Bamonte's

"At Bamonte’s, group dinners averaging one wine bottle per person. The food at this Williamsburg Italian restaurant is not spectacular. But what you eat never really matters. Because by the time a platter of totally okay penne alla vodka lands on your table, Bamonte’s will have already won you over. No restaurant entertains with bow ties and bottles of red quite like this one." - bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, will hartman, sonal shah

"It’s not that the food at this old-school Italian spot, which featured thrice in The Sopranos, is spectacular. The calamari leans pale, and the red sauce is watery. But what you eat at Bamonte’s never really matters. Because by the time a platter of totally okay penne alla vodka lands on your table, you’ll be obsessed with the woman in a fur coat who drove to Williamsburg from New Jersey, and 10 childhood friends from Windsor Terrace passing around platters of baked clams. No restaurant entertains with bow ties and bottles of red quite like this one. Martini, clams casino, penne vodka, pork chop parmesan" - molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, will hartman, bryan kim, sonal shah

"Ok, so we'll admit the food at Bamonte’s is not particularly memorable. It might prompt your Williamsburg-born friend—or Mr. Scaglione over at the next table—to say something like “the food here used to be better. ” But none of that matters, because Bamonte’s palatial dining room has been one of the city’s most fantastic places to have a big, festive dinner under a glittering chandelier since 1900. Sure, the martinis taste like rubbing alcohol, and the veal parm is just perfectly alright. But the parking lot is full every night of the week—always with at least one Escalade with New Jersey plates—and after one meal here, you’ll think of it for every big night out, whenever the vibes matter a whole lot more than what’s on your plate." - willa moore, will hartman, sonal shah, neha talreja

"Operating for over a century in Williamsburg has made this old-school, red-sauce restaurant a local legend (appearing in an episode of the Sopranos along the way didn’t hurt, either). Opened in 1900, the restaurant is still owned by its founding family, which serves up classic Italian American dishes via tuxedoed servers. Must-orders include briny scallops oreganata, spaghetti and meatballs, and the famous pork chops with pickled peppers. Don’t miss the cannoli, an off-menu dessert." - Nadia Chaudhury, Eater Staff

"The ricotta doesn’t get any fresher than at this restaurant, where it’s sluiced between layers of crumbed and lightly fried eggplant in the city’s best eggplant rollatini. The tomato sauce is appropriately bright and pungent in this quintessential mama dish that originated in southern Italy but only gained in popularity among Italian immigrants here — and every Brooklyn Italian restaurant has its own version." - Eater Staff