It has been a hot minute since I have spent the day wondering through the streets of my favorite city, New York! Living 45 minutes outside in a suburb in New Jersey makes these trips few and far between as I work near the Jersey Shore.
Having dinner plans with some great friends was the perfect way to end my vacation. There are so many wonderful areas and restaurants in the city making the choice extremely hard. We narrowed down the areas to Lower East Side or Little Italy. Immediately I said, Little Italy as I wanted seafood and wine.
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| Bryant Park |
Since I was meeting my friend on the East Side near her apartment, I decided to walk from Port Authority. Wandering through
Bryant Park, passing through
Grand Central Station and hitting happy hour at
The Horny Ram. Once we were done we headed to meet her mom in Penn and then down to Little Italy!
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| Gelso & Grand |
When you head to Little Italy with friends the first thing you should do is walk into a random bar and order a drink or glass of wine.
Gelaso & Grand was just there on the corner and the exterior drew me in. I had to see what was behind the door. Two of us ordered
white wine while the other ordered the
Mulberry Spritz. We sat at the bar on the window and was able to catch up while people watching!
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| Interior of Gelaso & Grand |
While we didn't visit
Mulberry Street Bar, it's another one that I would highly recommend. The classic cosmo gives you all the feels of sitting a a bar in NYC.
As for dinner, it was my first time visiting
Angelo's of Mulberry St. If you are looking for an authentic Southern Italian meal then you have visited the right spot. Everything from server's in white jackets to an accordion player make the meal hands down a wonderful experience.
Fresh seafood, homemade pasta, and
famous sauce bring thousands of visitors each year. You should consider making a reservation if you are visiting in the evening or weekend!
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| Seafood Pasta |
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| Ferrara Bakery |
No trip to Little Italy would be complete without a visit to
Ferrara Bakery. The crazy long lines are totally worth the wait for Lobster Tails, Gelato or Sfogliatella. If you are in a hurry, take them to-go. I would go straight from the bar to the bakery if I had my way. Maybe next time I will do that and skip dinner all together.
Every night out with friends is always great!
What is your favorite type of food?
XoXo,
Tracy
that is so funny, i was there last Thursday (for the san gennaro feast) I saw that swanky bar place, but we were with the kids. will have to check that out next time! I love a little italy trip! I live on Long Island and have been trying to advantage of being so close to the city. http://www.mommatogo.com
ReplyDeleteLove the San Gennaro Festival! Yes you need to go there it was fabulous!
DeleteFrom Renada: I have been to NYC 3 times, but never Little Italy. It is always so much fun to go out with girlfriends, especially when there is wine and seafood involved. Your photos do a nice job of capturing the neighborhood feel of Little Italy. Definitely saving this.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Renada!
DeleteThe Lower East Side is always a good bet for great food! But out of all the times I've been to NYC, I have never made it out to Ferrara Bakery or Gelso & Grand! Will have to add them both to my list for the next time I'm around. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYes, I love the Lower East Side!
DeleteI'm from Brooklyn (which I believe is where you'll find the best Italian in the city), but whenever I want to escape the borough for some Italian, obviously we head to Little Italy. Now if only I could figure out how to make it to dinner in the area without filling up on cannolis from various bakeries first.
ReplyDeleteJasmine, I would agree there is some of the best Italian in Brooklyn! You have to go straight to the restaurant for dinner, it took a few trips to figure that out!
DeleteI love the idea of walking into a random bar - I think that is such a fantastic way to find unexpectedly great places. I definitely need to visit Little Italy when i get back to NYC!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree, Katie!
DeleteNYC is one of my favorite destinations. We were in NYC last autumn but didn't visit Little Italy. Maybe next time. Hanging out with friends is certainly the best way to unwind and get back to the routine. I love Italian pastries :) I'll surely check Ferrara bakery whenever I get back to NYC.
ReplyDeleteXO http://www.travelwithanjali.com
Pastries and seafood are my weakness!
DeleteI've heard of little Italy before but I assume it's only in America? I wouldn't be able to eat any food here since I'm vegan and gluten free but I used to LOVE pizza and spaghetti haha
ReplyDelete