This unfussy gem located on the Bronx’s Arthur Avenue — otherwise known as the borough’s Little Italy — has been dishing out generous servings of well-sauced pasta for more than 50 years. It’s more food hall than restaurant and the knowledgeable servers are happy to guide diners through the massive menu. The stuffed artichoke is a highlight of the menu, as is the sizable sirloin steak served with a mound of fries.

Roberto’s modern Italian fare, served on a side street tucked away from the hubbub of the Bronx’s Little Italy, is a welcome contrast to the red-sauced Italian American food common in the neighborhood. The wine list is more sophisticated, too, backed up by a menu that trumpets dishes like seasonal vegetables steamed “in cartoccio” (in a foil pouch) and a rabbit stewed with potatoes. Roberto Paciullo, a native of Salerno, Italy, is behind Roberto’s, where there’s not a meatball in sight.

Located on the rooftop Eataly Flatiron, SERRA by Birreria offers city views away from all the hustle and bustle. Here, you’ll find a fun atmosphere with a rustic menu that’s inspired by recipes from the Italian countryside. Enjoy house-made pasta with seasonal produce like pappardelle con ragù di funghi and regional meat dishes. To top off your meal, choose from a wide selection of Italian wines and special cocktails crafted by Eataly’s beverage experts.

Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli have ushered in a new era for red sauce cooking at this West Village restaurant. The duo’s creative take on Italian American fare has included caramelle pasta with pickled cantaloupe and buffalo milk mozzarella, and the garlic bread — sesame-seeded flatbread stuffed with stracchino and parmesan — is a consistent hit. Conclude with a glass of the couple’s amaro, made in-house from sarsaparilla and tasting vaguely of root beer. Be sure to make a reservation: It’s no secret that this is one of Manhattan’s top Italian restaurants.

Expect to wait an hour or more for dinner no matter the day at Jody Williams and Rita Sodi’s Via Carota — or try for a late-night glass of wine and a bowl of chewy cacio e pepe. For a larger meal, classics like the grilled chicken and tagliatelle with prosciutto will get the job done, but the stars of the show are often the restaurant’s seasonal vegetable dishes: The options change regularly, and it’s hard to go wrong.

If you’re looking for the evil version of red sauce, one where you know you’re going to get ripped off, but might enjoy yourself along the way, bee-line for Carbone. Is the Caesar alla ZZ really a standout? Have you ever paid $89 for veal Parm? Does it matter? Chances are, you’ll have a story to tell by the night’s end and probably leftovers for tomorrow. 

Petite Tuscan restaurant Fiaschetteria Pistoia makes up for its size with charm — the servers are brusque yet friendly, known to slam down a wooden crate of wine when asked for the list. Still, their recommendations for affordable bottles rarely miss, and everything from the salads and pork cheek to the cacio e pepe and spaghetti con bottarga are celebrations of the genre. For dessert, the creamy tiramisu is so ethereally light, it’s worth ordering even if full.

Donna Lennard’s cavernous all-day Italian cafe features a small market for sundries, bread, sandwiches, and pastries in the front, and sit-down meals in a vast dining room in the back. Whether you’re here for a snack or a feast, it feels like a center-of-the-universe kind of place, with a menu from Justin Smillie featuring salumi, small plates, fresh pasta, and meats from a rotisserie or wood-fired oven.

From the doorbell where you’re greeted, to the interior sign allegedly painted by Andy Warhol, to the front right table where Emilio sits feeds friends, to the back room that’s bound to seat someone famous, several nights of the week, from Lenny Kravitz to Denzel Washington: Emilio’s is a scene — and we haven’t even gotten to the food. Start with a glass of house red or white. Make sure you try that focaccia (Emilio started as a baker). Order a plate of red peppers. Consider the tripe. Move on to linguine with white clam sauce. Share a plate of fennel sausage and broccoli rabe. The veal Milanese is pretty great, too.

If Spiaggia in Chicago is what put chef Missy Robbins on the map, Lilia in Williamsburg is what rocketed her to stardom. Lucky diners might encounter Robbins hovering over the flame-spitting wood grill, the device responsible for singing Lilia’s succulent lamb steaks. Others might stop short at the host stand, quoted a two-hour wait for walk-ins. Reservations book up far in advance, which is understandable for pastas this good, especially the sheep’s milk ricotta agnolotti, slathered in a heady saffron honey sauce.

Over a century in Williamsburg has made old-school, red-sauce Italian restaurant Bamonte’s a local legend. (Appearing in an episode of the Sopranos along the way didn’t hurt, either.) Opened in 1900, the restaurant is still owned by its founding family, who serves up classic Italian American dishes via servers in suits. Must orders include briny clams oreganata, spaghetti and meatballs, and the famous pork chops with pickled peppers. Don’t miss the ethereal cannoli, an off-menu dessert. 

The city’s oldest Sicilian restaurant, dating to 1904, is Ferdinando’s Focacceria in Carroll Gardens. The “focacceria” part of the name doesn’t refer to the familiar southern Italian bread, but to a type of snack shop often found in the island’s capital of Palermo. The menu here, once limited to small sandwiches of cow spleen or chickpeas and composed plates of seafood and vegetables, now serves a full-blown Italian American bill of fare. Depend on baked clams, fried squid or shrimp, and tomato sauce-soaked rice balls, along with squid ink linguine that’s best washed down with a coffee soda.

A picturesque backyard and a neighborhood vibe are the cherries on top at Frankies 457 Spuntino, which launched a small empire of restaurants on well-executed Italian American classics. The restaurant is as well-known for its sandwiches — the meatball parm and the eggplant marinara are both worth trying — along with its pastas, particularly the cavatelli with hot sausage and browned sage butter. Wines are affordable, and it’s a great restaurant for groups. Reservations are recommended, but it’s usually possible to snag a seat at the wine bar, where the restaurant’s full menu is served.

The dark, cozy space of Al Di La has been a Park Slope favorite since 1998, both as a dining destination for Anna Klinger’s northern Italian pastas and as a go-to for locals around dinner. Go for the spaghetti neri all chitarra (black spaghetti with octopus confit, basil, and hot chile peppers) and tagliatelle if it’s a first-time visit, but know that there’s plenty else to explore. Listen for the specials, and prepare to wait for a table at peak hours.

Get the calamari, the mozzarella in carrozza, fettuccine Bolognese, or the chicken Milanese at this halal Italian spot from Abdul Elenani and Akram Nassir, behind Palestinian restaurant Ayat and Al Badawi. Inside, an old gas-fired oven hulks behind the bar, while tight round tables in the dining room are pushed together to accommodate extended families that can flood the place.

If date night calls for a big plate of pasta with piquant red sauce, Michael’s is the place. Founded in 1964 with a facade of rusticated stone, the dining room is warm and comfortable, with a pianist who sometimes plays Sinatra classics and other pop songs on a grand piano on a raised platform above the bar. Linguine with red clam sauce is particularly clam-heavy, the massive veal chop is unparalleled in the borough, and you’ll see many tables ordering a plate of fresh mozzarella.

This Sheepshead Bay establishment has been a neighborhood staple for decades, serving a variety of seafood dishes and pasta in a crowded dining room a stone’s throw from the waterfront. The restaurant is known for its red sauce, which can be ordered at varying heat levels and comes served atop various seafood dishes, including its standout fried calamari. Don’t miss the seafood diavolo, as well as the raw oysters and clams.