Stellar Italian Restaurants in New York

In Williamsburg, Massara brings the flavors of Southern Italy to life with wood-fired breads, handmade pastas, and a moody, minimalist interior that feels more Milan than Brooklyn. Don’t miss the focaccia, still warm from the oven.

A West Village institution, Via Carota defines effortless Italian charm. The cacio e pepe is a New York rite of passage, and the rustic, vegetable-forward antipasti make you feel as if you’ve stumbled into a Tuscan farmhouse.

Rich Torrisi’s namesake restaurant in Nolita blurs nostalgia and ambition. The menu revisits Italian-American classics through a fine-dining lens—think garlic knots, duck alla scarpinocc, and a showstopping house-made mozzarella course.

At Ribalta near Union Square, pizza is a craft and a calling. Using imported Italian flours and long fermentation, the team turns out some of the city’s most faithful Neapolitan pies—charred, tender, and deeply satisfying.

In Park Slope, Fausto is the neighborhood restaurant everyone wishes was theirs. Chef Erin Shambura’s handmade pastas and soulful seasonal cooking make this one of Brooklyn’s most consistently delightful Italian tables.

A newcomer with an old soul, Cotenna in the West Village leans into refined Northern Italian flavors—silky risotti, elegant seafood crudi, and a wine list that rewards exploration. It’s intimate, stylish, and quietly confident.