The absolute best Italian restaurants in the West Village

This cozy Italian restaurant, run by the chef power couple of Jody Williams and Rita Sodi, is a rustic, sophisticated and heart-swelling gem. The simple food—towering insalata verde, hearty chopped steak and any of the soul-satisfying pastas—makes this Village favorite a place where everyone wants to be a regular. If the wait for a table is too insane (that’s common), duck across the street for an aperitivo at Bar Pisellino.

Quality Italian's chef power couple Angie Rito (Torrisi Italian Specialties) and Scott Tacinelli (Quality Meats) turn out modern Italian-American plates at this small corner trattoria in the Village. Lit solely by warm globe lights and candles at night, the romantic locale serves inventive plates like a decadent, deconstructed lasagna for two, prime rib braciole and two-toned pasta alongside Campari- and Cocchi-based cocktails.  

The upscale trattoria's larger dishes offer a homey quality, including comforting Pici Cacio e Pepe and a wild boar ragu. Sip from the pages-long wine list or snag a bottle of the fan-favorite house wine, which puts all other table reds to shame.

While Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli's first born restaurant, Don Angie, caused quite the buzz, the latest sibling is grabbing all the attention. Named after the patron saint of Sanza, San Sabino is all about coastal fare found along the shores of Italy. Once you get a table, fill it with mussels stuffed with 'nduja, the smoked chili crab pasta and the shrimp parm blanketed in a sweet and sour arrabbiata sauce. 

Even after a move to Bleecker Street after 15 years, I Sodi is still the same. Chef Rita Sodi's approach is just as straightforward as it is exciting, and we will still just as readily sing the praises of her rabbit porchetta as we did on day one. 

The Italian-American supper clubs immortalized in mob movies and sepia-toned photos were never as dreamy as they seemed. The young guns behind Carbone, though, have moved beyond sentimentality in their homage to these restaurants by flipping the whole genre on its head. The enormous menu reads like an encyclopedia of red-checkered classics. And yes, that includes the Spicy Rigatoni. 

Il Mulino is a place for celebration. The food at this dark-wood, sometimes cramped fine-dining landmark is magnificent, and the portions gargantuan. A ravioli appetizer could pass as an entrée; the osso buco—nearly falling off the bone and surrounded by mounds of creamy risotto—is too hefty to finish. You won’t have room for dessert, but the waiter will describe something (mascarpone cheesecake, perhaps), and you’ll order it anyway and eat half, at best. When the bill comes, you’ll really understand the meaning of big.

Malaparte is dark, cozy spot in the West Village's Washington Street. The restaurant is solid and perfect for the kind of date night where you're looking to load up on carbs. And if you can't find love over the Pizza Rucola e Prosciutto di Parma, then where can you?

For all of us who can't squeeze into Jody Williams and Rita Sodi's megahit Via Carota, there are a few more seats across the street in the couple's all-day spot Bar Pisellino. The Italian jewel box sells coffee, pastries and sandwiches during the day and cocktails for an aperitif or late-night drinking.

The polished young people who jam into this popular spot are certainly different from the adventurous sorts who once prowled these streets in drag and leather. The restaurant is noisy, inexpensive and ideal for large gatherings. Service is personable and accommodating, and the food gets better as the evening moves along (whether you have wine or not). Here, spaghetti with tomato, basil and mozzarella is everything you want it to be: light and tangy, with a sauce begging to be sopped up with a slice of sourdough.

With its long marble bar, piddling five tables and menu of choice Italian nibbles, Gottino isn't so much a restaurant as a very well-accoutred wine bar. Divided into salumi and cheese on one side and prepared bites on the other, the menu provides multiple opportunities for memorable bites. Thick-cut cacciatorini (cured pork sausage) luxuriates in a shallow pool of olive oil infused with oregano and garlic, while in another wee dish, sardines keep company with fennel, pine nuts and raisins.

At the always welcoming (and often mobbed) Rosemary’s, lofted beam ceilings lend rustic Italian charm to an expansive and airy space. Pulling ingredients from its rooftop garden, the kitchen turns out both farm-to-table and coastal Italian classics like Sicilian salad, whipped burrata and slow-roasted herbed chicken. Treat yourself to second helpings of the house-made focaccia, and wake up from the carb-heavy meal with an affogato. 

Fulfilling all the romantic expectations on Cornelia Street is Palma. Evokes the Italian countryside, inside you'll find antique wooden tables, rickety paper light fixtures and simple, whitewashed walls. Try the homemade spinach-and-ricotta stuffed agnolotti for an intoxicating blend of cream and piquancy or the rich, meaty Agnello Scotaditto. After spooning your last bite, you might agree: This sort of dining makes its own magic.

Morandi, the Italian debut for French-trained Keith McNally (Pastis, Balthazar) is completely transportive to the old-world, complete with brick archways, wooden beams, jeweled chandeliers and—of course—racks of Italian wine. The large menu favors the kinds of basics you'd actually eat in Italy, borrowed from all over the boot, such as the charred octopus and the linguine with clams in a delicate white wine sauce.

At Emanuele Bugiani's new Pasta Al Forno, a follow-up to his West and East Village restaurants, Bugiani is entirely focused on baked pasta—from timballo and ziti to lasagna. Baked pasta isn't often championed on New York menus, but at many restaurants it's a dish that adds to the hype.