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 (7 answers 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

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

Best answer: 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

Response by poster: 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