1. Scalini Fedeli NYC
Opened in 2000 by Chef Michael Cetrulo, Scalini Fedeli does its best to create a flawless dining experience for its customers. The restaurant offers classic Italian foods with French influence in an elegant dining area with antiques and romantic artwork.
2. Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca
Located in Greenwich Village near Washington Square Park, Babbo is the brainchild of Joseph Bastianich and celebrity chef and author Mario Batali. Its menu showcases fresh produce, Italian cheeses, meats, olive oils, and more for an award-winning experience. The restaurant also has a substantial wine menu and offers a bar where customers can eat or drink as they like.
3. Carmine’s NYC
With locations in the Theater District and the Upper West Side, Carmine’s offers generously portioned, family-style Italian food meant for sharing. The restaurant seeks to treat every meal like a wedding feast, and its Washington, D.C., location recently won Top Favorite Restaurant at the 2011 RAMMYS awards.
4. Il Mulino New York
Founded by immigrants from the Italian city of L’Aquila, Il Mulino New York has been voted the number one Italian restaurant in New York City by Zagat’s for more than 20 years. The eatery offers simple, rustic cuisine ranging from lamb and fish to pecorino and ricotta. Il Mulino now operates locations worldwide, but the New York site is where it all got started.
5. Da Nico Ristorante
Da Nico enjoys a star-studded patronage, having hosted New York Yankees baseball players, movie stars, and even former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. The restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor seating, serving brick-oven pizza, grilled lobster, and barbecue dishes in addition to traditional appetizers and pastas.