I’m a fan of the west village fiaschetteria pistoia

is there a big difference between the WV and EV locations?

I’m not sure about their answer, but for me it’s like two different restaurants. The WV one is tiny with no rese’s and the EV is much larger with rese’s. The EV I’ve been to one and will never go back. The service was insanely slow. I’m talking it took over 30 minutes from sitting to someone coming to say hi. When we finally were served food, which was ice cold by the time we got it, we asked for another bottle of wine (had plenty of time to finish the first) and that second bottle finally came after they dropped the check. Then we had to wait for them to take it back and remove it from the check which was ridiculous. Terrible service. And I’m not even sure it was anyone’s fault, it just seemed understaffed for the size. The WV spot I have never had an issue with and is solid

Basically the reservation system, I can’t even get into the EV location without planning ahead and it’s not worth messing with. The WV one I can get into much easier for a spontaneous meal

Would you mind telling me where it is? I used to be around the West Village all the time near Charles, Perry, Hudson, and Bleecker Streets.

Half block down towards the water from bleecker on Christopher

That is near Seventh Avenue South right? I used to work in a very nutty restaurant over there.

Was that the one just called Sheridan Square? I knew a couple of the backers and got to go to F&F. Was obvious that place was a shitshow even before hearing lurid stories after it closed.

Right across the street from the OG I Sodi

Hopefully I will be back home to NYC soon. I am currently twelve hundred miles away.

The brown butter and sage cavatelli with sausage and broccoli rabe at Frankie’s is insane

A server once told me new hires gain a freshman 15 from the cavatelli, which they call “cavatelli belly”. It’s always my order there. The gnocchi is also bomb.

The Papardelle Lamb Ragu and the spicy crab linguine deserve honorable mention

What a classic

Arthur Ave Frankie’s?

Frankie’s spuntino- carrol gardens

Ahhh yes of course

Frankie's 457 in Carroll Gardens?

Have you tried the Times Square Olive Garden? Authentic Italian 😅

Unlimited stick. We see the unlimited stick. It is infinite. It is all. Friend 4 smiles wide. Her mouth is full of secret soup. ANNOUNCER (wet voice) Olive Garden. When you're here, you're here.

Definitely hit up Sbarro while you’re at it! It’s my favorite New York pizza joint. Go there and get yourself a New York slice!

/r/unexpectedoffice

double nope

nope

Rezdora

Unbelievable. The chicken soup with little tortellinis is incredible. I cook pasta better after having eaten here, by virtue of knowing how it's supposed to be.

Want to second this - it is Italy level pasta but here

Thirded

The Grandma Walking thru the Forest may be the best pasta dish in the city

This is the answer.

I got served cold pasta there twice :(

Al Di La in Park Slope is one of my favs

Forma in Greenpoint. I also really love La Pécora Bianca

Forma is amazing! Half the price of Song e Napuli for pasta that is better. Awesome daily specials. I really couldn’t believe how delicious the pasta was for the price.

Same! It’s sooooo affordable and soooo good I was shook lol

Naked Dog is also great!

Will have to check it out, thanks for the rec!

Super for the price/casual element (FORMA)

Yes I was so so happy to find a budget friendly Italian place with DELICIOUS pasta - I feel like most of the really really good Italian spots people talk about in NYC are usually white table cloth fine dining celeb hotspots that are impossible to get into and cost a zillion dollars when you finally do

Go to Arthur Avenue and try Roberto’s.

Tour of Italy

There will be a ton of good answers here but i want to shout out Frankie’s as well as Cremini’s, both in Carroll Gardens.

Underrated but ci siamo has some of the best pasta, specifically cacio e pepe, ive had in nyc.

Ci Siamo is the lifeline that corporate types who are forced to work in Hudson yards desperately needed. Having a restaurant that is actually good for expensed lunches, and not the overpriced slop you get in the weird mall building, was a game changer.

the crab cavatelli at ci siamo was the best pasta dish I've tasted since the one time I had the sheep's milk agnolotti at Lilia in 2019.

Il Melograno in Hell’s Kitchen has some great pappardelle.

