“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.”
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.
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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 can’t get any hotter, it does. So what are America’s best Italian restaurants? And should four-star restaurants be considered alongside exemplary pizzerias like Frank Pepe in New Haven, CT, and Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix? Heck, yes. For an Italian restaurant to be considered truly great, it should do what it does best.
At Trattoria Lucca, which opened in Charleston, SC, in 2008, that means dishes that showcase fresh local seafood, from the crudo of grouper to homemade ricotta cavatelli with flounder in a shellfish broth. For a truly special treat, time your visit to the Monday evening family supper, a communal seating during which chef Ken Vedrinski serves a four-course prix fixe menu for $38.
While there’s a charm to old-school places like Bamonte’s in Brooklyn, we skewed to innovative recent arrivals like Trattoria Lucca and to longtime restaurants that have upped their game beyond the red-sauce standards, such as Chicago’s romantic Spiaggia, overlooking Lake Michigan, and San Francisco’s Acquerello, where the tasting menu might include ridged pasta in foie gras and Marsala sauce with black truffles.
Some of our favorite Italian restaurants made their reputations on outstanding wine lists. Others go beyond Tuscan or Roman cuisine to acquaint diners with the pleasures of culinary traditions from, say, Italy’s northeastern Friuli region—the driving influence at Frasca in Boulder, CO, where a visit begins with addictivegrissini, pencil-size crispy breadsticks.
What’s certain is that each of these 20 Italian restaurants is a destination worth checking off your list. See how many you’ve tried, and then share your local favorites in the comments below.
See which restaurants made the cut >
Related posts:
- Chef's Favorite U.S. Restaurants
- New York's Top Restaurants
- The World's Strangest Street Food
- The World's Top Revolving Restaurants
- America's Favorite Cities
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.
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.
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.
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