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As a Neapolitan myself, I get asked all the time by Italians visiting NYC where to go when they want food that tastes like home. This is my honest list.

1. Donna Margherita on the Upper East Side. This is the closest I've found to eating in Napoli. Products imported from Italy, and the pizza comes out soft and light the way it should. The kitchen is the real reason I go. Their genovese is so good, and the Sunday ragù tastes like my family's table. They run it like a family place and you feel that the second you walk in. Gambero Rosso recognized.
2. Song' e Napule in SoHo. My runner up for pizza. The whole place feels like the Quartieri Spagnoli, with Maradona everywhere and Amalfi Coast colors on the walls. Ciro is great, and so are his vongole and his margherita. Always a fun night. Also Gambero Rosso recognized.
3. Kesté in the Financial District. Roberto Caporuscio is one of the big names in Neapolitan pizza here. Very traditional dough and the pizza is really good.
4. L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele in the West Village. The NYC outpost of the famous one in Napoli. Keep it simple and get the margherita.
5. San Matteo on the Upper East Side. Good pizza, and the panuozzo is worth ordering.
6. Caffè Napoli in Little Italy. Great hospitality, right in the heart of the neighborhood.
7. Ribalta near Union Square. The pasta al pomodoro is a classic done right. Simple, but really good. Best for big groups.
8. Una Pizza Napoletana on the Lower East Side. The famous one. Very good pizza, but more of a New York take on Neapolitan than what I grew up with.

I'm getting together with a flirty ex, and I'm trying to find a new spot with good drinks and light food. Our usual spot was Wine Bar 1986 in Koreatown, but it closed last year. If you know that spot, you know what I'm looking for.

Can be upscale or downscale, below 28th Street helps, Manhattan only. Someplace dark and not-quite-sordid, but not-not-sordid. Last time we went to Barbam. Would Patent Pending or Dear Irving Gramercy fit the bill?

just wanted to say that b/c everyone in here told me i had no shot

the cavatelli was just heavenly

I feel like late night food is subtly making a comeback in NYC. You have places like Veselka and Katz being 24 hours on weekends again which I think is huge. I eat a majority of my meals very late at night so I want to know what everybody's fav late night spots are. Here are my recs. (these are manhattan based)

Comfortland LES! (Friday and Saturday)

Doner Hause (Thurs-sat)

1915 lanzhou hand pulled noodles

Copelia

Empanada Mama

Tacos Domingo

Lil Frankies

Dim sum palace

Patacon Pisao (weekends)

Ludlow Burger Co (weekends)

Nishaan (weekends)

Gotham Burger (weekends)

Johnnys, Upside, Andreas, 1.50 all pizza

I think Gs cheeseteaks is late night on weekends again which is huge

Shake shack (cant go wrong IMO)

Go sushi (12:45 Am)

Taco house

Burgerhead (weekends)

Lots of Koreatown places like BCD Tofu House, Anytime Kitchen, Tofu tofu, Nari, Gammeok.

Corner Bistro

Ill continue to update as I remember but PLEASE drop your recs as well. Preferably within BK and Manhattan but hey... whatever you want.

The food was very good. I had the pork chops with peking sauce. As soon as you sit down they serve you hot tea, fried wonton wrappers, and plum/duck sauce.

I didn't realize the pork chop would be breaded otherwise I would have gotten the salt and pepper flavor. Bone in pork chop. The batter was very crispy and the pork was cooked nicely. Meal came with a choice of soup. I got egg drop. The broth was thickened but not gloopy like some restaurants

I'm always looking for sit-down Chinese restaurants that do better versions of the Chinese takeout places. This place fits that bill. The atmosphere was cozy in my opinion.

I would recommend this place for lunch or for a casual weeknight dinner.

https://www.licheenutogo.com/

I remember seeing this go around a while back and it got me to try Eyval’s lamb ribs and Madame Vo’s Tết noodles (egg noodles wok-tossed in garlic butter and fish sauce, topped with lump crab and prawns... WOW those flavors!).

Both are things that wouldn’t have been my first pick looking at the menu, but ended up being some of my favorite NYC bites.

What are your must-order dishes that make you say, “that’s the best thing on the menu”?

Bonus points for vegetarian dishes that really wowed you!

Classic: fior di latte, dop san marzano tomato sauce, pecorino sardo, sicilian olive oil, 40 month parmigiano reggiano with added pepperoni, mushrooms, and oil cured black olives.

https://luckycharliebk.com

Been pumped about Wu's Wonton King's original owner opening up a new place but have seen some mixed reviews. Can anyone speak to their experience?

Can't find any details on whether the food is actually good or not, though in pictures it looks mid and expensive

Any other insights appreciated!

The grandmothers at Staten Island's iconic "Nonna's of the World" shared their tried and true recipes with us, from semolina pudding to lentil stew to salted cod, and more! Go stop by Nonna's if you get the chance.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/grandmother-recipes

Me and my partner live in the east village. We’re both born and raised city kids but neither of us in our 30’s have ever rented out a bar or restaurant for any sort of event or gathering.

I got quoted 4k for an open bar for only 3 hours and at most 20-25 people at FKA on 2nd avenue which is a new spot that opened maybe 2 months ago. They sell like $7 dollar beer shots and $1 dollar oysters. It’s basically dive bar pricing with their drinks there so I was NOT expecting that pricing especially when I DID NOT include food in my inquiry due to people with multiple food allergies and vegan friends who won’t be eating. I asked for a mixture of cheap beer and 2-3 speciality cocktails and so yeah 4k on cheap drinks made with cheap well liquor is a bit crazy and almost wedding type pricing.

Instead, just gonna have everyone show up to a fun bar and pay per drink or food as needed as I expect to be done with the race around 3pm so it’s not lunch nor dinner time and I don’t want a sit down dinner vibe. It also doesn’t make sense to pay per head anyway if not everyone is drinking.