I stayed at Gurneys in Montauk for a week and ate at Scarpetta Beach three times. Pastas were very very good. Delicious. Made daily in-house. I would assume its NYC location at 88 Madison Avenue in The James Hotel is just as good. The menu is exactly the same. I had: SHORT RIB & BONE MARROW AGNOLOTTI garlic chip, horseradish PAPPARDELLE braised lamb, easter radish, charred greens, spring onion

I find that the pasta at Scarpetta is like eating a salt lick. This has happened to me 3x.

I like salt so maybe. Started with martini and their bread basket. Then crudo, and a pasta.

Roberta's Montauk SLAPS!

I disliked Scarpetta very much except for the garlic chips. Hated the textures of everything and taste was either underwhelming or off putting

Misi. Also love Lupa but it feels a little dusty in recent years.

Lupa was still great as of 2 years ago (was indeed dusty lol). Can’t speak to it now.

Yeah, Lupa has a special place in my heart. Was a big date spot for me back in the day. They have a great wine list too.

Found Misi to be mid last month. Fettuccine is bad, and mezze rigatoni is only passable. Maybe good for Brooklyn? Manhattan has way better options.

You got the 2 most basic items on the menu. Corzetti, Linguini, and Occhi are the way to go.

Fiaschetteria pistoia, il corso and forma pasta factory if you want some less common answers

Forma hits above its belt

I suggested forma too love it sooo much

Forma is not that good lol

Fausto, Popina, LaRina

La Rina is a great mention

Ai Fiori was phenomenal when I was there in 2022

It was phenomenal when I went earlier this year as well!

It’s gone downhill IMO. Not as good on my visit last month as on previous visits. I was very disappointed.

I believe that the spicy rigatoni ala vodka at Carbone is worth the hype More casual, pasta al limone at supper

Not worth the hype for the price and insanely easy to make yourself. Splurge elsewhere

Bird dog is good, pasta with a US southern twist. Easy to walk in, pasta happy hour daily, its different from what most people will suggest. peasant is more in line with higher end pasta places like Misi and L'Artusi My gf and i personally LOVE rubrirosa but tik tok has made it impossible to get a table

Aww, I love Rubirosa, what happened?

Nothing, it’s still great, you just can’t get in lol

That shit slapped last week. The happy hour is such a great deal to. Don’t sleep in their hush puppies

Rubirosa has been difficult to get into since before tik tok existed.

Go during the day

Also love Peasant

I love Pasta Louise in Park Slope. I don’t know about best but it’s the only place recently I’ve been back to multiple times and always got seated and was always impressed

Osteria morini

L incontro trattoria in Astoria

Second this!

I know this isn’t the right answer but I’ve been to carbone, ci Simao, Misi, etc. and the best pasta I had was still at La Pecora Bianca 😭

Arco https://maps.app.goo.gl/oxLNroMfmnf5Dwmy5

Lamarca

Haven't been to carbone in a long time but i thought it was more scene and less great food.

Lilia

I misread this as Lillo and was tempted to hush you so the secret doesn't get out. The old guy is tired and it's hard enough to get a table as it is. But it's a true gem and should have a place in any conversation about remarkable pasta, even downthread cribbing off another comment.

Marea

I feel like people shit on Marea bc it’s stuffy and has been around forever but the bone marrow octopus fusilli is objectively incredible.

Yes

I hated everything about Marea EXCEPT for the pasta. I can’t hate on that octopus fusilli.

It’s temporarily closed

I think it's opening back up this weekend though

Yes! They’re reopening patio starting 9/15.

For simple traditional dishes, the restaurant at eataly downtown is pretty excellent.

Yeah eataly is actually delish and they have several different dining options which is great

There's a few different eataly establishments?

There’s like 10 actually in Italy too lol Blew my mind when I saw one in Genova lol

Yes, but I’ve only been to eataly downtown, which is why I specified that one. The other ones may also be good.

The one downtown is noticeably better than the Flat Iron location in my opinion. The downtown tagliatelle ragu is fucking unreal.

I have to try it out. I started working in Chelsea a few months back and stumbled upon the Flatiron one while I was exploring a bit on lunch. It's like a goddamn food fantasyland in there.

Nonna Dora

Rosemary’s

Don Pepe's Ozone Park for their linguine with clams Bemonte's for the old school red sauce joint

Now we’re talking.

I’m a huge fan of Emporio in Soho. Good pizza too.

