When you feel like having great Italian food, where do you go? Your best would be to trundle off to Little Italy in the lower East Side of Manhattan, which is bursting at its seam with Italian restaurants. From casual to formal, from cheap to reasonable to very expensive, from quiet to boisterous, you will find all kinds of Italian restaurants here.

We’ve brought you our pick of good Italian restaurants in little Italy, but don’t let that get in way of exploring this delightful little neighborhood and discover heretofore undiscovered secrets.

Angelo’s of Mulberry Street (146 Mulberry St, between Grand and Hester Sts) is for those people who enjoy an old-school NYC Italian joint. This place is as old-school as it can get and it has been around since 1902 and it offers that deadly combination of traditional décor and home cooked fare. Try their grilled lamb chops with mushrooms or peppers or the rigatoni with vodka and tomato. You are sure to come back for more.

If you like being part of the hip scene and hobnobbing with the rich and famous, Da Nico (164 Mulberry St, between Grand & Broome St.) is the place for you. You will bump into Wall Street professionals and sometimes movie stars as well but you will have to call in advance to make your reservations.

Il Cortile (125 Mulberry St.) is the Italian restaurant that has a Roman décor. Well, what do you care as long as the food is good? Which it is, except that the Chefs have taken a more creative approach to Italian cuisine. The results are impressive, and you get to sample dishes like veal scaloppine rolled with currants and veal sweetbreads.

Want to make an impression on your girlfriend? The romantic Il Palazzo (151 Mulberry St.) ought to do the trick. The service is great, the staff is courteous, the ambience is conducive to love talk, and the fare is cooked-to-order. This will be one date you are going to remember for a long, long time.

Pellegrino’s (138 Mulberry St, between Hester & Grand St.) is one of the gems of Mulberry Street. The interiors are warm and cozy and the wait staff is amiable and attentive. The food is out of this world with dishes like linguine with arugula, sun-dried tomato, porcini and cremini mushrooms or veal scaloppini with prosciutto and spinach. Leave some space for dessert since you don’t want to miss out on homemade tiramisu or Italian cheesecake.

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One Response to “Best Restaurants in Little Italy”

1. bBest/b Restaurants in Little bItaly/b | Manhattan Style says:

   March 18, 2010 at 10:21 am

   [...] See more here:  bBest/b Restaurants in Little bItaly/b | Manhattan Style [...]