta at Rezdora and the Tuscan focus at I Sodi. The city has always done Italian well. This is where to find it.
Nolita · 275 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012, USA
The soaring Puck Building dining room and jacketed waitstaff set a high bar, and Torrisi's food clears it comfortably. Chanterelle penne in butter sauce, tuna with pickled caponata, and an affogato served in an oversize…
West Village · 51 Grove St, New York, NY 10014, USA
Walk-in only listeria so put your name in and order a negroni at the bar while you wait. The cacio e pepe has the pepper-to-noodle ratio that the would make the Roman gods smile, and the insalata verde (dressed greens i…
Flatiron · 27 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003, USA
Nine obsessively handmade Emilia-Romagna pastas in a narrow brick room on East 20th, where the focus stays locked on technique and Northern Italian detail. The cappelletti verdi with roasted leeks and the Uovo Raviolo w…
West Village · 103 Greenwich Ave, New York, NY 10014, USA
A Michelin-starred West Village ristorante where the pinwheel lasagna. Ricotta and braised meat rolled, roasted in cast iron with Sunday gravy and a browned cheese crust. Is the single most photographed plate in the nei…
East Village · 19 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003, USA
A cramped, wood-fired Italian spot in the East Village where blistered pizza and hand-rolled pasta share the menu with a popular weekend brunch. The spaghetti limone (pasta, Amalfi lemon, olive oil) is the most-ordered …
Tribeca · 377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013, USA
The lobby restaurant of a boutique hotel in Tribeca has spent years functioning as the neighborhood's dining room for people who do not stay there. Ricotta served as an opener, garganelli with duck ragù, and lamb pappar…
Nolita · 235 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012, USA
A Nolita pizzeria where the Tie Dye (vodka sauce, tomato, pesto, fresh mozzarella) is what most tables order first. Pasta is worth attention too: carbonara with fat chunks of pancetta, cavatelli with broccoli rabe and s…
West Village · 314 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014, USA
A Tuscan trattoria on Bleecker where the handmade pasta is the whole point. Pappardelle al limone with a spritz of black pepper, pici with coarse pesto, and artichoke lasagna that regulars treat as non-negotiable. The r…
Chelsea · 440 W 33rd St Suite #100, New York, NY 10001, USA
Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the Empire State Building while the open wood fire turns out cast-iron focaccia, whole trout, and nearly everything else on the menu. The rigatoni alla gricia (just guanciale and black pep…