75 Best Restaurants in New York City, New York

New York’s oldest Italian caffè, open since 1891, pulls espresso and serves homemade gelato, cannoli, and Sicilian pignoli cookies, in a quaint space with pressed-tin ceilings, tiled floors, and heart-shape chairs.

Set on a nondescript block of Broadway, the original branch of the small, now-national chain is a favorite for families celebrating special occasions, preprom groups of teens, and locals looking for reliable Italian food. They come for mountainous portions designed to share, family-style, of tried-and-true Italian favs like fried calamari, linguine with white clam sauce, chicken parmigiana, and veal saltimbocca, all loaded with garlic or red sauce—or both. Family photos line the walls, an antipasti table groans under the weight of savory meats, cheese, and salads, and there's a convivial feeling amid the organized chaos. If you want a quiet or romantic dinner, this is not the place.

Savvy New Yorkers reserve early for the affordable Italian meals at this large, busy Midtown eatery, where family photos lining the walls lend a sociable feel to the Times Square hubbub. Groups carbo-loading for a day of sightseeing or a night of Broadway theater are rewarded with mountains of such classic, toothsome viands as fried calamari, linguine with white clam sauce, chicken parmigiana, and veal saltimbocca.

As an upscale eatery known around the world, Cecconi's made a splash when it joined the polished DUMBO culinary and cultural scene in 2017. The Italian menu and stunning East River–facing outdoor terrace are enough to warrant a visit; but no matter the season or weather, the roomy bar, outstanding service, and inviting furnishings make this a hot spot well worth a trip to this historic district.

On the far West Side, just past Moynihan Train Hall, discover this spacious, lively, second-floor restaurant in the middle of the Manhattan West megablock. Chef Hillary Sterling earned instant raves (and a James Beard nomination) for her excellent homemade pastas and her balance of hearty, familiar Italian dishes elevated with seasonal ingredients and live-fire cooking. The large dining room is lined with big half-moon booths perfect for taking in the busy open kitchen, as well as the city views from the airy window wall. As splendid as the food is at this new establishment from well-known restaurateur Danny Meyer, the wine and cocktail assortment is especially fantastic, and so are the irresistible desserts.

Chef Michael Toscano produces flavor-popping Italian dishes at his eponymous restaurant, located in a tiny alleyway between 6th Avenue and MacDougal Street. Menu hits include lamb neck-filled agnolotti, pappardelle with duck ragù and shaved foie gras, and garlic butter--stuffed chicken. Thursday to Saturday at lunchtime, the restaurant becomes a sandwich shop, making the best porchetta sandwich this side of Tuscany: rosemary-and-fennel-spiked pork with salsa verde, provolone cheese, and pork cracklings between two plus-size pieces of focaccia.

If you have a hankering for red-sauce Italian–American fare, steer clear of Little Italy, and book yourself into Don Angie, a restaurant that took a staid cuisine, updated it, and made it wholly edible again: quite a task. Sit in the retro front room—featuring checkerboard floors and arched doorways—and chow down on sopressini pasta paired with mussels, garganelli noodles with meatballs and guanciale (cured pork jowl), or the excellent (and hugely portioned) lasagna for two, a spiral-shape reimagining of the classic dish.

Both a bustling food hall and a marketplace where you can shop for produce, baked goods, prepared foods, and kitchen staples, Eataly is a temple to all things gourmet Italian. You can graze at individual stands, sit down for a meal at one of several restaurants that each specialize in different aspects of Italian cuisine, or head upstairs to Serra by Birreria, a covered rooftop space that's open year-round and serves Italian specialties and microbrews that change with the seasons.

Just a short walk from the ferry terminal, Enoteca Maria began an ordinary Italian eatery, with several nonne (Italian grandmas) in the place of a chef, each one cooking regional dishes on different nights. They've since branched out to celebrate global cuisines with "Nonnas of the World," and have been recognized for that incentive. On any given night you might sample Ukrainian, Sri Lankan, Greek, or Argentinian comfort food, cooked with organic ingredients sourced locally when possible. Check their website's calendar to find out what country the next nonna hails from, before she prepares dishes for you in this small, but welcoming space. 

Not all the grappa in this charming, diminutive Italian restaurant will help you pronounce its name, but you won't care once you tuck into the fabulous pasta dishes made in the open kitchen. The menu's focus is on Tuscany with a few nods south to Rome. The pappardelle al ragù is rich and satisfying. Same for the tagliolini laced with sea urchin. But for first timers and twenty-first timers, it's impossible to pass up the cacio e pepe, a simple, gooey, cheesy Roman pasta dish that tastes like it just magically materialized from the Eternal City.

A longtime favorite culinary pioneer in Carroll Gardens, Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli's Italian American restaurant has atmosphere to spare between the backyard and former blacksmith stable. Choose from the well-conceived menu's shareable salads (many with vegetables roasted or marinated with the Frankies' own Sicilian olive oil); house-made ravioli; meatballs with pine nuts and raisins; and crusty sandwiches that ask to be shared. The next-door F&F Pizzeria and Franks Wine Bar are both celebrated destinations in their own right.

