314 Pizza Pasta & Cocktail Bar

314 is a roomy setting for a casual Italian meal near the 1 train station at 125th Street. It’s sandwiched between exposed brick walls, with a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto a porch-like outdoor area, and you could bring your entire extended family here for dinner, though you might have to strain your voices a little over the generic remix playlist.

It’s also a good spot for a relaxed dinner date over sweet-but-strong cocktails with silly names (like Gym Tonico), and a red, white, or vodka pie with a light crust that’s just a little wetter in the middle than a typical NYC pizza. Other dishes are solid: the arancini are served hot and gooey, with some marinara made of liquid tomato lava, and the focaccia is nice and crisp on the bottom. Drop in every once in a while if you live in the area, and try something different from the extensive lunch, brunch, or dinner menus.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Sonal Shah

314 Pie

The restaurant’s namesake pie has red sauce, little pepperoni cups, gorgonzola, mozzarella, and a bit of hot honey. It’s more cheesy than saucey, and we’d recommend getting the larger pie—the light crust seems to come out a little better charred.