Where To Eat In Little Italy (That Isn't A Total Tourist Trap)

If you ask a New Yorker where to eat pasta, pizza, and cured meats in Manhattan’s Little Italy, they’ll probably just tell you to head to Arthur Avenue instead. We get it. The neighborhood's reputation as tourist-trap central is not unwarranted, but there is genuinely good Italian food here, provided you know where to look. Whether you're planning a special occasion meal, or just want a solid bite somewhere you’ll be guaranteed to get a table after haggling down the price of your Daddy's Little Meatball T-shirt, here are our top 13 picks for Italian food in—and around—the current boundaries of Little Italy.

Torrisi Bar & Restaurant

Though technically across the Broome Street border into Nolita , Torrisi in the historic Puck Building feels emblematic of the Italian-American neighborhood. The restaurant is from the people behind Carbone , and while it shares some DNA (impressive design, servers in tuxedos, general pageantry), it’s bigger and more interesting, with inventive dishes (chopped liver with Manischewitz jelly) that are just as good as the classics (spaghetti with lamb amatriciana). If you can’t get a reservation —and you probably can’t—try the walk-in-only bar area for a special night out.

Emilio’s Ballato

If you told owner Emilio Sr. his restaurant was in Little Italy—it’s just north, on Houston—he might blacklist you from the (constantly long) line forever. But red sauce is a state of mind, and for a classic New York Italian experience, there’s no better option than this vintage 1956 restaurant. Expect a wait at the celebrity-swarmed hotspot, which regularly entertains the likes of Taylor Swift and Barack Obama with big platters of buttery baked clams and off-menu veal parm smothered in vodka sauce. Come with a group and let a server convince you to do things “family style.” That just means taking the dishes and their prices and multiplying both, liberally.

C. Di Palo Wine Bar

Di Palo's is a long-standing specialty grocer on Grand Street, beloved since 1910 for their impressive selection of Italian meats, cheeses, and other pantry treasures. Right next door, the family's romantically lit wine bar, C. Di Palo, serves some of those same excellent products, as well as panini and off-the-beaten-path wines from more than 20 regions of Italy. Both their fresh burrata atop a well dressed salad of arugula and roasted red peppers, and salty, springy handmade fresh mozzarella are delicious, but you should also give strong consideration to a meat and cheese platter (five for $30). The one thing we don't love about this place is that it’s only open Thursday through Sunday.

Parisi Bakery

Parisi Bakery opened in 1903, and once counted Frank Sinatra among its regulars. The man had taste: They make excellent crusty bread here, and even better sandwiches. From cold cuts to meatball parm, just about every Italian deli standard is available—but The Dennis is the sandwich scribbled at the very top of their chalkboard menu for good reason. It’s hefty, with a chicken cutlet that achieves the perfect balance of crispy and juicy, and is well complemented by the sweet-tart balsamic vinegar, prosciutto, and soft mozzarella. There's no seating in the small, unflashy storefront, so plan on lugging your hero elsewhere to eat.

Rubirosa

Rubirosa, also technically in Nolita , is known for its thin-crust pies and bustling dining room that’s about the width of a subway car. If you need a place for a casual birthday or an impressive group dinner—whether in Little Italy, or any part of town—this restaurant should be near the top of your list. Reservations are scarce, but walk-ins are accepted, and that’s usually how we eat here. Just be aware that the host will probably tell you to come back in two hours (which is better than Torrisi , but still). Once you get seated, order both a vodka and a tie dye pie.

Pasquale Jones

You go to Pasquale Jones in Nolita for two things: wine and pizza. This Italian restaurant also serves pasta, small plates, and a few proteins cooked in a wood-burning oven—but don’t get distracted. The pizzas are puffy and chewy, with an appropriate amount of char, and the wine list always has interesting options made with Italian varietals that you’ve probably never heard of. It’s no longer difficult to get a table here, but the dining room—with its soft lighting and brown leather banquettes—is as charming as ever. Take advantage.

Il Cortile

If you long for a classic Little Italy experience—an old-school Italian joint smack in the middle of the chaos of Mulberry Street—Il Cortile (in operation since 1975) is precisely where you should go. The food at this restaurant with a charming glass-ceilinged atrium is rich, perfectly seasoned, and delicious, especially the luscious fettuccine di parma. Il Cortile also has a special place in Sopranos lore, because the cast would take a departing actor out to eat here when their character got whacked. You could do much, much worse for a last meal.

Pep's On Grand

Open since 2022, Pep’s On Grand is a newcomer along the geologic timescale of a neighborhood where multiple restaurants have been operating for more than a century. But there’s no mistaking this modern spot for a classic red-sauce joint: Almost everything in here is sleek and black, from the pizza oven roaring in the corner to the backlit leather banquettes (and even the toilet). But what Pep’s lacks in history, it more than makes up for in very good pizza, with a crisp, lightly charred crust that’s wonderfully chewy on the inside. Order the diavola with spicy salami.

Figo Il Gelato Italiano

There’s no shortage of gelato in Little Italy, but everything served at Figo Il Gelato Italiano (also in Astoria and Greenwich Village) is especially creamy and vivid. More unique offerings include the Figo—with caramelized figs and a cheesy ricotta complexity—but we can’t resist the classics, like chocolate hazelnut with Ferrero Rocher chunks either. Go ahead and treat yourself to a pistachio cone or a cup of the bright, vegan mango if you need a cold treat in the area. There's no indoor seating in the small, cheerful storefront, but your gelato will taste best if you enjoy it while taking a people-watching stroll down Mulberry Street anyway.

Gelso & Grand

This spacious, rustic Italian restaurant on the corner of Mulberry and Grand (Gelso is Italian for “mulberry”) is a good option for groups and families, not to mention diners in a rush, who need their food to come out about five minutes after ordering. You’re in store for a solid—if not particularly memorable—meal here, though we’d steer you toward the pizza over the pasta. Especially the chili oil-streaked Inferno, which is much hotter than anyone would reasonably expect. The best thing about Gelso & Grand is that it really takes advantage of its prime Little Italy location, with big windows that open onto the street, and an appealing outdoor seating area entwined with white-flowered branches.

Ferrara Bakery & Cafe

If you’ve walked through Little Italy even once, you’ve noticed Ferrara Bakery, with its neon signs and enormous ice cream cones mounted above the awning. It's worth stepping inside—even just to experience the old-fashioned elegance of the tile floors, massive mirrors and elegant dark wood molding of this 1892 institution. There's a selection of Italian candies, liqueurs, and other prettily packaged gifts to browse too, and while the baked goods here can be hit-or-miss, the huge, sublimely flaky lobster tail is great.

Da Nico

Da Nico hosted the Sopranos 25th anniversary party, which gives them quite a bit of Mulberry Street cred. Street cred aside, the food here is unremarkable, but for the true (extra touristy) Little Italy experience, this two-floor restaurant is a solid choice, especially for big groups. Listen in on a conversation between four women in fur, order the pizza vodka, and say yes to any opportunity for tableside spoonfuls of pre-grated parm. You'll get free zeppoles with the check, which are a little too chewy. But free.

Caffé Roma

A Little Italy fixture since 1891, Caffé Roma is widely acknowledged to be the oldest Italian bakery in New York. They serve a nicely chewy pignoli cookie, though our go-to is the affogato, made with strong espresso and your choice of housemade gelato. But truthfully, you don’t come to Caffé Roma for the food. You come for the well-preserved old-world character: the green tin ceiling, the intricate tile floor, the chandelier, and especially the majestic old clock over the bar. The clock has stopped, which feels appropriate.