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In December, a festive tenderness takes over the streets of the Bronx’s Little Italy. The iconic street is a popular destination for the holidays food shopping, offering unique Italian homemade delicacies and important products in its historical stores.
“It’s like a homecoming,” says Danielle, co-founder of Arthur Avenue Food Tours. “People wait in line in the best mood, happy to be there, as they reconnect. Many families that are four generations removed come back to this treasure box to find all of their favorite foods here, exactly as they’ve always been.”
Shoppers overwhelmed with the excitement and anxiety of planning a succession of holiday feasts are in good hands when they visit the merchants of Arthur Ave and 187th street. When you visit, remember that portions tend to be generous, and it’s quite common to leave feeling like you’re part of the family.
Borgatti’s Ravioli & Egg Noodle’s
The Borgatti family arrived to the Bronx at the turn of the century with Bolognese pasta recipes in their hearts. Today, the third generation, husband and wife, Chris and Joan, and their children, manage the store and make pasta seven days a week. The sweet aroma of the egg ravioli and the mesmerizing rumble of a stainless steel machine pressing pounds of yellow dough surprisingly comforts the senses. Nonna’s favorite was ravioli with spinach and ground sirloin. But linguine and fettuccine- fresh or air- dried- flavored with basil, spinach, and lemon pepper, are equally loved by customers. A box of manicotti will feed a family of four, but buy more, if needed, as their pasta freezes well. Don’t be surprised to find customers arriving with gifts and tender salutations for the owners. Skip the Christmas lines and order a gift basket from their online store.
Madonia Brother’s Bakery
Under a tin ceiling, rows of loaves, Jenga-like towers of biscotti and mounds of sprinkled cookies rest on oak racks as they did 102 years ago. Customers approach the counter, ready to order their ‘ciutto bread. Their magnificent Sicilian signature loaf, a rustic round of hard-crusted pana di casa, comes out of the oven every day. Focaccia and onion bread can be found only on weekends. Stock up on staples, like their sesame breadsticks, friselle, and glistening taralli, made with red pepper, fennel and lemon. The Madonia brothers’ unfilled cannoli shells and pignole make for a proper dessert spread.
Mount Carmel Foods
New York Mayor Laguardia built an impressive public work, The Arthur Avenue Retail Market, as a way to bring Italian food carts off the streets after the Great Depression. If you walk past La Casa Grande cigar rollers and produce stalls, you’ll find the Navarra family’s stand in the back. From Salerno, they began selling Italian imports 35 years ago. When customers ask for advice, like a recommendation for a peppery Tuscan olive oil, the Navarra’s share their expertise. Browse their shelves for bottarga caviar and high-end gluten free pastas. During Christmas, they offer over forty kinds of panettone, from peach to chocolate fig, and a bountiful collection of torrone blocks.
Calabria Pork Store
In the winter, the store windows fog up, obscuring a view of their famous “sausage chandelier.” This time of year, the store looks like a dimly lit sausage cave, and very instagrammable. Order some ‘Nduja at the counter and then look up at the dry sausage dangling above in their various stages of curation. Some will be greasy and others covered in mold, almost ready to be scraped off and sold to customers. For half a century, this family has kept alive these Calabrian traditions. Over the holidays, the ceiling will be packed in anticipation of pork-eating on New Year’s. Their selection of spicy condiments in jars behind the counter should not be overlooked.
Zero Otto Nove Restaurant
Named after the zip code of Salerno, Italy, this restaurant hums with the hospitality of the Amalfi Coast. Waiters dart in and out of terra-cotta colored dining rooms, balancing dishes in their arms. At the back of the restaurant, an emerald wood-fired oven churns out Neapolitan-style pizza in three minutes flat. All pastas are made fresh. Grilled seafood, like the whole branzino, is a compelling option since fish deliveries come twice a day from local mongers. Italian chef and owner, Roberto Paciullo, has opened five restaurants across New York City. This was the first Zero Otto Nove location. No reservations are taken, but enjoy the wait by sipping a house-made limoncello martini. Specials change weekly, and be advised, on weekdays the restaurant observes Italian hours, closing from 2:30-4:30pm.