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 over 50 years. It’s more food hall than restaurant, but the waiters are incredibly knowledgeable about the long menu and expertly guide diners along. Other highlights on the menu include the stuffed artichoke, as well as a large sirloin steak served with a solid side of fries.

Roberto’s modern Italian fare, served on a side street tucked away from the hubbub of the Bronx’s Little Italy, contrasts markedly with that of the red sauced Italian-American food common in the neighborhood. The wine list is more sophisticated, too, along with a chalkboard menu that trumpets dishes like pasta and seasonal vegetables steamed “in cartoccio,” or in a foil pouch, as well as bunny stewed with potatoes. Roberto Paciullo, a native of Salerno, Italy, is behind the villa-esque Roberto’s, where there’s not a meatball in sight.

The Upper West Side has no shortage of neighborhood Italian joints, but Celeste rises above them all. Owner Carmine Mitroni rules over the boxy Neapolitan restaurant, greeting regulars and making recommendations to newcomers. Tables can’t go wrong with the pastas, especially the popular tagliatelle with shrimp, cabbage, and sheep’s milk cheese, and the pizzas sport a nice char from the wood-fired oven. Expect a wait, and cash only.

This Long Island City mainstay, directly across the Pulaski Bridge from Greenpoint, offers classic Italian cuisine with some modern twists, in a casual windowed dining room with a wood-burning oven as its focus. On the upper end of its menu find a ribeye steak in Barolo sauce, grilled lamb chops with almond mint pesto, and baked branzino that reminds one of the Greek antecedents of southern Italian cooking. Plebeian pastas keep pace, from a classic orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe to a more innovative spelt spaghetti called contadina, featuring vegetables in tomato sauce. Pizzas done in the same oven are an added plus.

Acclaimed Gramercy restaurant Rezdôra’s food is heavily influenced by the time chef Stefano Secchi spent in the kitchen at three-Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy. He showcases his deft way with pasta through a $90 all-pasta tasting menu, the optimal way to dine here. If going the a la carte route, target the gnocco fritto with assorted salumi, egg raviolo with ricotta and truffle, and sirloin steak with herb salad.

Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli’s West Village restaurant is the logical successor to the dearly departed Torrisi, which is to say that it serves a supremely creative take on Italian-American fare. The duo packs caramelle pasta with pickled cantaloupe and oozy buffalo milk mozzarella. They make a heck of a garlic bread by stuffing sesame-seeded flatbread with stracchino and Parmesan. And the chefs produce their own amari out of sarsaparilla, resulting in a lightly boozy beverage that recalls root beer. Warning: Expect scary waits for walk-ins, especially when the patio is closed.

As the crowds descend upon the bustling and boisterous Via Carota nearby, sister spot I Sodi takes care of business more peacefully. Here in the West Village, behind barn house-style sliding doors, chef Rita Sodi whips up some of the city’s most resolute Tuscan fare, along with an impressively deep collection of digestif amari. Sodi serves one of the city’s few polentas without cream or butter, letting the purity of the corn come through. Cornish hen grilled under a brick functions as a more indulgent showstopper, as does any pasta, from the rich sage and spinach ravioli to the deeply warming cacio e pepe.

Jody Williams and Rita Sodi’s Tuscan destination Via Carota is no longer the secret neighborhood spot it used to be — expect to wait at least an hour at primetime no matter the day, or try for a late-night glass of wine and bowl of chewy cacio e pepe, one of the best in the city. When going for a larger meal, classics like the tripe and tagliatelle with prosciutto are must-tries, but the stars of the show may end up being one of the vegetable dishes. The options change regularly, and it’s hard to go wrong.

Petite Tuscan restaurant Fiaschetteria Pistoia makes up for its size with charm — the servers are brusque yet friendly, slamming down a wooden crate of wine when asked for the list. Still, their recommendations for affordable bottles are on-point, 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 already full. Bonus: The wait is never too long here, or at a sister location in the West Village.

Chef Ignacio Mattos is better known for his small plates phenom Estela, but his sunny Italian restaurant Cafe Altro Paradiso on a Soho corner combines the creative textural thrills of a Mattos raw dish with the nostalgic warmth of a cheese-fueled pasta. Go for whatever crudo or carpaccio is available, and order multiple pastas by asking for half-orders, especially the pillowy malfatti. Talented pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz does the dessert program here, but for a showcasing of her truly other-worldly work, head uptown to sibling restaurant Flora Bar.

The pillowy square slices at Prince St. Pizza are so revered that they’ve been copycatted across the city, but no one does it like the original. The Spicy Spring slice is the one to get, starting with an airy and crisp crust that’s topped with spicy, garlic-spiked sauce and a generous number of curled, grease-bearing pepperoni. Be prepared for a consistently long line that moves fairly quickly.

