Emilio's Ballato

The Best Italian Restaurants In Little Italy - New York - The Infatuation

"If you told owner Emilio Sr. his restaurant was in Little Italy—it’s just north, on Houston—he might blacklist you from the (constantly long) line forever. But red sauce is a state of mind, and for a classic New York Italian experience, there’s no better option than this vintage 1956 restaurant. Expect a wait at the celebrity-swarmed hotspot, which regularly entertains the likes of Taylor Swift and Barack Obama with big platters of buttery baked clams and off-menu veal parm smothered in vodka sauce. Come with a group and let a server convince you to do things “family style.” That just means taking the dishes and their prices and multiplying both, liberally." - molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, bryan kim