When in Little Italy, Do as the Italians Do…Eat!
We went on a walking (read: eating) tour of Little Italy. Check out this blow-by-blow recap of our adventure!
Now that New York has finally escaped the summer heat and humidity, we’re back to discovering the best the city has to offer in sightseeing, history, and, of course, food. Though the famous Feast of San Gennaro has ended, the festival certainly whet our appetite, and we decided it was time for us to explore the few-block radius of lower Manhattan known as Little Italy.
The History of Little Italy
According to TimeOut, immigrants from Naples and Sicily flocked to the Big Apple in the late 1800s and took up residence in the neighborhood, which once occupied the blocks bounded by Canal St. on the South, Houston on the North, Lafayette on the West and the Bowery on the East. With time, gentrification, and the expansion of neighboring Chinatown, Little Italy now comprises just a few blocks around Mulberry Street.
Though the area may not be as expansive as it once was, what Little Italy lacks in size, it more than makes up for in fashionable clothing boutiques, street art, and tasty eats.
Cheese Me, Please!
After doing some research, we plotted our course along Mulberry St, making sure to optimize our route so we could sample all the amazing food we’d been reading about. Our first stop was Alleva Dairy at the corner of Grand and Mulberry. It’s the oldest cheese shop in America and has been owned by the Alleva family for over 100 years!
We suggest getting an order of mozzarella sticks while you’re here — yum!
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
We continued our journey down Mulberry, with Church of the Most Precious Blood as our destination. As we meandered down the crowded streets toward the church, the fun, eclectic street art along the way caught our attention.
Located at 109 Mulberry, this historic church is where the Mass and Procession of San Gennaro commences every year during the festival. The day that we went, there happened to be a cute little market in the courtyard.
As we meandered towards the next stop on our walking tour, St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral at 260 Mulberry, we found ourselves completely sidetracked when we passed a sign boasting NYC’s best cannoli.
After our brief (albeit scrumptious) detour, we finally found ourselves in front of one of the most famous cathedrals in NYC. You may even recognize it from The Godfather trilogy or Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets.
Food, Food, and More Food
Between all of our walking, picture-taking, and shopping, we had really worked up an appetite; so we decided it was time to sit down for a true meal at Pomodoro Pizza (51 Spring Street) for one of their famous Vodka House Specials. We also feel it’s necessary to mention this is the only pizza joint in Little Italy where you can get your ‘za by the slice!
Naturally, we just couldn’t bring ourselves to go on an adventure without tracking down some sweet treats. So after putting our Googling prowess to work to find the best bakery in Little Italy, we settled on Ferrara NYC at 195 Grand Street. This place has been around since 1892 and is renowned for its delectable espressos and many, many Italian and French desserts. Talk about a delicious end to our adventure!
Did we miss any great places in Little Italy? Let us know on Twitter @NYCExplorers or just comment below!
