One of the cornerstones of Italian culinary tradition is the celebration of love through food. Pasta, like love, is best when shared. More than just a dish, it can be a ritual, the pure joy of sitting down at the table with someone close to your heart. Memories created while twirling a strand of bucatini, under the glow of a candlelit dinner, with glances that linger are the kind of romance that will stay etched in your heart long after the table is cleared.
NYC’s Italian dining scene offers endless opportunities to fall in love, for the first time or again, from classic trattorias to modern pasta eateries. They turn dinner into an experience, where a kiss sweetly planted on the cheek expresses more than words ever could.
Below are some of the best NYC restaurants to share pasta this Valentine’s Day because amore is always better al dente.
Ci Siamo
Ci Siamo, in Hudson Yards, is the type of restaurant where you’d be hard-pressed to find a dish you don’t love. Helmed by chef Hilary Sterling, the menu is centered around live-fire cooking and seasonality, drawing inspiration from her travels throughout Italy. Her dishes carry the confidence of a chef who understands when to be creative and when to allow tradition to reign. Ci Siamo is a natural choice for couples looking to cozy up on Valentine’s Day, or any day.
For the occasion, Ci Siamo will offer a special linguine pasta with clams, green chilies, and lovage (with the last two ingredients brightening up the rich flavor of the clams). It’s indulgent comfort, and pairs well with seasonal sides like Smoked Carrots or the ever-popular Caramelized Onion Torta. For dessert, don’t miss out on their wonderfully warm, pull-apart flower-shaped Bomboloni, lightly dusted in sugar and served with chocolate amaro dipping sauce.
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Frankies 457 Spuntino (+ sister restaurant F&F Restaurant and Bar)
Frankies Spuntino serves the kind of homemade pasta that Wayne Thiebaud would have felt compelled to paint. Each brushstroke would be rustic enough to highlight the simple beauty of Italian cooking, yet precise enough to reveal the skill and deep understanding of each ingredient. That is the type of balance that defines this Carroll Gardens gem, an inviting neighborhood joint of exposed brick walls and soft lighting.
For Valentine’s Day, alongside their cavatelli, Frankies, and its next-door sister restaurant, F&F Restaurant and Bar, are offering a Chicken Liver Agnolotti, little pillows of hand-folded pasta with a creamy filling, served with a Sicilian Marsala sauce and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. You can show your love by letting your dinner companion have the last bite on a cold, romantic night.
Sempre Oggi
On the UWS, Sempre Oggi, whose name translates to “Always Today," reminds us to savor the present moment. That philosophy comes to life through an ever-evolving, market-driven menu that rewards diners with dishes highlighting ingredients at their peak. All their pastas are made in-house, including their signature spaghetti, which shifts with the seasons.
For Valentine’s Day, Sempre Oggi will offer a Winter Pesto Spaghetti with Wild Mushrooms, part of a prefix menu also featuring Bucatini All ‘Amatriciana and Lobster Linguini. But back to that spaghetti… silky strands of pasta tossed in winter pesto with arugula & cavolo nero, and tangled with roasted oyster and black trumpet mushrooms, is the type of dish that tastes of the moment, earthy, aromatic and deliciously luscious.
Ciccio Cin Cin
This charming West Village restaurant, with its softly lit dining room and warm wood tones, serves up Florentine food with Asian influence in an intimate atmosphere. The menu is built around shareable plates and fresh pastas, including a well curated wine list that invites you to “cin cin” and linger. The Valentine’s special will feature house-made lobster ravioli on a red beet puree, with a lemon-ginger butter sauce. Menu standouts like the Spinach-Ricotta Gnudi and the Melanzana Miso e Tartufo are also a must.
House of Domes
Offering a taste of North Italy in the South Village, the newly opened House of Domes blends warm hospitality with stylish design. Rich tones of dark wood and forest green, inspired by the rolling hills and cypress tress of Tuscany, complement a glass dome in the main dining room, where guests dine beneath the starred NYC skyline.
For Valentine’s Day, House of Domes leans on tradition and Chef Vilfrid Hodoj’s love of pasta, to set the mood for lovebirds with Paccheri all’Astice for Two. Paccheri pasta tubes are tossed in a light sauce of sweet pomodorini, garlic and white wine. Brightened with fresh parsley and olive oil, and showcasing tender North Atlantic lobster, this dish is simple yet indulgent and perfect for a celebratory night.
Bella Luna
Bella Luna is a long-running Italian restaurant, having called the UWS home for over three decades. Founded by restaurateur Turgut Balikci, the secret sauce of this establishment is making guests feel at home while churning out classic Italian dishes prepared with high quality ingredients. At his garden in Connecticut, Turgut grows fresh herbs for Bella Luna, thus bringing a piece of his home to the restaurant patrons.
The interior has a relaxed, intimate feel, ideal for Valentine’s Day, where the focus stays on good food and meaningful conversation. The specials include Conchiglioni, jumbo shell pasta generously stuffed with crab meat, mushrooms, and cream, served over a lightly spicy marinara and offered as an appetizer and Lobster ravioli, with shallots, cream, and white wine.
La Tazza D’Oro
If a casual lunch date is more your speed, La Tazza D’Oro, a recent addition to Gramercy, should be on your radar. This Italian café and bar from Prato, Tuscany, specializes in authentic pastries and espresso, alongside an all-day menu of light bites and aperitivo. Their house-made lasagna is especially fitting for the occasion, meant to be shared, each layer tasting of comfort and togetherness. On the way out, grab a heart-shaped Tiramisu, to end the celebration at home on a sweet note or choose from any of their mouthwatering pastries, all crafted onsite.