If Spiaggia in Chicago is what put Missy Robbins on the radar, Lilia in Williamsburg is what rocketed the chef to stardom. Lucky diners might encounter Robbins near the flame-spitting wood grill, the device responsible for singing succulent lamb steaks. Unlucky diners will encounter a host quoting a two-hour wait for walk-ins. Reservations book up a month out, which is understandable for pastas this good, especially the wavy malfadine pasta with pink peppercorns, and the sheep’s milk ricotta agnolotti, slathered in heady saffron honey sauce.

Over a century in Williamsburg has made old-school, red-sauce Italian restaurant Bamonte’s a legend. Founded in 1900, it’s still in the same family, who serves up the same stately hospitality from 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. And yes — the ultimate signifier of Italian-American cool — The Sopranos filmed here.

Pasta is the reason to come to Faro in Bushwick, the one Michelin-starred venue from Kevin and Debbie Adey. Every pasta is made at the restaurant, from the mushroom tortelli with truffle butter to the gnocchi with braised pork shank and roasted peppers. The menu changes frequently, but the options rarely disappoint. Round out the meal at this warmly lit ideal date spot with a bottle of wine.

The Neapolitan-ish pies at modern Bushwick pizzeria Ops are a favorite of NYC pizza obsessives, who worship the tender sourdough crust made with a custom flour blend from upstate New York. Must-orders for first-timers include the basically perfect marinara pie as well as whatever the calzone is that day. Pair the pizza with the tight cocktail, wine, and beer list that caps out at $14 a drink.

This Clinton Hill establishment has been serving homey Italian fare in a cozy setting since 2012. Chef Robert Aita’s menu is particularly known for its vegetable appetizers including the brussels sprout salad and the roasted mushrooms, but the pastas are all made in-house and highlights include the oxtail ravioli, the chestnut gnocchi, and the spinach fettuccine served with a braised duck ragout. The restaurant also serves some of the city’s best pancakes for breakfast.

A picturesque backyard and a neighborhood vibe are the cherries on top at Frankies 457 Spuntino, which launched an empire on its well-executed Italian-American classics in Carroll Gardens. Open for lunch, brunch, and dinner, the restaurant is as well-known for sandwiches (meatball parm, roast beef with red onion) as it is for its pastas made in-house, 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 snagging a seat at the new wine bar is doable, where the full Frankies menu is served.

The warm, orange-hued space of Fausto features a tight menu from chef Erin Shambura that rotates regularly based on the nearby Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket — though the crowd-favorite pasta, a housemade orecchiette with pork and wilted greens, is usually available. Many of the dishes lean simple, like a little gem salad or a roast chicken with butter bean and kale, but they’re all executed with aplomb. Definitely get wine, which is natural and culled by acclaimed sommelier (and co-owner) Joe Campanale, and after dinner, try a vintage amaro; the staff is friendly and ready to educate. Fausto is good both for eating solo at the bar with pasta and a glass of wine and for dinner or brunch when family’s in town.

The dark, cozy space of Al Di La has been a Park Slope favorite since 1998 — both a date-night destination for Anna Klinger’s northern Italian pastas and a go-to for locals at dinner and brunch. Go for the spaghetti neri all chitarra (black spaghetti with octopus confit, basil, and hot chile peppers), tagliatelle, and an order of mussels if it’s a first-time visit, but there’s plenty to explore, too. Listen for the specials, and prepare to wait at primetime, though it won’t be as ridiculous as more high-profile places in Manhattan.

If the ideal romantic date spot is a big plate of pasta with a lusty and piquant red sauce, Michael’s is the place. Founded in 1964 with a façade of rusticated stone, the dining room is warm and comfortable, with a pianist playing 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 everyone orders a plate of fresh mozzarella with grilled red peppers.

Joe’s is the city’s quintessential Sicilian spot, straight out of the 1950s located on the cramped streets of Gravesend, Brooklyn. Look at the glass case filled with vegetable and seafood dishes near the entrance, noting which ones appeal, then sit down in a dining room decorated with a delightful mural that depicts an island landscape with century-old themes. Don’t miss the chickpea fritters called panelle, the pasta con sarde loaded with sardines and sweetened with fennel, or the well-oiled octopus salad.

Red picnic tables on the outdoor patio alert diners to L&B Spumoni Gardens, an iconic Gravesend hangout since 1939. The calling card here here is extra-doughy Sicilian-style pizza in square form, topped first with mozzarella and then with tomato sauce and a thin layer of Pecorino Romano. Italian classics like a sausage-and-pepper hero or spaghetti and meatballs are also well-executed, as is the must-get namesake spumoni, a colorful gelato combination with pistachio, chocolate, and fruity cremolata. Though best known as a summer destination for outdoor seating, its inside dining room is pleasant, too.

Located along Staten Island’s seaboard not far from the Atlantic beaches, Lobster House Joe’s is one of the borough’s premiere Italian seafood restaurants. The double dining room is casual and nautically themed, and you can’t go wrong with one of the perfectly steamed lobsters available in a range of sizes. The place also excels at seafood salads, linguine with any kind of red sauced seafood, chowders and bisques, and anything involving clams — from raw to incorporated into pastas to stuffed and baked. There’s a newer branch on the opposite side of the island on the Arthur Kill.