The best Italian restaurants in New York City

The five Italian restaurants rounded up below will never let you dow:

1.Marea, Central Park South

Marea is the recipient of the Best New Restaurant in America Award by the James Beard Foundation. While it is primarily a seafood establishment, Chef Michael White makes some of the best pasta in New York. You’ll find praiseworthy lobster burrata, fusilli with octopus, and bone marrow and steak on the menu.

To get the full experience, you should really dive into some of the seafood dishes, such as the polipo, which is grilled octopus served with smoked potatoes and pickled red onions. It is phenomenal. Lunch and dinner both offer a tasting menu, which is the best way to try as many of the delicious options at Marea as possible.

2.L’Artusi, West Village

L’Artusi in New York’s West Village puts a creative, modern twist on traditional Italian food, leaving you feeling both comfortably at home and excited by a few of the more bold and unexpected flavor choices. The comprehensive wine list, which is arranged by region, attracts many diners. As far as entrees go, the pizzoccheri comes highly recommended.

It is a buckwheat pasta served with Brussels’ sprouts and potatoes and then topped with melted fontina cheese. L’Artusi has two floors of comfortable seating as well as a bar and a chef’s counter that overlooks the open-concept kitchen. The atmosphere is fun and upbeat from the decor to the attitude and personality of the servers.

3.'Cesca, Upper West Side

'Cesca is a popular spot for theater-goers to grab a pre- or post-show bite as it is located next door to the Beacon theater in the Upper West Side. The restaurant has a farm-to-table philosophy and sources most of their ingredients locally. The medium-sized dining room is typically quite busy with foodies who flock here for the traditional and diverse Southern Italian menu.

The menu features several varieties of house-made pastas such as the garganelli or the linguini alla vongole as well as several praise-worthy grilled meat entrees. The menu is perfectly accompanied by a deep and varied wine list that highly emphasizes Italian wines as well as the standard selection of desserts.

4.Italian Restaurants NYC: Maialino, Gramercy Park

Maialino is a Roman-style trattoria located at the Gramercy Park Hotel overlooking the park itself. Chef Nick Anderer and restauranteur Danny Meyer have developed an experience that, while reminiscent of rustic Italian cuisine, is also relevant to the urban New York scene. The atmosphere is warm, friendly, and comfortable and the food follows suit.

The weekend brunch is especially good with poached egg and porchetta sandwiches or uova al contadino, which is two poached eggs served alongside Brussels’ sprouts and turnips. The word maialino in Italian means ‘little pig’ and the heart of the menu is pork. From the well-done bucatini all’amartriciana to the favorite among carnivores, the maialino al forno, Maialino does pork like no other Italian restaurant in New York.

5.Patsy's Italian Restaurant, Midtown

Patsy’s Italian Restaurant is a family-owned restaurant that has been a staple on Manhattan’s West Side since 1944. This landmark establishment serves authentic Neapolitan cuisine. Some of Patsy’s signature dishes are the veal chops Siciliano, chicken contadina, and the calamari stuffed with seafood. The theater district restaurant is well known as Frank Sinatra’s favorite restaurant and his family still visits whenever they are in New York.

There are many other high profile patrons who visit Patsy’s on a regular basis, so your chances at a celebrity sighting are high. The restaurant has developed a line of pasta sauces that are available in six varieties both online and at fine and specialty grocery stores throughout the country.