New York City is a leader in many fields, but one of its crowning accomplishments is its mastery of Italian cuisine. The five boroughs of New York City are home to a wide variety of high-quality restaurants serving traditional Italian-American cuisine with red sauce.
At this point in time, it seems as though everything of Italy is represented here, from the hearty cuisine of Tuscany to the scrumptious delicacies of Sicily.
The following is a list of the very finest Italian restaurants in New York City midtown, including both new and long-established establishments, which provide customers with all the pasta, pizza, and seafood that they could possibly want.
Ferdinando’s Focacceria
Carroll Gardens is home to Ferdinando’s Focacceria, which opened in 1904 and holds the title of the city’s oldest Sicilian eatery. The “focaccia” element of the name does not allude to the well-known bread from southern Italy; instead, it refers to a specific kind of snack store that is often located in Palermo, the capital of the island.
The menu, which used to consist of tiny sandwiches made with cow spleen or chickpeas and plates consisting of seafood and vegetables, has now been expanded to include a full-fledged Italian-American bill of fare.
You can count on baked clams, fried squid or shrimp, rice balls coated in tomato sauce, and more obscure dishes like squid ink linguine, which should be washed down with coffee soda. One of the best Italian restaurants in midtown Manhattan is found on 46th street next to 45th street. They have an open kitchen, where you can try a ton of fish dishes or alternatively engage in one of the order apps where Ferdinando’s food is featured.
Michael’s of Brooklyn
Michael’s is the place to go for a passionate and flavorful red sauce over a heaping meal of pasta if your notion of a perfect romantic date involves a restaurant.
The restaurant first opened its doors in 1964 and has a rusticated stone front. Inside, the dining area is cozy and welcoming, and a pianist performs on a grand piano perched on a raised platform above the bar, performing Sinatra classics and other popular tunes. It got some of the finest achievements like the Tony’s Di Napoli restaurant.
Everyone gets a dish of fresh mozzarella with grilled red peppers, and the linguine with red clam sauce has an especially abundant amount of clams. The enormous veal chop is the best in the borough, and no one else serves it. You can try anything from chef Allora’s menu. From grilled chicken to the plates of seafood. The delicious menu features everything.
Lilia
If Spiaggia in Chicago was the restaurant that brought Missy Robbins to everyone’s attention, then Lilia in Williamsburg was the restaurant that propelled the chef to superstardom.
Diners who are really fortunate may run across Robbins in the area of the flame-spitting wood grill, which is the appliance that is responsible for producing succulent lamb steaks. Diners who are unlucky enough to stroll in will be told by the host that there will be a two-hour wait.
For pasta of this caliber, it is not surprising that reservations are filled up months in advance; in particular, the sheep’s milk ricotta agnolotti, which is coated in a fragrant saffron honey sauce, is highly recommended. It is proclaimed by the Italian government as a modern space and a new home with the best Italian ingredients you can get. The permanent spot near times square has a family style and a restaurant’s heritage which has value.
Bamonte’s
The classic, red-sauce Italian cuisine served at Bamonte’s Restaurant has helped make it a Williamsburg institution for more than a century. It was established in 1900, and the same family has owned and operated it ever since. The same majestic hospitality is provided by waiters dressed in suits.
The famed pork chops with pickled peppers, salty clams oreganta, and spaghetti and meatballs are among the dishes that you really must-have. Do not pass up the ethereal cannoli, which is a treat that is not on the menu.
The Sopranos, the quintessential expression of Italian-American cool, was shot in this same location. There are raw bar items like bone marrow or other things from the long menu like lamb chops, which this neighborhood staple with year reputation features.
Roberto’s
The red sauced Italian-American food that is typical of the area is a pleasant departure from the contemporary Italian cuisine provided at Roberto’s Modern Italian Cuisine, which is located on a side street that is hidden away from the bustle of Little Italy in the Bronx.
The wine list has also been updated to reflect a higher level of sophistication, and the menu now has meals such as pasta and seasonal vegetables cooked “in cartoccio,” which literally translates to “in a foil pouch,” in addition to rabbit stewed with potatoes.
Roberto Paciullo, who was born in Salerno, Italy, is the man behind the villa-like restaurant known as Roberto’s, where you won’t find a single meatball on the menu. You can get the best steaks and other dishes like rustic Tuscan dishes made by innovative Italian cooking. The Roberto’s is also an ideal date spot or even a place for a large group.
Fausto
The crowd-pleasing pasta dish, a housemade orecchiette with pork and wilted greens, is almost always on the menu at Fausto, a restaurant with a warm, orange-colored interior.
Chef and owner Erin Shambura are responsible for the restaurant’s menu, which changes frequently depending on what is available at the nearby Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket. The majority of the items are on the easier side, such as a pork chop served with scorched apricot mostarda or a tiny gem salad.
Try a vintage amaro after dinner and be sure to acquire some of the natural wine that is picked by the sommelier, who is also a co-owner of the business, Joe Campanale.
The staff is welcoming and eager to educate customers. You may have a meal at Fausto by yourself at the bar with some pasta and a glass of wine, or you can bring your family there for supper or brunch while they are in town. Get the octopus salad or other saucy Sicilian specialties in this authentic Italian restaurant.
Al Di La Trattoria
The cozy space of al di la is amazing. Since 1998, the dimly lit and homey atmosphere of Al Di La has been a Park Slope favorite. Known for Anna Klinger’s northern Italian pastas, the restaurant is a popular choice for date nights and is also frequented by neighborhood residents for supper.
If it’s your first trip there, you should choose the spaghetti neri all chitarra (which is black spaghetti served with octopus confit, basil, and fiery chile peppers), the tagliatelle, and an order of mussels. It is a great restaurant on the upper west side and also one of the better seafood restaurants in the area. The shortage of neighborhood seafood restaurants and the shortage of Italian restaurants make the Al Di La the best space for southern Italian cuisine.
However, there is a lot more to discover here. Keep an ear out for the deals, and be prepared to wait during primetime, but the line probably won’t be as absurd as it is at other of Manhattan’s more high-profile locations.
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