Hidden Italy
Have you ever eaten real Italian food in NY? Maybe you will imagine pasta, pizza, gelato etc. Of course you can eat many Italian foods in NY, but you won’t feel as if you are in Italy.
Have you imagined that you would eat Italian food at $5 in NY? I didn’t believe that before I went there. Surprisingly, it is true. This restaurant is located in a semi-basement in the Lower east side. So you should find it with open eyes. When you get inside, you will feel as if you are an Italian home. The interior is decorated with small tables, many books, pictures and the other things. These make the atmosphere cozy. In addition, almost all of the guests are not tourists but local people.
The menu is composed of typical Italian foods. Salad, Pasta, Panini, Lasagna and coffee. I ordered DELIZIOSO, LASAGNE with pesto sauce and FRESH SQUEEZED ORANGE JUICE. The Fresh orange juice came first. It was small in quantity, but the flavor was so fresh and appetizing. And the Panini is very light and clean.
The bread of panini is crisp and bland. They said they always bake all of the panini breads themselves. I think their own way makes the food more special. The last menu item was Lasagna with bolognese. When you order Lasagna, you can choose between a bolognese and ricotta sauce.
It was so awesome! It was real Lasagna and totally different from other lasagnas I have ever eaten. It looked like normal, but the taste was very delicious. Every ingredients were in harmony perfectly. I want to eat again as I am writing now.
The service is nothing special. The owner looked as if she is very proud of her food. At first, I couldn’t understand what she was saying. Because she spoke Italian and it was too fast for me. Also she was a little cold but the other servers were kind. Actually I don’t care about the service because I was so satisfied that all food was delicious. And they didn’t receive any tips and taxes. I think maybe taxes are already included in price, but tips are not. How did they sell delicious food at very affordable price? I can’t understand but it is good for those of us who are looking for food at a reasonable price.
Gaia Italian Cafe (251 E Houston St New York, NY 10002)
Hours of operation:
Monday: 8 am — 5.30 pm kitchen close 5.00 pm
Tuesday- Thursday: 8 am -7 pm kitchen close 6.30 pm
Friday: 8 am — 8 pm kitchen close 7.30 pm
Sat: 10.00 am — 3.30 pm / 6.30 pm — 10.00 pm kitchen close 9.30 pm
Sun: closed. Available for private parties
★★★★+0.5
The quality 5/5 : You don’t need to worry about this. Everything is perfect.
The service 3/5 : Like any other NY restaurants.
The setting 4/5 : You feel as if you are in Italian real house.
The price 5/5 : The most cheap price I have ever seen in NY except for $1 pizza. ( Dishes : $5~$15, coffee : $1.75~$3.50)
Total 4.5/5
