Torrisi

"Major Food Group keeps one star for its Little Italy Italian homage to New York, with Rich Torrisi at the helm." - Eater Staff

"Major Food Group has opened Torrisi Bar and Restaurant in the landmarked Puck Building: It’s a revival of the team’s first restaurant, Torrisi Italian Specialties, which closed in 2015, growing from a counter-service sandwich shop that started in 2009. The new iteration has earned three stars from the New York Times for its take on Italian American dishes like linguine with a pink clam sauce or chicken alla griglia, as well as tributes to New York restaurant favorites, like an octopus nha trang. It’s a great dining room for general people-watching. If tables aren’t available there are always the standing spots near the bar." - Eater Staff

"Verdict: Torrisi Bar & Restaurant is an Italian-ish place in Nolita from the people behind Carbone, but it's a different sort of production. Unlike Carbone, the space is huge, and the menu shows a range of influence: They do chicken livers with Manischewitz and cavatelli with Jamaican beef ragu. This is a great choice for a big night out, and it's going to be annoyingly hard to get into for quite some time." - bryan kim

"The Waiting Room: Tom & Jerry’s The Back-Up Plan: Botanica Bar While you mentally prepare yourself for the several-hundred-dollar bill you're going to receive after a dinner at Torrisi, might we suggest a relatively affordable drink at Tom & Jerry’s? It’s 0.1 miles away from the Italian-ish Nolita hotspot, and it’s just sort of unremarkable in the best way. Bring cash and stick to beer at a table underneath a taxidermied deer head. Or, if you’re more of a frozen margarita person, try Botanica Bar—the frozen drinks are $11, and house cocktails are $12. " - willa moore

"Though technically across the Broome Street border into Nolita, Torrisi in the historic Puck Building feels emblematic of the Italian-American neighborhood. The restaurant is from the people behind Carbone, and while it shares some DNA (impressive design, servers in tuxedos, general pageantry), it’s bigger and more interesting, with inventive dishes (chopped liver with Manischewitz jelly) that are just as good as the classics (spaghetti with lamb amatriciana). If you can’t get a reservation—and you probably can’t—try the walk-in-only bar area for a special night out." - molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, bryan kim