Little Italy
Ranked 26th best neighborhood in Manhattan
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Great for
- Eating Out
- Neighborly Spirit
- Public Transport
- Shopping Options
- Nightlife
Not great for
- Parking
- Cost of Living
- Lack of Traffic
Who lives here?
- Tourists
- Trendy & Stylish
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Reviews
Little Italy
rating details
2yrs+
- Neighborly Spirit
- Clean & Green
- Pest Free
- Peace & Quiet
- Eating Out
- Nightlife
- Parks & Recreation
- Shopping Options
- Gym & Fitness
- Lack of Traffic
- Cost of Living
- Public Transport
Editors Choice
"Cool neighborhood -- very New York"
Nolita is just a really cool neighborhood. It's tiny and sort of hard to define but it has some of my favorite shops and restaurants in the city. A lot of the streets are tree-lined and quaint; almost as quaint as the West Village.
Mott street, in particular, is so darling. It has this great make your own perfume shop on the west side of the street and some of my favorite boutiques. The Only Hearts store has some of the most simple and elegant undergarments and there's just about every shoe shop you can imagine on the street.
Von is a great, dark place to catch up with friends over a nice glass of wine on a weeknight. It's got a great vibe and the dark interior just makes you feel cool. It's always busy though -- apparently, everyone agrees with me about this place - so, it's best to go a little early. And, I don't know if dogs are actually allowed in the place, but I've seen them in there a few times which I kinda like.
Cafe Habana is in Nolita. It's the first restaurant I ever dined at in the city and it remains one of my top 5. It is ALWAYS jam packed so you have to expect to wait a while. But, the Cuban food is amazing and the vibe is so great. It's tiny and everyone is on top of each other but it is impossible to be unhappy in this place and no one ever is. You become friends with everyone around you fairly quickly because you are practically dining together. It's loud and bright and so cool. And, the cojita corn: I have dreams about it.
The location is great too. You can go shopping in the afternoon, grab a drink down the street, head in for dinner, and walk home easily to pretty much any neighborhood downtown. The apartments are expensive and typical New York (tiny, exposed brick walk-ups) but it's just a cool haunt.
Mott street, in particular, is so darling. It has this great make your own perfume shop on the west side of the street and some of my favorite boutiques. The Only Hearts store has some of the most simple and elegant undergarments and there's just about every shoe shop you can imagine on the street.
Von is a great, dark place to catch up with friends over a nice glass of wine on a weeknight. It's got a great vibe and the dark interior just makes you feel cool. It's always busy though -- apparently, everyone agrees with me about this place - so, it's best to go a little early. And, I don't know if dogs are actually allowed in the place, but I've seen them in there a few times which I kinda like.
Cafe Habana is in Nolita. It's the first restaurant I ever dined at in the city and it remains one of my top 5. It is ALWAYS jam packed so you have to expect to wait a while. But, the Cuban food is amazing and the vibe is so great. It's tiny and everyone is on top of each other but it is impossible to be unhappy in this place and no one ever is. You become friends with everyone around you fairly quickly because you are practically dining together. It's loud and bright and so cool. And, the cojita corn: I have dreams about it.
The location is great too. You can go shopping in the afternoon, grab a drink down the street, head in for dinner, and walk home easily to pretty much any neighborhood downtown. The apartments are expensive and typical New York (tiny, exposed brick walk-ups) but it's just a cool haunt.
Pros
- Very pretty
- Great restaurants
- Great bars
Cons
- Crazy expensive
- Tiny apartments
Recommended for
- Trendy & Stylish
Little Italy
rating details
2yrs+
- Neighborly Spirit
- Clean & Green
- Pest Free
- Peace & Quiet
- Eating Out
- Nightlife
- Parks & Recreation
- Shopping Options
- Gym & Fitness
- Lack of Traffic
- Parking
- Cost of Living
- Resale or Rental Value
- Public Transport
"Nolita has it all"
Nolita is one of my favorite New York neighborhoods, and I find myself here often - whether it be to shop, eat, grab a few cocktails or just to stroll. On weekends the area does get crowded, and even during the week this neighborhood never exactly dies down. If you want to catch Nolita with quiet streets and empty sidewalks, try stopping by during a blizzard. There is an endless string of trendy bars, restaurants and shops in these blocks - making it a perfect place for the singles set. Beware, though - if you aren't making big bucks you are unlikely to be able to afford such incredible digs.
You'll find a lot of tourist-friendly/famous restaurants (think Balthazar) here, as well as staples like the Dean and Deluca store and the Housing Works book shop. If my parents were coming into town, I think this is the one neighborhood where I would most delight in taking them. For an area so crowded, the streets stay clean (a New York clean) and these blocks are absolutely beautiful.
You'll find a lot of tourist-friendly/famous restaurants (think Balthazar) here, as well as staples like the Dean and Deluca store and the Housing Works book shop. If my parents were coming into town, I think this is the one neighborhood where I would most delight in taking them. For an area so crowded, the streets stay clean (a New York clean) and these blocks are absolutely beautiful.
