New York City is home to a number of authentic Italian restaurants scattered throughout various neighborhoods from Hell’s Kitchen to Little Italy. These restaurants provide different types of regional Italian cuisine and an assortment of ambiances. New York City offers a genuine taste of Italy, whether diners are interested in testing the acclaim of a famous Italian chef’s cuisine or seeking an off-the-beaten-path ristorante.
Scalinatella, located within five blocks of Central Park on the Upper East Side, provides an authentic Italian dining experience with seating in a cobblestone-enclave wine cellar. The restaurant offers an intimate setting with candlelit tables placed in close proximity to each other and dim lighting that sets a romantic mood. Scalinatella’s waiters present daily specials and can recommend wine and entrée pairings. Patrons can order from both the regular and specials menu or can request the chef to prepare a dish of choice. Some meals are prepared tableside, creating a rustic ambiance.
Scalinatella serves a combination of northern and southern Italian cuisine, featuring seafood, meat and pasta dishes and an extensive wine list. Entrée prices range upwards of $50 per person. Scalinatella provides take-out, delivery and dine-in services, serving lunch Monday through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., dinner Monday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11:30 pm and on Sundays from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Reservations and business casual to dressy attire are required.
Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich own Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca (Babbo’s), situated near Washington Square Park in the lower west side neighborhood of Greenwich Village. Babbo’s offers an intimate setting, accepting of a business casual dress code. The restaurant features dishes inspired by the various regional cuisines of Italy. Chefs showcase a different region each month, highlighting a recipe, main ingredient and dessert derived from that area of Italy and focusing a menu around the flavors and dishes inspired by the region.
Entree prices on the regular menu cost under $30 per person. Babbo’s serves a dinner-for-two in the $70 to $75 range. Pre-fixe tasting menus fluctuate from $69 for pasta tastings to $300 for white truffle tastings. Babbo’s adds a wine tasting to pair with food tastings for $50 per person. The restaurant serves dinner Monday through Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. and on Sundays from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Babbo’s provides take-out, delivery and dine-in services and recommends making reservations for dining-in up to a month in advance.
Ristorante SPQR--located in downtown Manhattan’s Little Italy neighborhood--stands for Ristorante Senatus Populus-Que Romanus, meaning "restaurant of the senate and people of Rome." Ristorante SPQR offers outdoor, indoor and banquet room dining. The trattoria-style décor featuring dim lighting, marble beams and mahogany walls, promotes a cozy, yet spacious setting.
Ristorante SPQR provides a regular menu featuring lunch and dinner options such as antipastos (salads), pasta dishes and pizza that range from $13 to $36. Ristorante SPQR’s family-style menu provides portion sizes that accommodate multiple diners, promoting the Italian tradition of passing and sharing food at the table. The hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Reservations and causal dress are accepted.
