That's a good meatball.

March 5, 2008 1:05 PM

Looking for a good (not too expensive) restaurant for dinner tonight in Little Italy (NYC)
posted by roomthreeseventeen to food & drink (8 comments total)

Define "not too expensive."

I assume this means that you definitely want Italian, right?

Does the restaurant have to be in Little Italy, or can it be close by (within 3 or 4 blocks, or even more)?
posted by saladin at 1:15 PM on March 5, 2008

There's not a lot of really good Italian in Little Italy, but there is some transcendentally fantastic Szechuan, Malaysian and Cantonese just across Canal. What are you in the mood for?
posted by luriete at 1:21 PM on March 5, 2008

I'm afraid the restaurants actually in Little Italy - that is, on Mulberry and Mott 1-2 blocks south of Canal - are all "sauce joints" serving massive amounts of mediocre American-Italian food to tourists. The "best" of these are La Mela and Umberto's.

But within a few blocks of there are many excellent moderately-priced restaurants - Lovely Day and Ruby's and La Esquina and Bar Martignetti and Cafe Habana and Ghenet are all just north in Nolita - I'll let others fill in the Lower East Side.
posted by nicwolff at 1:28 PM on March 5, 2008

While it's not Italian, Nyonya is a fantastic Malaysian place with very reasonable prices, and it's in Little Italy - on Grand between Mott and Mulberry.
posted by chan.caro at 1:33 PM on March 5, 2008

Or walk up Mulberry and get some good Aussie food (restaurant above, bar food in the bar below) at Eight Mile Creek.
posted by gaspode at 1:37 PM on March 5, 2008

Here is the place that the cast of the Sopranos ate every time a cast member got killed off.
posted by Bookhouse at 1:42 PM on March 5, 2008

Yeah, my boyfriend is in the mood for Italian... and he gave up meat for Lent.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:42 PM on March 5, 2008

go to lupa. you might have to wait, but its worth it.
posted by alkupe at 2:11 PM on March 5, 2008