While there will always be a place in our heart for a classic red sauce old-school Italian restaurant, checkered table cloths and all, we’re also eyeing a crop of less-traditional restaurants that still focus on regional Italian fare, but deliver a more modern interpretation.
Chefs like Jonathan Waxman paved the way for California-Italian style cooking in the 1980s through his restaurants JAMS and Barbuto. Today, places like Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria, a dining room and Italian grocer, keep the spirit alive.
With these notes in mind, here are 10 of the best modern Italian restaurants in the city, proof that there is something for everyone in the Big Apple.
Barbuto
Celebrity chef Jonathan Waxman brought his Cal-Italian fare to the West Village’s Barbuto over 20 years ago. Over the years it has been so synonymous with roast chicken and kale salad, Brooklynites rejoiced when another Barbuto opened in Dumbo late last summer in the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, knowing they could get their fix closer to home.
The Horatio Street outpost is a move from the original Washington Street location, which opened in 2004. Waxman recently opened a wine bar next door called Bar Tizio, which also serves the food he’s become well-known and respected for. 113 Horatio St., West Village; and 60 Furman St., DUMBO, Brooklyn, barbutonyc.com
Torrisi
Though a sibling to Carbone, Torrisi is its own kind of Italian, one inflected with New York flavors via dishes like cavatelli with Jamaican beef ragu, American ham zeppole, and cucumbers New Yorkese. Chef Rich Torrisi’s playful yet serious Italian-American creations have been a hit since Torrisi opened in the iconic Puck Building in 2022, and it earned a Michelin star in 2023. Not bad for a restaurant that started as a small sandwich shop right down the street from its grand location. 275 Mulberry St., SoHo, torrisinyc.com
Via Carota
Headed up by acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs Rita Sodi and Jody Williams, Via Carota was already a successfully quiet neighborhood restaurant thanks to the legendary green salad, spicy pork arrincini, and Meyer lemon risotto, long before Taylor Swift deemed it a favorite. The Grove Street Tuscan restaurant opened in 2014 and quickly became just as known for people-watching and hard-to-get tables as its award-winning, ingredient-driven Italian cuisine and Negronis, now available in to-go bottles. 51 Grove St., West Village, viacarota.com
Don Angie
Highly acclaimed, Michelin-starred Italian-American restaurant Don Angie was made for these Instagram times. Run by husband-and-wife chefs Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, Don Angie’s popularity extends far beyond the West Village, but is indeed a neighborhood restaurant with reservations that can be tricky to get. When you do score one, go for the stuffed garlic bread and their signature lasagna for two and stay for the black cocoa tiramisu and fior di latte mochi. 103 Greenwich Ave., West Village, donangie.com
il Buco
The Mediterranean-Italian style of food served at beloved Bond Street mainstay il Buco is described as “eclectic Mediterranean menu—part Italian, part Spanish, part invention” dedicated to sourcing ingredients from Italy and local farms. Donna Lennard originally opened il Buco back in 1994 as an antique store, before eventually procuring a license to serve beer and wine, and the rest is NYC history. The restaurant serves seasonal fare (don’t miss the porchetta paninis) and the adjoining shop still sells antiques. 47 Bond St., NoHo, ilbuco.com
Altro Paradiso
Simply put, Altro Paradiso is Italian food through the lens of chef Ignacio Mattos who drew inspiration from several regions in Italy. The result is a menu that includes a can’t-miss fennel salad, cacio e pepe, and a spectacular veal chop. The sequel to Matto’s Estela, Paradiso is elegant yet approachable, set in a high-ceilinged, buzzy, light-filled corner of SoHo where it has been charming New Yorkers for the past decade. 234 Spring St., SoHo, altroparadiso.com
Locanda Verde
At his two outposts of Locanda Verde, the longstanding neighborhood osteria downtown and now in Hudson Yards, chef Andrew Carmellini serves what he calls “rustic, urban Italian.” Basically, his version of seasonally-driven fare.
Between the elegant-yet-warm dining room and bar, impeccable service, and dishes like Lamb Meatball Sliders and Grandma’s Ravioli, there is something homey yet sophisticated about dining here. Whether stopping in for a special occasion or a quick bowl of pasta at the bar, it always hits. 377 Greenwich St., Tribeca, and 50 Hudson Yards, Midtown, locandaverdenyc.com
Santi
Acclaimed chef Michael White dipped into the well of his travels, apprenticeships, and years living and working in Italy’s Imola, the Amalfi coast, and the south of France to create a pan-Italian menu at Santi. You can count on White’s signature crudos and handcrafted pastas like classic gnocchi to risotto with red prawns, plus prime strip steak, veal chops, and a warm Maine lobster. Even the desserts are inspiring; don’t miss the coffee cardamom gelato. 11 E. 53rd St., Midtown, santinyc.com
L’Artusi
For nearly 20 years, the L’Artusi team (including chef and partner Gabriel Thompson) have been serving West Villagers and other New Yorkers who visit for its excellent pastas (particularly the signature spaghetti), roast chicken, beef carpaccio, and one of New York City’s best burgers. While it may feel like a fixture on 10th Street, the modern-Italian-leaning menu feels fresh and somehow it’s still possible to get a table as a walk-in for brunch (the burger is available then too). 228 West 10th St., West Village, lartusi.com
Roman’s
At Andrew Tarlow’s Fort Greene restaurant Roman’s, look for what it describes as “spirited, Italian-influenced” food with a menu that changes with the seasons, depending on what’s fresh. Roman’s opened in 2010 and became a neighborhood go-to for its daily-changing menu of pasta, vegetables (get the fava bean puree), meat and seafood dishes, plus an incredible roast chicken. With Hannah Shizgal-Paris heading up the kitchen, Roman’s is still as good as ever. 243 Dekalb Ave., Fort Greene, Brooklyn, romansnyc.com
