The Ranking — Best Italian in NYC
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Lilia
Missy Robbins turned a Williamsburg garage into the hardest Italian reservation in the city. The mafaldini with pink peppercorn is the dish that built the reputation, and the wood-grilled fish holds up beside it. Book 30 days out; best for a serious pasta dinner.
Torrisi
Rich Torrisi reimagines Italian-American in a dim Nolita room, the spread-eagle chicken and a deep Italian wine list the draw, around $115 a head. Best for a special-occasion New York dinner where you want the kitchen to lead.
Rezdora
Stefano Secchi cooks Emilian pasta in the Flatiron and the tortellini in brodo is among the best in America, tasting around $90. Best for fresh-pasta obsessives who will happily eat eight courses of it.
Il Buco
The NoHo original still sets the standard for rustic Italian-Mediterranean, whole branzino and olive-oil flights under hanging copper, candlelit and low. Best for a long, unhurried dinner for two.
Don Angie
Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli built a modern Italian-American hit in the West Village around the pinwheeled, crisp-edged lasagna for two, around $75. Best for a date, with a drink at the bar while you wait.
Locanda Verde
Andrew Carmellini's Tribeca all-day room runs bright and buzzy, the blue-crab crostini and porchetta the orders to make, around $85. Best for a group dinner near the downtown hotels.
Charlie Bird
A Hudson Square room where hip-hop meets a serious Italian wine list, the farro salad a New York staple and the pasta confident, around $80. Best for a lively dinner that still takes the food seriously.
Lincoln Ristorante
Shea Gallante's glass pavilion at Lincoln Center is the most refined Italian on this list, handmade pasta and a calm dining room before the opera, around $120. Best for a pre-performance dinner that is an occasion itself.
Ci Siamo
Hillary Sterling cooks fire-driven Italian at Manhattan West, the wood-grilled breads and pastas the signatures, around $95. Best for a polished business dinner in a handsome modern room.
Ai Fiori
Michael White's Midtown room runs Italian and French Riviera cooking with a formal hand, the garganelli and a long wine list the draw, around $130. Best for an expense-account dinner or a quiet celebration.
L'Artusi
A West Village standby that has cooked confident, modern Italian for over a decade, the bucatini and olive-oil cake reliable year after year, around $80. Best for a no-drama dinner you can actually book.
Via Carota
Jody Williams and Rita Sodi's no-reservations trattoria draws a queue for the svizzerina and the insalata verde, around $60. Best for a walk-in lunch; expect a real wait at dinner, so skip it if you are on a clock.
Rosemary's
A West Village rooftop-garden trattoria, easy and green, the cacio e pepe and house ricotta the orders, around $60. Best for a casual date or a sunny lunch, not for a quiet formal night.
Il Mulino
The Greenwich Village old-guard room, garlic-heavy classic Italian and a parade of free antipasti, around $110. Best for a traditionalist who wants the New York red-sauce ritual, not for a light meal.
Upland
Justin Smillie's California-Italian on Park Avenue South, the cacio e pepe and burrata the signatures in a bustling tiled room, around $85. Best for a busy weeknight dinner with a crowd.
Carbone
The Thompson Street red-sauce icon, the spicy rigatoni vodka and tableside-carved veal parmesan at around $130, captain service and a permanent scene. Best for the theatre; skip it if you want a quiet conversation.
Bar Pitti
Cash-only Sixth Avenue institution for plain, good Tuscan cooking and prime people-watching, no menu but a recited specials list, around $50. Best for a low-key lunch, not for a planned celebration.