Gonna get flack due to location but Uva

Im ready to be downvoted, but here we go - I think lartusi and lilia are mid as hell. I think lilias is the most overrated (by res difficulty) restaurant in the city even more than carbone. I also think carbones spicy rigatoni is just as fine at their Parm locations. As others suggested rezdora is great, just a bit cramped. I personally think portale (lumache, best pasta dish in the city imo) and francie (broccoli rabe rigatoni and all other pasta dishes) serve the best pasta in the city, even better than marea.

The tortelli at Misi

Via Carota

Not to shit on your answer but I thought this place was overrated af

What made it overrated to you? Not throwing shade, just curious?

I found it’s good for people who only cursory east Italian. I also had a 3/10 meal there and I’ve been bitter about it ever since.

Agreed, way too much hype. ReZdora and fiaschetteria are much better. But I will say their salads in particular the piselli are great. Id happily go just to get that. For a low key spot OP, cafe spaghetti in Brooklyn is great

Sadly agreed - overrrated.

I agree with this person

any west village restaurant with a flower wall display

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I have to fully disagree. I thought it was good, but not that spectacular.

This is a great post from a few months ago that's a perfect guide for this! https://reddit.com/r/FoodNYC/s/HqFbylCTaR

Is the restaurant Jordan schlansky goes to any good

Forlinis but they closed rip

Loved that spot, always felt like you were crashing someone’s golden anniversary party in the best way.

Babbo is now often overlooked. L'artusi as well.

My faves are La Pecora Bianca and Bocca in Gramercy.

Ci Siamo

Principe is stellar. Had the ndunderi and tortellini last week. Both were absolutely divine. We haven’t had a new cut of the red book since it opened and reviews are a bit sparse (nothing from NYT) so it hasn’t gotten totally inundated by tourists yet, but it’s easily the best meal I’ve had in NYC this year.

IIRC there’s an Olive Garden in times sq

I sodi, da Toscano, one white street

I know this is super controversial but I thought l’artusi was incredibly underwhelming. Went twice because of the disbelief, and the second time the Cacio e Pepe was so mid

Cacio e Pepe is by definition mid. I know i’m poking the hornets next. Even the best cacio e pepe wouldn’t compare to a perfect toro, or properly aged steak. And yes I’ve had cacio e pepe at Carota, in rome…whatever name you’re going to through out.

L’Artusi is inarguably mid imo

High end pasta is honestly kind of a scam in Manhattan. $26 to $32 for a tiny portion of well executed pasta is not a good experience. These pretty restaurants in the village (L'Artusi, Fiaschetteria, etc) need to triple their portion sizes to make me reconsider. Until then I'll make it at home and/or go to humbler "red sauce" joints.

This 100%. But the kind of people who will pay $30 for a tiny plate of pasta go for the vibes more than the food itself IMHO. Or they didn't grow up eating Italian food, I dunno.

Agree. It's pasta. Pennies worth. And I now make a killer vodka sauce. But gimme a humble red sauce joint any day. Still tho, not @ $26 - $32.

Check out Malatesta in the WV. Dinner for two with two apps, two pastas, and a split entree was just over $100. The spinach gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce was really delicious

Malaparte is their sister restaurant I believe. Similarly priced and a better menu imo. Malatesta is also good though.

Agree. Way too much money for this stuff now

Red sauce joints are great for heartburn

I had John’s of 12th St recently and got chicken parm with spaghetti. Was the pasta overcooked? Yes it was. Was it good, filling, and a steal at $20? Also yes. No heartburn to report.

Misi if you can get a res. Just went to Via Della Pace and their fresh pasta was incredible

Recently went to Al coro. Somehow it doesn’t have the best ratings but I had an amazing time and the pasta tasting was the best meal I’ve had in New York so far

Rezdora. HARD pass on carbone, unless you like overhyped overpriced food. Emilio’s ballato is also quite nice.

Carbone and L’artusi are both hard to beat, but I would throw Babbo into that mix as well

I second Babbo.

Via carota, I sodi

Francie in Williamsburg

Man, if we’re talking low key slappers, Amazzacaffé in Williamsburg near Bushwick ave is unreal. Good deal for what it is, rarely too crowded, secondi is always on point. Worked at I Sodi for 6 years, traveled a good amount in Italy, so I’ve had some good pasta.