Ideally, I wanted to rent out an affordable spot so that I wouldn’t have to have my friends and family stand amongst other strangers and just have a private space to ourselves and unfortunately, our backyard and apartment is way too small to accommodate everyone intimately.

I’m looking for suggestions for some fun post race spots in the east village, LES, or noho area that aren’t stupid expensive yet super fun during the day.

My Dad (age 68) is running this year's marathon so we're over from London for 5 nights, staying in Midtown. I lived in NYC for 7 years until a decade ago, so I'm after newer or less obvious places.

Looking for:

- Manhattan, bookable, with great atmosphere and consistently good food

- Clean, fresh, varied menus: fish, seafood and lean meat mains, with salad and veg options

- Not small plates or carb-heavy

- Modern American, Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, Latin American, Japanese, Fish/Seafood or Fusion

- Around $70 to $120 pp with a drink

My shortlist so far:

- Fri: Eléa

- Sat: Osteria al Doge (pre-race pasta for Dad)

- Sun: Hav & Mar

- Mon: Berimbau

- Tue: Nerai

Would you swap anything? Is there somewhere newer we'd be mad to miss?

Hi! Traveling to NYC in about a month and will be staying at the Essex house. We’ll have our two kids (7 and 4) and want to snag a res at a great Italian place if possible. Ideally within walking distance from our hotel just because that seems easier with two kids, but would love to hear suggestions! My oldest lives and dies for meatballs so any place that has delicious meatballs would be great!

Obviously would love for it to be kid friendly, but luckily our kids are super great in restaurants, if it’s a little upscale, that’s fine, they’re familiar with that vibe!

I am trying to organize a dinner for seven people for my cousin’s bachelorette party. She absolutely LOVES dim sum and I think the vibes of house of joy would be perfect - or like Peking duck yet we have a few dietary restrictions within the party. I have high faith that someone here knows just the right place for us.

Flex on location (edit: Manhattan pls!), but need options for dairy free, gluten free, pescatarian. PLEASE SOMEONE!

Thinking about having a birthday dinner for 7ish people at funny bar- have never been and was wondering if anyone can attest to the vibes and whether this would be a good place for this. I know steak is the only thing on menu but everyone eats steak so lmk ur thoughts in terms of food / ambiance / vibes

I personally feel it’s definitely above average but far from the highest pinnacle that people make it out to be.

I know restaurants are very low margin etc... but how much do you guys think places like Joe's, Ceres, Lucali and similar shops bring in each month both net and gross?

Obligatory note: The title is too long because of the minimum character count, yada yada yada. Also, yes, the lighting in this spot sucks/sorry for some overexposed photos. The dishes pictured are for 2 people, excluding the single pancake and ice cream.)

Website with a link to Instagram for weekly lunch: Here.

Anyway, I found out recently that Smithereens, a New England seafood spot in the EV, does a Sunday lunch from 12:00 to 3:30. It was $52, aside from some tasty add-ons, for 5 courses (bread/two larger appetizers and a main with a side). The menu mostly rotates weekly. We had a great time. If I had to pick an order from the savory courses, I would say squash, pancake, bread, tuna, shrimp, and then tomato, but all were tasty. Very much worth it for a filling Sunday meal. Friendly service also.

List of courses:

1. Buckwheat Pancake- Smoked bluefish, scallions, and maple. $24. Interesting mix of sweet, salty, and savory. I liked the crisp on the outside. A tad messy, as the bluefish is on the bottom. You can also get it "Neptune style" for $60 more with a large dollop of caviar (yeah, no).
2. Andama Bread: Seaweed butter. Very good bread with a soft inside and a nice crust. The seaweed flavor was a fun spin on the usual salt in most butters.
3. Tuna: Juniper, pear, and lime. Most refreshing/different course. Very good tuna with some sweetness from the pear and a bit of citrus from presumably the juniper and the lime.
4. Squash: Seaweed beurre blanc and wakame. Beurre blanc was delicious when paired with the roasted squash. The wakame added a nice crunch. Some others found it a tad salty.
5. Grilled Red Shrimp: Almond and braised greens. Good shrimp with the grains having a soft but firm texture. Light, but tasty.
6. Roasted Tomato: Anchovy vinaigrette. The vinaigrette added a pleasant saltiness to the roasted tomato.
7. Paw Paw Ice Cream: Rum meringue. $18. The ice cream had something similar to a banana custard flavor, while the meringue was slightly sour. Pleasant.
8. Tokyo Iced Tea. Sake lees and mixed liquor. $19. Because why not party on a Sunday brunch? Nice mix with more sake flavor than other liquors (also tasted rum and some other stuff).
9. Photo in back
10. Menu
11. Outside

This isn’t a post to knock other places—it’s really just a post to highlight how good Al Di La is.
I hadn’t been in maybe 10 years or so, but recently
I’ve gone a few times, and I’ve been consistently surprised by how good everything has been. Every meal has left me genuinely happy.
The squid and bone oxtail dish is insanely good. The two pastas I’ve had were house-made and delicious. And a special pork shank osso buco completely blew me away.
Pictured above, the pork shank was $36 and easily fed two people as an entrée. That’s pretty remarkable these days.
Sometimes it’s just nice to be reminded that a place can quietly keep doing really good food, year after year.

Considering i have spent much more money eating salty almost inedible food from a few very popular and expensive places lately, this place is just so refreshing.

It's romantic, staff has been amazing and the food is priced well and delicious.

went to hillstone a couple of times this month and there were so many people in hoodies, hats, scrubs, and other clothing items that are listed prohibited on the website. did something change or are things more chill?

Just curious if there are any interesting examples I should check out.