Best Italian Restaurants in NYC: Our 10 Favorites, Including Budget Options
New York City has endless cuisine options, but possibly the strongest represented category is Italian restaurants. In this episode, we’ll cover the 10 best Italian restaurants in NYC, at least according to us. 😉
You cannot have New York City without Italian culture, food, and its people. Over 2.5 million Italian-Americans live in the greater New York Metro area, making them the single largest demographic group.
Our top 10 Italian restaurants include (not quite in order):
- Giano
- Briciola
- La Pecora Bianca
- Piccola Cucina
- Don Angie
- Lavagna
- Quality Italian
- Giardino 54
- San Marzano
- Pazza Notte
Access all of these + multiple other curated Google Maps lists as part of our newsletter perks.
Let’s look at each one below. 👇
Note: This article was written by a real human who lives in NYC, not artificial intelligence. 🥸
Best Italian Restaurants in NYC Podcast Episode
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Brief History of Italian Culture in NYC
Between 1820 and 1978, 5.3 million Italians immigrated to the United States, including over two million between 1900 and 1910. However, most planned a short stay to make money, and about half returned to Italy.
While today, Little Italy is in Lower Manhattan, East Harlem was the initial landing spot for a majority of Italian immigrants in the early 1900s. Over the decades, many Italian immigrants migrated to other parts of New York City and its surrounding suburbs.
While Italians are still one of the largest demographic groups in New York City, Little Italy in Lower Manhattan has decreased in size as many of the older generations pass away or move out of the city.
Despite that, Little Italy in Lower Manhattan is still a hub for phenomenal Italian cuisine. It also hosts the Feast of San Gennaro every year in September.
Giano – Our Favorite Italian Restaurant in NYC
In the heart of the East Village, Giano is a cozy Italian spot serving delicious homemade pasta dishes.
The staff is very friendly, the food is fresh, and they boast a solid wine list.
Giano is one of our favorite Italian restaurants in NYC! And we don’t say that lightly…
Our favorite dishes are the Tagliatelle alla Bolognese and the Rigatoni con Salsiccia.
Read our full Giano review here.
Briciola
We first tried out Briciola in Hell’s Kitchen by accident… we thought we were walking into B Side Pizza! 😅
It ended up being a delicious mistake!
Briciola is an intimate Italian spot with a wide selection of wines and small bites. Certainly worth a try!
The Maccheroni al Tartufo will change your life. We also love the truffle gnocchi.
Super small and intimate space with wine bottles on shelves all around you. The staff is always very nice. Communal style table seating.
La Pecora Bianca
La Pecora Bianca has 6 locations in NYC, meaning they know how to run a solid Italian cuisine establishment.
The meatball appetizer is one of our faves. All pastas are made in-house, and they also offer a phenomenal burrata.
Check out La Pecora Bianca here.
Piccola Cucina Uptown
Piccola Cucina Uptown is a super cozy and authentic Italian spot. Make sure to get a reservation or go for an early dinner because the space is small.
Don’t skip the tiramisu, they make it right at your table and it is some of the best we’ve ever tried.
Check out Piccola Cucina Uptown here.
You’ll Have to Check It Out Segment – Alwyn Court House
The Alwyn Court was built between 1907 and 1909 and was designed by Harde & Short in the French Renaissance style. It is one of several luxury developments constructed along Seventh Avenue during the late 19th and early 20th century.
The Alwyn Court was made a New York City designated landmark in 1966 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
The decorative terracotta details on the facade include quattrocento-style pilasters, baldachin-like canopies, and crowned salamanders representing Francis I, in addition to fleurs-de-lis, cameos, and escutcheons. The Alwyn Court uses terracotta because, at the time of its construction, it cost one-third as much as other material such as stone. Since it was possible to reuse the molds that were used to bake the terracotta, the amount of decoration was limited only by the number of unique designs.
Notable residents have included:
- Liam Neeson
- Frederick Steinway, then president of Steinway & Sons
- Jessica Hecht
See it on your way to or from Central Park!
Don Angie
Don Angie gained considerable hype when it was awarded a Michelin star in 2021 (which it lost in 2023).
The Chrysanthemum Salad and Our Lasagna for Two are unbeatable dishes.
Reservations are hard to come by. If you go as a pair and put your name down on the wait list, you can often get in if you’re willing to wait and/or sit at the bar.
Lavagna
Lavagna is a cozy and cute Italian restaurant recommended to us by our long-time NYC resident friends. Everything we’ve had has been delicious, fresh, and reasonably priced.
Plus, they have a really cool ceiling and decor.
Quality Italian
Quality Italian is one of the more high-end options on this list, but the service, ambiance, and food justify the cost.
The Lobster alla Vodka is phenomenal, they even light it on fire while preparing it table-side.
You must try the homemade sambuca.
Check out Quality Italian here.
Giardino 54
Giardino 54, located next to one of our favorite bars, Valhalla, is a cozy, bright spot with welcoming decor and a nice indoor-outdoor feel.
The pastas and salads we tried were delicious. Plus, they have wine on tap. 🍷
San Marzano
San Marzano is one of the best Italian restaurants in NYC on a budget. They offer well-priced Italian dishes in a no-frills setting.
Plus, they have cheap drinks too! All bottles of wine are under $30, which is unheard of in NYC.
Pastas start at $14.
It’s a younger crowd due to its close proximity to NYU, but we’ve had great meals here multiple times.
Related: NYC Cheap Eats: 10 Meals for $10 (or Less)
Pazza Notte
Pazza Notte is a phenomenal restaurant in the heart of Midtown that’s conveniently located near the MoMA.
They’re famous for their 2-for-1 martinis, massive salads, and delicious pastas. Great option for before a Broadway show.
Highly-Rated Restaurants in Little Italy, NYC
While none of our top 10 are located in Little Italy, it felt like a crime not to include any recommendations for a famous Italian area of Manhattan.
Here are 5 highly-rated Italian restaurants in Little Italy:
Best Italian Restaurants Recap
No matter the length of your NYC trip, it should include a stop at one of these delicious Italian restaurants. Authentic dishes, cozy ambiance, and a feeling as if you’ve stepped into Sicily await you!
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Devin Stagg
As long-time lovers of New York City we made the plunge to move across the country to NYC in early 2021... with our 3 dogs at the time (RIP Buddy). We consider ourself experts in exploring new restaurants, finding the best-rated bars, and activities actually worth doing. Plus, my Google Maps organizational skills are 2nd to none. 😜
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