We all can’t live without Italian food. My journey to find the best Italian food in NYC is due to my heritage that has defined my taste buds. And these taste buds remind me all the time how important it is to eat gluten. Yes, I mean gluten.
Everything starts with quality. Know what you are eating and especially where it comes from. Reading labels and ingredients is very important. For example, a good pizza should not make you thirsty and should not be indigestible.
Unfortunately, more and more often pizza doughs are prepared with flours too rich in proteins, gluten, resistant starch, and additives. The quality of a pizza also depends on the amount of time the dough is left to rise and cooked. As an international Italian student from the south of Italy, the gorgeous island of Capri to be specific, I just wanted to make sure I never got too nostalgic of home. Since my traditions are embedded within me, I needed to make sure my cuisine was just as accessible.
After living in NYC for almost six years I have found some gems I truly stick too. Italians love their food and they don’t mind sticking to the same old spots for the good stuff.
Here is a list of restaurants that make me feel at home and don’t break the bank, I am still a student after all !
1) La Masseria
This restaurant is basically my home away from home. My parents’ best friend is one of the owners and they grew up together eating Nonna Angelina’s Ravioli Caprese. Yes, the real homemade ravioli from the real Nonna.
One of his partners is from Puglia, the boot of Italy. He is the chef and has incorporated his region’s cuisine into the menu. Puglia is famous for their Orecchiette (an ear shaped pasta) with broccoli rabe and Italian sweet sausage. One of my favorite dishes here is the Milanese. The breaded part of the veal is made with their homemade breadsticks and bread crumbs. They have many options for homemade pasta and mouth-watering specials every night.
Save space for dessert because these Italians have evolved traditional cheesecake with a twist of Ricotta cheese. Cheesecake has never felt smoother. This restaurant maybe a bit pricy but that’s why I save it for special occasions, like after a Broadway show I’ve been dying to see. This is for the treat yourself day.
PS there are locations in Palm beach and Rhode Island.
2) La Masseria Dei Vini
Since La Masseria was doing so well, the owners decided to treat loyal customers, and I guess secretly themselves, by opening an authentic pizzeria. Accompanied with a unique and outstanding wine selection, is their Instagram-worthy interior design. I use the word authentic because the pizzas are unique and studied to detail for our palates to have the best experience. Other than their homemade mozzarella, they offer cheeses from various Italian regions. Since cheese is obviously an addiction use this experience to meet your new best friends.
While simple things are usually best, I love to challenge my taste buds to new flavor combinations as often as possible. One of my other favorite dishes here is the homemade vegetarian fried eggplant meatball appetizer. Live your life to the fullest and experience pizza on a real level.
3) Piccola Cucina
This Sicilian cuisine offers three locations in the Lower East Side. They are quite small, (“Piccola” means small in Italian) therefore it’s usually busy, and I would recommend a booking a reservation. However, if you’re desperate, you can bounce from one place to another, because nobody is cool to hang around when they’re “hangry”.
All three locations have changes in their menu and different price points, plus a lunch prix fixe. The location on Prince is the most affordable, but the location on Spring Street, in my opinion, is much more fun. The music is loud and the waiters and chefs love to have fun. However, the pasta is served in a pot and the portion is big enough to be your appetizer, entree and dessert. The best part of eating out of a pot is the leftover sauce at the bottom.
You can finish your meal as a true Italian with “La Scarpetta”, where you mop up the rest of the sauce in the pot until it is spotless. Show your good manners and clean the pot with your bread.
P.s. Cannolis are a must for dessert! I mean it’s Sicily wrapped in ricotta cheese and love.
4) Don Antonio
The most famous pizzeria in Naples, Da Starita, collaborated to open this pizzeria right here in NYC. Situated in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen, this pizzeria has something quite different to offer. They serve fried pizza, you know no biggie. I can’t even describe this place, you’ll just have to be surprised. In the case you feel like going to another level, they even offer fried dessert with Nutella. No judgments.
If for some reason you are not in the mood for fried pizza, Don Antonio by Starita is where pizza fans can indulge in an extensive assortment of more than 60 traditional and creative, wood-fired Neapolitan pies, crafted from the finest ingredients. Just don’t be too picky at that point. I can’t even describe this place, you’ll just have to go and be surprised!
5) Ribalta
As I mentioned previously, it is important to that the pizza dough follows the correct rising process. Well at Ribalta, you don’t have to worry. The Pizza Pala at Ribalta is left to rise for 72 hours, therefore, it is highly digestible. The original Pala comes with fresh mozzarella di bufala, which is nice and juicy. However, you can build your own pizza and be the creative genius you’ve always wanted to be. The best thing about Pizza in Pala is that it is meant for two. There are many other great things to try on the menu and they also have single pizza’s too, but as they say, sharing is caring. For those of you that have that awesome sweet tooth, don’t worry you can order a Nutella pizza for the grand finale. This is the place to bring your favorite person!
6) Cacio e Pepe
This Roman style restaurant brings me back to the days where I could just hop on the train and eat a great dish of Cacio e Pepe a few steps away from Fontana di Trevi. The best part is that they use a real wheel of parmesan cheese to flavor the pasta. It will never get better than that. They also have Bucatini alla Matriciana where they use real Guanciale (most restaurants use bacon as if it were the same). They have outdoor seating in the back of the restaurant. It’s also a great spot for brunch. Who said pasta isn’t a brunch food? #PastaforBrunch
7) Numero 28
This cash only spot is great for a large group of friends. You can choose the size of your pizza: 14″, 18″, 29″. There are days when you want a whole pizza to yourself, let’s just say you won’t leave this place hungry. The pizza is nice and thin. It’s pretty much the best flatbread ever. You can also play with the flavors. Just please don’t put chicken on pizza, it’s not cool. Remember the simpler the better and respect the real flavors.
8) Roberta’s
This super cool place in Brooklyn is so unique and offers great garden seating and a Tiki bar with great beats. Party and pizza sound like the perfect combo to me. It’s so fun to get out of the city and explore Brooklyn where the energy is strong enough to keep a smile on your face all day long. They have a real garden and use what’s in season to cook with. They are known for their pizza, but they have also adapted to the local needs and serve brunch. Their pizzas are so good you can buy frozen ones online or simply keep an eye out for Roberta’s frozen pizza in a store near you (I wouldn’t recommend frozen pizza in general but if you really must go frozen choose wisely). Pizza is good for brunch too! So, bring your friends to Brooklyn for the weekend for some good vibes only brunch! Again, #PizzaforBrunch.
9) Kesté
“This is It” is the Neapolitan dialect for translating Kesté, and it truly is. Kesté is part of the Don Antonio family and is about to open a new location on Fulton St. For the classic Neapolitan pizza lovers, everything here is decided for you. Pick any of their amazing flavor ensembles and enjoy a heart to heart with your loved one!
10) Saint Ambroeus.
We all need to splurge sometimes, it’s good for the heart and soul. What better way to splurge than on good food while dining maybe a few tables away from Sofia Vergara or Nicole Richie. The owners are from Bologna, a beautiful city in Northern Italy, therefore, what better place to try Tagliatelle alla Bolognese made with authentic veal ragù. They also have an amazing Carbonara made with real “Pancetta”. When you feel like taking date night to the next level or enjoying a night out in the meatpacking with your squad, this is where it’s all happening.