Settle into a booth at this delightful neighborhood Italian spot, with its black-and-white checkered floor and shelves lined with imported delicacies, and you’ll feel as though you’ve landed at a trattoria in the old country. Celebrated chef John Taboada (he also runs Navarre) has a talent for unfussy cooking that lets the ingredients speak for themselves. Order widely from the resolutely seasonal menu and a parade of toothsome dishes will arrive at your table—roasted beets, crispy arancini, lemon-scented cappelletti in brodo, carrot-ricotta ravioli with herb butter, charred octopus and potato salad with parsley and olives, and more. Leave room for dessert: The olive oil cake is always on the menu for a reason.
PRO TIP: Come for lunch, when you can waltz in without a reservation.
THE DETAILS: Open every day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.