Best Pizza & Pasta Dishes from Bronx Little Italy | National Pizza & Pasta Month in October

Belmont Business Improvement District has some of the best pizza and pasta dishes in New York City.

While there are many mom-and-pop restaurateurs in the historic Arthur Avenue neighborhood offering the authentic Italian fare – several of which have been operating for over a century by the same families passed down through multiple generations – below are a few highlights of the top pizza and pasta dishes in the Bronx Little Italy.

Pizza in the Bronx:

Full Moon Pizza – Visitors from all five boroughs and beyond flock to the intersection of Arthur Avenue and East 187^th Street for their “ginormous” specialty slices with a thin crispy crust, using family recipes that are over 50 years old. The chicken parm slice features chicken cutlet pieces and tastes just like a chicken parm, but in slice form. Their top specialty seller (only behind their regular cheese slice) is the buffalo chicken slice with blue cheese on the side.
Zero Otto Nove – Featuring a wood-burning brick oven, Zero Otto Nove is known for their wide variety of thin-crust pizzas. With the fall season, a popular option is “La Riccardo,” made with butternut squash puree, smoked mozzarella, pancetta and basil.
Mario’s Restaurant – The famed 100+ year old restaurant on Arthur Avenue is known for its Neapolitan-style Margherita pizza with a secret family recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation, featuring San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella and basil.
Tino’s Deli – A real jewel of Arthur Avenue, Tino’s Deli has been family owned and operated for over 20 years, using recipes that have been passed down from the family’s Neapolitan heritage. Rosa’s homemade brick oven pizza is made with love and popular options includes the Pizza Margherita with fresh mozzarella and Pizza Porco Pesto with savory porchetta.
Ivana’s Pizzeria – Best known for their classic cheese slices, Ivana’s is family owned and operated with recipes that have been used within the family for over 40 years.

Pasta in the Bronx:

Trattoria Tra Di Noi – Lasagna Bolognese is their most popular dish, followed by their Pasta Fave, which is a traditional Italian peasant dish. The pasta is traditionally mixed, incorporating any leftover dry pasta such as spaghetti, fusilli, penne or whatever is available. The fave beans are always fresh, taken from the pod and have both the inner and outer skins peeled off. The sauce is light with olive oil, fresh herbs, shallots and pancetta.
Enzo’s of Arthur Avenue – Owned by Maria Di Rende, a mother of five, Enzo’s of Arthur Avenue is one of the neighborhood’s most popular spots and their top selling pasta is the linguine with white clam sauce. All pasta is made fresh in house and only the freshest clams are used, along with garlic and oil.
Pasquale’s Rigoletto Restaurant – As a colorful dish packed with strong and savory flavors, Paglia E Fieno is their most popular dish with green and white fresh noodles with peas, prosciutto and cream.
MichaelAngelo’s – Shrimp scampi over linguini is their most popular pasta dish with a photo included below.
Emilia’s Restaurant – Pappardelle Bolognese con Ricotta is one of their signature dishes, made with homemade pappardelle in Bolognese sauce topped with fresh ricotta and basil.

In addition to ongoing outdoor dining throughout the week, a reminder that the Bronx Little Italy recently launched their “Piazza di Belmont” on Arthur Avenue as the first-ever piazza-style dedicated al fresco dining plan between East 188^th Street and Crescent Avenue from Thursday to Sunday nights.

For those interested in cooking at home, shoppers can buy a variety of handmade noodles from local Bronx Little Italy retail shops including Borgatti’s Ravioli & Egg Noodles as well as Terranova Bakery.