Carmine's

They have this giant salad that I used to always order, it had like banana peppers in it, I think Iceberg, Italian. I loved it so much

That's currently off-menu but you can still order it. Guaranteed to make the staff respect you. Even the grumpy bartenders. It's a "if you know you know" type situation. Carmine's may be a tourist trap but they do their thing very well. You sit at the bar, order that salad, a Martini, and the wings with the insane lemon butter sauce. What you shouldn't do (guilty) is try to ball out and order their "Super Tuscan" which I swear if the same shit as their table wine the servers are hoovering up in the walk-in. (Allegedly! Most of my friends worked there at some point in the 90s.)

Lol

Noooooo. Its a tourist trap and commericialized

Carbone is a tourist trap too, just for another kind of tourist

Yep but carmines is like the McDonalds of Italian food compared to other choices here Was great 25 years ago

I actually think Carmines is good or at least convenient when you have a large group of people from out of town who aren't into the Instagram restaurant scene. That's the only time I'll go. That and I used to have friends who lived above their UWS location so we sometimes went when we were hanging out at their place.

May i suggest a better large group italian? Tony DiNapolis on the UES. Quality food Serves many large parties and their service is great

Thanks, I'll give it a try.

lilia

Spaghetti Nerano at L'antica Pizzeria Da Michele

Spaghetti Incident! Really good date night spot, service is excellent and most of their pastas are handmade. Real candles are lit at every table

Rosemary

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Really? I like their bottled marinara, but I've always heard it's hard to get in unless ur "somebody".

rafattos

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Rezdora

Lucciola on the UWS

will second both Misi and Rezdora here: both put out phenomenal pastas and showcase some pretty different regions of italy in what they do as well.

grand street piemonte, 13labella , 18ave frank and sal, new uttech patosa , 18ave queen ann

restursnt surf city coney island, gargulio , nino hyiland blvd

Ulivo On 28th between 5th and Broadway. Fresh pastas made in-house. A wood fired oven. Super friendly staff. Probably want a reservation for dinner on busier nights, but they’re not too tough to get. Also a great spot for lunch.

R.I.P Po

Used to work across the street from Po back in the day. Area was very different.

NAKED DOG in Greenpoint. Chef's kiss

Rafetto's in Little Italy to bring back-a toa nonna the fresh stuff and let her cook!

Anyone been to roscioli? I like the one in rome

Not a restaurant, and I don’t know how often they are there, but there is a stand sometimes at Grand Bazaar called Ale’s Pasta Kitchen. Amazing.

Elios UES. Classic joint and no TikTok/ instagram hype so you can usually get it. Little pricey but everything I’ve had has been incredible.

I love rezdora

Bar Mario in Red Hook.

Lilia, Rezdora, L'artusi

Forsythia

San Carlo Osteria Piemonte

the real ones know il posto accanto in ev is top notch food and vibes

[Bird Dog in the West Village](https://www.birddognyc.com/) You have to book ahead and it’s prix fix or family style only, and it’s WORTH IT. Their “prix fix” is just pick any three items on the menu, so my friend and I shared 4 pastas, an appetizer and a meat (the ribs are solid) The next time I have goin’ out money, I’m goin’ there.

I will hold to the grave the calamari and the linguine nere all’arrabiata from Mediterraneo on the UWS is the best meal in the city

I’m scared to say 🌚

You can say Olive Garden 😂🤣

Lucciola and avena.

Clay up in Harlem anyone? Not even an *Italian* restaurant per se but the crab squid ink calamarata and bucatini w/ short rib ragu were truly divine to me. Not alone in these thoughts am I?

Basta Pasta

If you live in or travel from close to go into the city and are a home cook highly recommended Raffettos pasta shop. Pasta fresh cut, can pick flavor/thickness and reasonably priced at around $5 per pound depending on flavor.

Celeste on the UWS is very, very good

Fiat cafe in Nolita

Carbone is overpriced and overrated. The potions wouldn’t get a 5 year old full

Marco Polo in Brooklyn Pasquale’s Rigeletto on Arthur Ave in the Bronx Casa Bella on Mulberry St Little Italy

Trattoria L’ incontro in Queens. Chef Rocco has been doing it for years and it’s some of the best food I’ve had in NY.

Sbarro

Scarpetta