Staying @ The Warwick NY in Manhattan - First time in NYC! Is Arthur Avenue worth the trip?

[singerforever]

Hi! I will be in Manhattan to perform next week and we will have a couple days of downtime. Someone told me this past weekend about Antonio's in the Bronx for authentic Italian food and atmosphere. I did some research and found that to travel to the Bronx from Manhattan via Subway is about 30-40min,. So is this worth making the trip? Are there other great places around this? We are really into non touristy places and just want old school Italian food, and meet the owners, that kind of thing. Your suggestions would help so much! Thanks! Oh, and please keep in mind that we're in entertainment so we're on a budget. $20-$25 /pp or less

[JFores]

Arthur Avenue is a firm part of the tourist trail these days so it may not check off the genuine local experience style criteria, but a lot of stuff around there is worth the trip.

As an alternative (but at a similar travel time) is Joe's of Avenue U in Gravesend which can be easily followed up with 18th Avenue. Despite the Italian exodus to Staten Island and a growing Chinese community in the area, I would definitely regard Dyker/Bensonhurst as a more "authentic" location with a huge number of Sicilian speakers, arguably better pastry shops (especially Villabate and Golden Crown), an excellent restaurant of its own ( Il Colosseo ), etc. It's also not even remotely touristy.

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Joe's of Avenue U
287 Avenue U, Brooklyn, NY 11223

Il Colosseo
7704 18th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11214

Villabate Alba
7001 18th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11204

Royal Crown Bakery
6512 14th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11219

[Sluggo1407]

And Bensonhurst/Dyker is definitely in singerforever's price range. Joe's of Avenue is a good choice and not a difficult trip from Manhattan.

[singerforever]

Thanks you guys! I appreciate it! That sounds interesting and I will look it up!

[JFores]

Yeah, these places are like 1/2 to 2/3 the price of many of the Arthur Ave hotspots with bigger portions (and in the case of Joe's and some of Colo's specials) more authentically regional. Joe's isn't exactly Rosanero in Palermo in terms of the number of dishes, but some of what they do is really excellent.

I also lived near Il Colo for most of my life without eating there and only recently made it. Amazing menu and their specials are constantly changing. Everything I had was excellent from the bread onward.

[bob96]

Can't agree more about the quality of Villabate, RC, and Colosseo, but that's a haul form Manhattan.Joe's even more so. Plus, both nabes are so spread out and now less thickly Italian than before that they're not really destinations in themselves. For variety, color, and quality, Arthur Avenue is about as densely "authentic" as you can get--yeah, tourists are there, and everywhere else--with many traditional food shops. It might be tough to eat for less than $20/25, but Emilia's has a bargain lunch menu, and othe rplaces might as well. There's also take out from Mikes and Caffe Mercato in the marketplace, and Tino's up the street (wh has seating, too, and good sandwiches and hot dishes). If the weather's nice, eating outdoors in the playground could be fun, too. Metro North runs 17-20 minute trains from Grand Central to Fordham Rd, a quick walk to the avenue.

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Mike's Deli
2344 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458

Emilia's
2331 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458

Cafe al Mercato
2331 Hughes Ave, Bronx, NY 10458

Tino's Delicatessen
2410 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458

[singerforever]

Thanks everyone!I'm so looking forward to this trip. I'm going to see how well we do on time to determine if we make the trip or not. I've gotten so many ideas from the Manhattan boards that I'm not sure if we'll have time between museums etc. But these suggestions I've put on my list incase!

[janie]

Going to Arthur Avenue, would be my vote--because you could also do the Bronx Zoo and NY Botanical Gardens, also---maybe just hit up my favorite pizza spot, Full Moon, for the most amazing, long stemmed artichoke spinach slice I'd travel 100 miles for--unique cornmeal crust on their pizza--sit outside or inside by the window, and get your full of Arthur avenue authenticity--you can't find characters that roam around there anywhere else!! Then get yourself at freshly filled cannoli at Madonia--and see the gardens or zoo--both are great--the gift shop at the gardens is wonderful, also--and they've got a tram that takes you through the whole gardens--wednesdays are free for both by the way--and they are within walking distance to each other

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Madonia Brothers Bakery
2348 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458

Full Moon Pizzeria
600 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458

[singerforever]

Oh that sounds yummy! I've heard about those attractions as well...decisions decisions. I've got to travel to NY more often so I can eat and see everything!!

[jcmods]

I heard something about an Oyster Guy with a food cart. Is that still good or will it not even be there Memorial Day weekend. I am not really into eating at one of the touristy restaurants, but I heard it is a fun place to go on Saturday afternoon.

PS, I answered my own question. I sold myself on going this Saturday. Yes, there is an outdoor oyster stand, but it is not a truck, it is part of a seafood market. Been dying to get there for a long time now.
http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/...

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Cosenza's Fish Market
2354 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458

[bob96]

There's another fish market down the street, Randazzo's, with similar offerings.

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Randazzo's Seafood
2327 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458

[jcmods]

We did get to sample the oysters. It wasn't terribly crowded but it was a holiday weekend. The restaurants all looked kinda big and touristy (they have an Umberto's Clam house which is definitely a tourist trap as even the one in Soho is not even the "original" where Joey Gallo got rubbed out.) Definitely a fun stop after the Botanical Garden, but unless I was going to buy a lot of butcher shop items or cheeses, I am not so sure it is worth an entire day trip in and of itself. Unfortunately the recommended Pizza place was closed on Memorial Day Saturday.

[Geo8rge]

I think your hotel is in the 50s so you will not be able to venture that far into Brooklyn. Sams's is the only place I know that might fit the bill for you.

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Sam's
238 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

[tractarian]

I would definitely check out both Arthur Avenue and also Morris Park, which are the 2 last Italian, if not noticably white, areas of the Bronx. Teitel Brothers, Cosenza's, Randazzo's, etc. are all good options.

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Teitel Brothers
2372 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458