Pros
- endless bar/restaurant scene
- Very pretty
- Fantastic central location
Cons
- Crazy expensive
- Tiny apartments
- Tourist mobs on weekends
Recommended for
- Tourists
Little Italy
rating details
2yrs+
- Neighborly Spirit
- Clean & Green
- Pest Free
- Peace & Quiet
- Eating Out
- Nightlife
- Parks & Recreation
- Shopping Options
- Gym & Fitness
- Internet Access
- Lack of Traffic
- Cost of Living
- Resale or Rental Value
- Public Transport
- Medical Facilities
"The ideal brunch neighborhood"
NoLita is a small and relatively recent neighborhood that has sprung up as its own entity, central to surrounding neighborhoods like SoHo, Chinatown, and the Lower East Side. The neighborhood included some truly beautiful buildings. For example, the Puck Building, an ornate building that got its name from Puck Magazine, a publication that no longer exists. Another great building is the very old St Patrick's Old Cathedral on Prince Street. It is surrounded on all sides by a brick wall, which was erected to protect the cathedral, back when there were riots between protestants and catholics, in the early years of Manhattan. On Sundays the area just next to the cathedral is lined with vendors selling all kinds of merchandise, and if you walk around to Mott Street, you will see a beautiful old door that leads to the cathedral's courtyard. I would say Nolita is one great place to do brunch. Not only does it have good places like Cafe Habana and Cafe Gitane, but the people walking around are always stylish, which is absolutely important for a brunch experience. There are also a lot of small boutique shops in the area. One of my favorites is a men's barbershop on Elizabeth Street that has a real old-world atmosphere.
Little Italy
rating details
2yrs+
- Neighborly Spirit
- Clean & Green
- Pest Free
- Peace & Quiet
- Eating Out
- Nightlife
- Parks & Recreation
- Shopping Options
- Gym & Fitness
- Internet Access
- Lack of Traffic
- Parking
- Cost of Living
- Resale or Rental Value
- Public Transport
- Medical Facilities
"Away from the Madding Crowd"
NoLiTa which is an acronym for North of little Italy is located as its name suggests to the north of the tourist infested district of Little Italy. The boundaries of this small downtown Manhattan neighborhood extend from Houston Street in the north to Kenmare Street in the south and Broadway in the west to the Bowery in the east.
This neighborhood which was demarcated as a separate enclave in the late 1990s is today home to many young New York professionals who enjoy its relatively quiet streets which are populated by small, chic restaurants, stores and boutiques like Bread, Rice, Public, Mcnally Jackson Books, Café Gitane, BioNYC and Lord Willy’s.
The real estate landscape of NoLiTa is made up of 5-6 story pre-war walks and newer condo constructions and conversions like the Spring Street condominiums and the Candle Building on 11 Spring Street which was originally a 19th century carriage house which has now been converted into three extremely expensive, stylish condo properties.
This neighborhood which was demarcated as a separate enclave in the late 1990s is today home to many young New York professionals who enjoy its relatively quiet streets which are populated by small, chic restaurants, stores and boutiques like Bread, Rice, Public, Mcnally Jackson Books, Café Gitane, BioNYC and Lord Willy’s.
The real estate landscape of NoLiTa is made up of 5-6 story pre-war walks and newer condo constructions and conversions like the Spring Street condominiums and the Candle Building on 11 Spring Street which was originally a 19th century carriage house which has now been converted into three extremely expensive, stylish condo properties.
Pros
- Great bars
- Great restaurants
- Very pretty
Cons
- Crazy expensive
- Tiny apartments
Recommended for
- Tourists
- Trendy & Stylish
Little Italy
"Great place to shop"
NoLita stands for North of Little Italy, and like many neighborhoods in Manhattan is undergoing some serious evolution. In the past, NoLita was recognized as a seedy place to live, but now boasts some of Manhattan’s hippest boutiques, restaurants, and cafés.
NoLita is adjacent to SoHo and due to its proximity reaps the benefit of great vintage shopping and luxurious hotel options, like the Mercer Hotel and SoHo Grand Hotel. If you want expensive and tony boutiques, NoLita is your neighborhood! Sigerson Morrison is an upscale shop known for its handbags and accessories. If you are searching for that perfect vintage, check out Resurrection at 217 Mott Street. Resurrection’s celebrity clients include Paris Hilton, Victoria Beckham, Anna Sui, and Chloe Sevigny.
After a hard day of shopping, stop by the famous Lombardi’s on Spring Street. Continue on Spring Street toward Rice to Riches for some amazing rice pudding – they have some very creative flavors that I love, and I am not a rice pudding fanatic by any means.
NoLita is adjacent to SoHo and due to its proximity reaps the benefit of great vintage shopping and luxurious hotel options, like the Mercer Hotel and SoHo Grand Hotel. If you want expensive and tony boutiques, NoLita is your neighborhood! Sigerson Morrison is an upscale shop known for its handbags and accessories. If you are searching for that perfect vintage, check out Resurrection at 217 Mott Street. Resurrection’s celebrity clients include Paris Hilton, Victoria Beckham, Anna Sui, and Chloe Sevigny.
After a hard day of shopping, stop by the famous Lombardi’s on Spring Street. Continue on Spring Street toward Rice to Riches for some amazing rice pudding – they have some very creative flavors that I love, and I am not a rice pudding fanatic by any means.
Uraniumfish
Cafe Habana at Prince and Elizabeth, too. It's swank and friendly, and the people are pretty.
2yrs+
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