22 Great Casual Italian Restaurants In NYC - New York - The Infatuation

"Lil Frankie’s in the East Village works well for many day-to-day situations: a casual catch-up, brunch, a big group dinner, or even a date. And the food—pasta, thin crust pizzas, some vegetables—is all satisfying. The two essential dishes here are the whole roasted eggplant, which you should get spicy, and the spaghetti limone. (You'll want a second order, so just get two from the jump.) There’s always a crowd, but you can usually get a table without too long of a wait, and be sure to bring cash because they don’t take cards." - willa moore, sonal shah, neha talreja, bryan kim, carina finn koeppicus