Malaparte
Italian · West Village · $
Italian · West Village, New York, NY · $$$
This oasis of a restaurant is chef Rita Sodi's ode to her native Tuscany. The menu of antipasti, masterful house-made pastas, and secondi does not stray from traditional cuisine. The tiny, Bleecker street locale is transportive — between the food, the white tablecloths, the close-knit energy, and the bar's many variations on the classic Negroni, you could just as easily be in Italy. As Pete Wells put it: "I Sodi seems not to have fully assimilated into the United States. It exists in its own extraterritorial jurisdiction, like the headquarters of the United Nations."
“After wanting to come for years, I finally snagged a reservation. They open 2 weeks in advance at 10am. Scored a Friday night at 5:30pm, latest they had when it went live. I was a little worried after reading reviews about bad service, but Shannon couldn't have been more friendly or attentive (she even told us the specials twice). We started with the insalata di asparagi which was so great. Shaved asparagus, fennel, goat cheese, and pine nuts; perfect combination of flavors. Burrata e pomodorini was good as well and tasted so fresh. For entrees we shared two. The famous lasagna is as delicious as people say with all the yummy layers. We were blown away by how good the pappardelle al limone was. The pasta noodles were long, tender and homemade with a delicious lemon sauce. A must! We ended with the flourless chocolate cake and stracciatella gelato. Again so good. We had a few different glasses of wines we enjoyed and Shannon even let us try them before commiting. Service is great! Food is outstanding! The restaurant itself is quite small so I now understand why it's so hard to get in. If you can get in this is a must! I can't wait to come back.”
“Great atmosphere and definitely lived up to the hype overall. The fried artichokes were excellent — crispy, light, and probably my favorite thing we ordered. The lasagna was rich, comforting, and clearly made with high quality ingredients. The short ribs were tender and flavorful as well. Service was good and the vibe felt very classic NYC Italian. Only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is that for the price and difficulty getting a reservation, I expected to be a little more blown away. Still absolutely worth trying and I’d definitely go back.”
“A small, focused dining room with a clear point of view—and very strong pasta. We ordered three dishes (pastas are in the ~$27–$30 range): • CACIO E PEPE: balanced, pepper-forward, very well executed • PAPPARDELLE AL LIMONE: lighter, clean, and structured • TAGLIATELLE CAPRICCIOSA (without anchovies): roasted tomato, olives, and capers—layered and the most complex We also had the INSALATA MISTA, which was fresh but fairly standard—not something particularly memorable. A couple of details to be aware of: bread is $7 and served warm, but does not match the standard of the pasta. Even a small portion of balsamic is an additional $2 charge, which feels more transactional than expected at this level. Drinks were fine. A bourbon Negroni and a zero-proof gin-based drink both worked, but remained secondary to the food. Everything else is done with restraint and consistency. Chef Rita Sodi (also behind Via Carota) keeps the menu tight and focused, and it shows. Reservations can be difficult—Notify helps. If you have access to Resy Global Dining Access, that can make it easier and sometimes offers added benefits. Vegetarian-friendly with small adjustments.”
“Small place, very minimal decor, simple, clean. We sat at bar. Good service. The asparagus salad was delicious. Bread service came with a charge and was OK, came out warm but tasted doughy and almost underbaked. The fried potato appetizer was flavorless and very dry. The cacio e Pepe pasta was very good and came out piping hot! My son did not care for the lasagna. He said it was dry and he didn’t like how the meat was. It felt very hit or miss. Overall, mid experience and higher price point, didn’t feel worth it.”
“I really don’t get the hype around this place. They don’t clearly present or document the specials at all - something places like Torrisi do exceptionally well, so you’re left guessing instead of feeling guided. I was also told there was no red sauce pasta available, which was pretty disappointing for a restaurant like this. We ended up ordering the lasagna, which was just average and far too heavy. The spinach ravioli with Parmigiano sauce was good, but nothing memorable. The service is where things really fell apart. The staff didn’t seem well-trained, and communication was inconsistent. It wasn’t even clear that the house bread was chargeable, they asked if we wanted it and we just nodded, and we later found out it was 5 bucks. The table next to us didn’t even order it and still received it, which made the whole thing feel even more unclear. Even ordering dessert was frustrating. There was no menu—they just rattled off options—and we had to ask multiple times before we could actually order. At one point, they changed a tablecloth nearby and sent dust flying straight into our food, which was pretty unacceptable. That said, just when we thought the meal was a total miss, the panna cotta completely turned things around—it was genuinely outstanding and easily the highlight of the night.”
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