America's best Italian restaurants
“There are two kinds of people in the world,” chef Mario Batali said recently at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, CO, “those who are Italian, and those who wish they were Italian.”
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No wonder: Italian restaurants across America are raising the bar. Think of all the Neapolitan pizzerias opened in the past decade, the focus on handmade pastas and authentic ingredients, and hip concepts like Torrisi Italian Specialties, which put New York’s Little Italy back on the serious foodie’s map. Consider the success of Batali himself: his Del Posto is the first four-star Italian restaurant in New York since 1974, and his emporium Eataly teems with both locals and tourists.
Just when you think Italian cuisine can’t get any hotter, it does. So what are America’s best Italian restaurants? Read on to see.
Acquerello
San Francisco
This Nob Hill institution helmed by co-owners Giancarlo Paterlini and Suzette Gresham-Tognetti isn’t just the fine-dining Italian restaurant you go to for special occasions out of habit. It’s stayed consistently great and kept relevant since its 1989 debut, winning a coveted Michelin star for six years and counting. For the best representation, try the classic tasting menu, where you’re likely to sample the ridged pasta in foie gras and Marsala sauce with black truffles or the truffle-stuffed chicken with leek custard with potato gratin and creminis. There’s a seasonal tasting, too, and you can always order à la carte for a more contemporary take on the classic flavors of Italian food using the freshest ingredients California can provide.
Trattoria Lucca
Charleston, SC
In downtown Charleston’s Elliotborough, Ken Vedrinski celebrates family-style dining, paying tribute to his grandmother who grew up in the Abruzzo region. There are imported cheese and salumi, and hand-rolled pastas, but Vedrinski is perhaps best known locally for his commitment to farm-to-table produce and fresh seafood from the waters surrounding Charleston. So you can’t go wrong ordering any of the crudos the chef has put on the menu. Or put your meal entirely in his hands by joining the Monday evening family supper, a communal seating during which Vedrinski serves a new four-course prix fixe menu for $38.
Del Posto
New York City
Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich are the forces behind this opulent 24,000-square-foot temple to upscale Italian dining, accompanied by live piano music. It took millions to create, but payoff came with star-studded reviews, notably four stars in 2010, from The New York Times’ then–restaurant critic Sam Sifton—a first for Batali, despite all his restaurants, and a first for the publication in 34 years. And while you don’t eat stars, chef Mark Ladner’s lardo with bread, jalapeño crab pasta, and heavenly 100-layer lasagna make you feel like you’re eating among them. The emphasis on high-end service and preparation should make the French jealous.
Spiaggia
Chicago
Chef Tony Mantuano’s romantic restaurant overlooks Oak Street beach (spiaggia means “beach” in Italian), and the airy dining room is tiered, so every table has a view of Lake Michigan. It’s been a Magnificent Mile fixture since 1984, long before executive chef Sarah Grueneberg was on Top Chef—and before President Barack Obama called Mantuano his “favorite chef.” Look forward to the homemade pastas, the wood-grilled veal chop, and, if you vote Democrat, the wood-roasted diver scallop, which is said to be the president’s favorite dish.
Frasca
Boulder, CO
Boulder isn’t the first place you’d look for one of America’s best Italian restaurants, but it certainly shouldn’t be last. The philosophy of master sommelier Bobby Stuckey and chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson’s Italian restaurant in the shadow of the Rockies is based on the neighborhood restaurants in the subalpine region of northeast Italy—informal gathering places inspired by the cuisine and culture of Friuli. Begin with the grissini (pencil-size crispy breadsticks) and cocktails at the bar before moving on to whichever pastas you’re lucky enough to find on the menu that night—pray for tortelloni). Oh, and there’s the matter of that wine list, which boasts more than 200 varieties.
Pizzeria Bianco
Phoenix
Pizza fanatics know that this spot has a reputation for the best pies in the Southwest. The recently expanded hours make for an easier-to-attain experience, detracting a bit from the bragging rights of getting here, but enabling more people to get a taste. Start with the basics: The Sonny Boy (salami and olives, wood-roasted onion, house-smoked mozzarella, and fennel sausage), The Rosa (red onion, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and pistachios), or an old-school Marinara.
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
New Haven, CT
This New Haven pizzeria is the stuff of legend. It’s all about a thin, light crust, formed in coal-fired brick ovens and topped with a salty-sweet sauce, and the cheese—specifically, knowing when to say, “Hold the mozz.” There are other Frank Pepe locations, including one in Yonkers, NY, which makes pies almost as good as those in New Haven. But there’s nothing like eating a Frank Pepe pie on Wooster Street or at the adjacent original location next door, The Spot. The must? Clam pie. And once you’ve tried it, the conversation about the best pizza in America really begins.
Tulio
Seattle
Next to Hotel Vintage Park, chef Walter Pisano has made a name for himself with Tulio, a reliable source for boldly flavored, sophisticated dishes in an unpretentious, warm setting. Consider the sweet potato gnocchi with sage butter and mascarpone; the linguine with local clams, preserved lemon, chile flake, and garlic bread crumbs; or the braised Kurobuta pork shank with ricotta-whipped potatoes and mostarda.
Palena Café
Washington, D.C.
Really the tale of two restaurants, Palena combines an upscale dining room with a prix fixe, and a less formal café with more options. Former White House chef-restaurateur Frank Ruta wows visitors to the Cleveland Park neighborhood with fresh ingredients, elegant pastas, and wood-fired pizza. Pickings include the Shenandoah rabbit, Bacon and Eggs (goose egg ravioli with smoked pork belly and shiitake), and, that’s right, the Palena cheeseburger: a house-ground patty, on a baked sesame bun, with truffle cheese and pickles.
Bar La Grassa
Minneapolis
The husband-and-wife team of James Beard Best Chef Isaac Becker and Nancy St. Pierre followed up 112 Eatery with this fantastically popular restaurant in the Warehouse District serving fantastic cured meats, pastas, and small plates. Go ahead, survey the menu’s seven sections, but don’t miss signatures like the soft eggs and lobster bruschetta, gnocchi with cauliflower and orange, and the silk handkerchiefs with basil pesto.
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