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The Best Italian Restaurants in New York City

From Carbone's spicy rigatoni to the Michelin-starred pasta of Lilia and Don Angie — the rooms worth the hard reservation.

By Dim Hour · Updated 2026-07-06 · 6 verified picks

New York's Italian scene runs deeper than any city outside Italy, and the marquee table is Carbone — Major Food Group's Greenwich Village red-sauce theater where the spicy rigatoni vodka and veal parmesan made it one of the hardest reservations in America. Around it sits a Michelin field: Missy Robbins's one-star Lilia in Williamsburg, the one-star Don Angie in the West Village, Rezdôra's Emilia-Romagna pasta, and the perennially-packed trattoria Via Carota. These are the picks worth the reservation, each scored and verified by Dim Hour.

A note on range: this list spans red-sauce Italian-American (Carbone), Roman and regional trattorias (Via Carota, I Sodi), and modern handmade-pasta tasting rooms (Lilia, Don Angie, Rezdôra). Nearly all are a hard Resy or OpenTable booking — release-day reservations fill in minutes.

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The Picks
1

Carbone

Italian-American · Greenwich Village · $$$$ · Dim Hour 99

Major Food Group's Greenwich Village red-sauce landmark and one of the hardest reservations in America. Tableside Caesar, the famous spicy rigatoni vodka, and veal parmesan in a 1950s-supper-club room. Book on Resy.

Order: Spicy Rigatoni Vodka · Veal Parmesan · Caesar Salad
📍 181 Thompson St, New York NY 10012 Website ↗ Full listing on Dim Hour →
2

Via Carota

Italian · West Village · $$$ · Dim Hour 99
🏆 James Beard Best Chef: New York City (2019) · New York Times Top 100 Best NYC Restaurants 2026 (#13) · Eater 38

The West Village trattoria from a James Beard Best Chef: NYC winner — no-reservations for years, now a tough Resy. The cacio e pepe, fritto misto, and svelte vegetable plates draw a permanent line. Casual, perfect, packed.

Order: Cacio e Pepe · Fritto Misto · Insalata Verde
📍 51 Grove St, New York NY 10014 Website ↗ Full listing on Dim Hour →
3

Lilia

Italian · Williamsburg · $$$ · Dim Hour 99
🏆 Michelin 1-Star, James Beard Best Chef · New York Times Top 100 Best NYC Restaurants 2026 (#36) · Eater 38

Missy Robbins's one-Michelin-star Williamsburg pasta temple. The mafaldini with pink peppercorn and the sheep's-milk agnolotti are the dishes people travel for; the wood-fired program is exceptional. Book on Resy well ahead.

Order: Mafaldini with Pink Peppercorn · Sheep's Milk Agnolotti · Grilled Whole Fish
📍 567 Union Ave, Brooklyn NY 11211 Website ↗ Full listing on Dim Hour →
4

Don Angie

Italian-American · West Village · $$$ · Dim Hour 99
🏆 Michelin 1-Star

A one-Michelin-star West Village room reinventing Italian-American — the pinwheel lasagna for two and the stuffed cherry peppers are the signatures. Date-night perfect; book on OpenTable.

Order: Pinwheel Lasagna · Chrysanthemum Salad · Stuffed Cherry Peppers
📍 103 Greenwich Ave, New York NY 10014 Website ↗ Full listing on Dim Hour →
5

I Sodi

Tuscan Italian · West Village · $$$ · Dim Hour 96
🏆 Michelin Recommended

The quieter West Village classic next to Via Carota (same owners) — a one-Michelin-Recommended Tuscan room of restraint. The burro e parmigiano, pollo al mattone, and pappardelle al ragù are the order. A hard, worth-it table.

Order: Burro e Parmigiano · Pollo al Mattone · Pappardelle al Ragu
📍 314 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014 Website ↗ Full listing on Dim Hour →
6

Rezdôra

Italian · Flatiron / NoMad · $$$ · Dim Hour 93
🏆 1 Michelin Star · New York Times Top 100 Best NYC Restaurants 2026 (#63)

Stefano Secchi's one-Michelin-star ode to Emilia-Romagna in the Flatiron/NoMad, on the NYT Top 100. The tortellini in brodo and tagliatelle al ragù are the reasons to fight for a reservation. Book on Resy.

Order: Tortellini in Brodo · Tagliatelle al Ragù · Prosciutto di Parma
📍 27 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003 Website ↗ Full listing on Dim Hour →
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Italian restaurant in NYC?
The top Italian picks in New York City include Carbone, Via Carota, Lilia. Each is scored and verified by Dim Hour; see the full ranked list with signature dishes above.
What is the hardest Italian reservation in New York?
Carbone in Greenwich Village — Major Food Group's red-sauce landmark — is one of the hardest reservations in the country.
Which NYC Italian restaurants have a Michelin star?
Lilia (Williamsburg), Don Angie (West Village), and Rezdôra (Flatiron) all hold one Michelin star.
Where is the best handmade pasta in NYC?
Lilia sets the bar; Rezdôra (Emilia-Romagna) and Don Angie are close behind — all make their pasta in-house.
What is the best Italian in the West Village?
Via Carota, Don Angie, and I Sodi are all in the West Village and all worth the table.
What is the best red-sauce / Italian-American restaurant in NYC?
Carbone is the marquee Italian-American room — tableside Caesar, spicy rigatoni vodka, veal parm.
How expensive is Italian dining in NYC?
It spans the range: trattorias like Via Carota and I Sodi sit at $$$, while the marquee rooms (Carbone, the Michelin pasta tables) are firmly $$$$. All are a splurge at peak times.
Do NYC Italian restaurants take reservations?
Yes — these book on Resy, OpenTable, typically released weeks ahead and filling within minutes.
How many restaurants does Dim Hour cover in New York City?
Dim Hour curates 1,517+ restaurants in New York City, each scored and verified.
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