In a city where you can't throw a meatball without hitting an Italian restaurant, this minimalist-designed, Tuscan-focused eatery is a real find. Spiky-haired owner Rita Sodi, a Florentine who formerly worked in the fashion industry, ensures the traditional Italian fare coming from the kitchen is satisfying and seasonal. Expect a bevy of pasta dishes, topped with good stuff like duck ragù, as well as artichoke-laced lasagna and pancetta-wrapped pork and rabbit. Hoist a glass of grappa at the end of the meal, and be happy you're in the right place. Chef Sodi also runs the excellent Via Carota around the corner on Grove Street. Service can be frustratingly cantankerous at times.

After doing some shopping at NiLu next door, stop into this spacious, rustic café with exposed brick that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Specializing in Italian American cuisine with popular options like penne alla vodka, there are also Asian-inspired dishes (like the Korean barbecue lettuce wrap made with marinated beef rib eye) and a wide selection of paninis. When the weather’s nice, there’s outdoor seating in the front or you can just grab a quick latte to-go before heading off to explore the area.

Seven shops within four blocks of Arthur Avenue make fresh mozzarella daily, but Joe's is one you don't want to skip. (The trick is, they add the perfect amount of salt.) For lunch, dive into one of the gigantic hero sandwiches, a generous portion of chicken parmigiana, or one of the other daily specials from the hot bar. The ceiling is draped with assorted house-made and imported cheeses, as well as multiple types of prosciutto and other meats.

Amid the bustle of Rockefeller Center, head to the rink level (one floor down from the street) for some of this neighborhood's most creative house-made pasta dishes. The trio of owners from downtown's King restaurant make this all-Italian trattoria a welcome discovery of delicate sauces, refined antipasti, and short but reliable entrée menu showcasing seafood, meat, and vegetarian dishes. Jupiter adapts the Rock's Art Deco style with modern decor that feels soothing and sophisticated, especially when gazing across the concourse to the ice- and roller-skating rink.

King is a beloved local spot run by three women who met while working at the famed River Cafe in London. Serving up better-than-average Italian and French fare in a stylish atmosphere, King's short menu changes frequently when new ingredients come into season, but expect dishes like Gorgonzola-spiked risotto, crispy chickpea fritters, and rosemary-accented hanger steak.

Pizza nerds already know to come to DUMBO for Juliana's and Grimaldi's, but now they'll rejoice knowing that renowned L&B Spumoni Gardens has entered the Old Fulton Street pizza arena—since its original location in the southern Brooklyn neighborhood of Bensonhurst has often been considered out of the way. While L&B became famous for their acclaimed Sicilian-style pizza pies, they also serve heroes, pastas, and other classic Italian-American entrées.

A nod to Midtown's famed, former Legacy Recording Studios, this chic eatery with a focus on the cuisine of northern Italy is well worth a far-west-side walk to the edge of Hudson Yards. The culinary dream team here also operates downtown's Charlie Bird and Pasquale Jones restaurants, focusing here on the north's coastal regions that are showcased with a crudo tasting menu, as well as more inventive dishes inspired by remote locales across Italy. The small bites and larger plates are sensational, elevated by the tantalizing cocktail program and enormous wine selection. The restaurant has a casual elegance thanks to its homey wood, leather, and brass details, with a compact dining room and inviting U-shape bar.

Tucked in Williamsburg's old-school Italian American residential area is this homey Italian café adorned with old vintage toys and other nostalgic knickknacks. They're known for serving proper Italian coffee to sip along with their several breakfast offerings, daily soups, pastries, or their house-made piadines (unleavened Italian flatbread) filled with meats and cheeses—or even just Nutella.

Run by one of Manhattan's top chefs, Andrew Carmellini, this is a consistently fine option for satisfying, sophisticated TriBeCa dining. Occupying the ground floor corner of the Greenwich Hotel (and affiliated with Robert De Niro), Locanda Verde is warm and welcoming, with accents of brick and wood, and large windows that open to the street, weather permitting. The inspired Italian comfort food is worth the splurge on tantalizing, seasonally inspired antipasti, spectacular handmade pasta dishes, and hearty secondi celebrating different regions of Italy. Several draft beers, along with more than a dozen wines by the glass, make an already hopping bar scene even more of a draw. The restaurant also has a location inside Midtown's Hudson Yards.

New York's first full-service meatball restaurant has a pedigreed chef, a professional waitstaff, a wine list, and a hip crowd. And the meatballs, oh, the meatballs: choose beef, pork, chicken, veggie, or "special" ball options that range from chili cheese to Greek lamb to Buffalo chicken; then decide if you want them served in sliders or a hero, as a salad, or as a platter.

New York City has no shortage of Italian restaurants, but Rezdôra stands out among the multitudes with its impeccable pastas with lineage from the underrepresented Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The meat and fish secondi (second courses) are wonderfully executed as well, but the pasta (handmade and hand-rolled) steals the show.