Little Italy technically occupies just three blocks of Mulberry Street. Still, its best-in-the-world pizzerias, Italian restaurants and charming bakeries filled with some of New York’s best cookies, cannoli and cheesecake still inspire all of New York City’s culinary imagination. The spirit of the neighborhood’s immigrant roots spills into nearby Nolita, Soho and Chinatown, where you can still get a taste of New York City as it used to be—and the New York of the future.
Little Italy institutions like Ferrara, where the lines stretch around the block to try a cannoli; Parisi, whose fresh bread and big-as-your-head sandwiches are the thing lunch dreams are made of; and Lombardi’si pizzeria, where the first pizza ever made in the United States was pulled out of the oven, have been around for over a hundred years. Now, they’re joined by newcomers dishing up pizza as reimagined by Eleven Madison Park alums and even a Thai diner slinging fries dripping with coconut milk and massaman curry. Whether you’re looking for a place to sip a strong espresso or smash a late-night pie with clams and parsley, we’ve scoured Mott Street to bring you the best of the best of the beloved neighborhood.
July 2025: It’s peak tourist season in NYC, which means the lines are long, the sidewalks are crowded, and the double-decker buses just keep coming. Just remember your mantra: it’s a pizza “crawl,” not a pizza race. This year brought Ceres to the scene, which reimagines all the classic ingredients (like San Marzano tomatoes and fresh, gooey mozzarella) you see at Little Italy’s OG pizza shops. You’ll be rewarded for braving the heat with a view of how pizza has changed, plus all the ways it’s stayed the same.
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