Photo Essay & Tips for Little Italy, New York

By Jessie Festa | Updated on April 4, 2017

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Little Italy, New York

If you want to fully experience Little Italy in New York make Mulberry St. your focus and begin walking down it starting at Broome St. and heading towards Canal St. Nearest subways:

Take the 6 to Spring St. and walk east 2 blocks to Mulberry
Take the N or R to Prince St. and walk east 3 blocks
Take the F or V to Broadway/Lafayette and walk east 4 blocks then head south).

Note: The closer you get to Canal St. the more it begins to blend with Chinatown and Asian communities and influences. You will notice this if you walk down the side streets off Mulberry in Little Italy, as well. In fact, Little Italy appears to be wrapped in a cocoon of Asian influence.

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Italian and Asian markets right next to each other

Do not eat before visiting Little Italy and try to go around lunch time if possible. The area is almost completely comprised of ambient Italian bakeries, cafes and restaurants (many with outdoor seating or backyard gardens/patios). Friendly, Italian waiters will call to you and try to persuade you to come into their eateries with price specials, free wine, and compliments (I didn’t mind this! haha). Some specials around lunch time that you can find include:

Amici II- $7.95 pasta lunch special
Crudo Wineria con Cucina- $12.95 pasta lunch including a glass of wine or a Sam Adams beer
Grotta Azzurra Ristorante- 2-course prix fixe meals which includes a pasta dish and as entree: Monday-Friday Lunch: $9.95; Sat-Sun Lunch $12.95; Dinner: $19.95
Novella- lunch and dinner special is a $10 pizza, pasta or panni which includes a glass of wine

And, many, many more. Some bars even offer happy hour specials, such as Grotta Azzurra Ristorante, which offers 1/2 price drinks from 4-6PM.

Some of the street cafes in Little Italy

I didn’t eat until around 5PM and just wanted to have something light to eat before I went to a dinner part at 7PM, so I chose Il Piccolo Bufalo because they have enormous bowls of soup for $5, which included garlic bread and oil. And, I was able to add a delicious side salad with a creamy balsamic for only $3. This I found to be a lot cheaper than the other restaurants because I didn’t want to get a pasta, pizza, or wine special.

Salad and bread

Spinach and sausage soup

Here are some other recommendations on things to do in Little Italy:

Go to the free wine tasting at Mulberry Wines (daily from 7-9 PM). While they feature Italian varieties such as Castle Venus Chardonnay and Monte Degli Angeli Pinot Noir, there are wines from all over the world, specially South America.
If it’s a Friday or a Saturday, visit the Italian American Museum to learn more about life for Italian Americans and their contributions to society. Hours are Friday from 4-9PM and Saturday from 12-6PM.

Exhibit at the Italian American Museum

Browse the gift shops. While aimed at tourists, it can be fun to look at all of the Italian-inspired bibs and t-shirts, Jersey Shore references, and common New York souvenir type stuff (my personal favorite is the old black and white photos, which you can find here!)

Nicer market

One of the many extremely touristy markets

Get a cannoli at Cha Cha’s In Boca al Lupo. Big, delicious portions and you can sit out in their garden patio to drink or smoke.

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Posted in Art and Culture, Backpacking, Budget, Food & Drink, New York, Nightlife, North America, Solo Travel

About Jessie Festa

Jessie Festa is a New York-based travel content creator who is passionate about empowering her audience to experience new places and live a life of adventure. She is the founder of the solo female travel blog, Jessie on a Journey, and is editor-in-chief of Epicure & Culture, an online conscious tourism magazine. Along with writing, Jessie is a professional photographer and is the owner of NYC Photo Journeys, which offers New York photo tours, photo shoots, and wedding photography. Her work has appeared in publications like USA Today, CNN, Business Insider, Thrillist, and WestJet Magazine.

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