When it comes to Italian food, I always have a distinct memory of being a kid and only ever wanting to eat pasta out with my family at restaurants (and subsequently always leaving with stains on my clothes because #kids). So as an adult I always have a certain nostalgia for spaghetti and Italian food, and any chance I can get to bask in the rich Italian culture here in NYC, I of course will arrive hungry.
One of the best restaurants for pasta in my opinion is Aunt Jake’s, who recently opened an additional location in West Village (the flagship in Little Italy); the pasta is homemade in-house right in front of you (they even offer pasta-making classes for anyone who is curious about how noodles are actually made!). Menu items range anywhere from their EPIC (and normally I hate to even use that word, but there’s literally no other way to describe) avocado toast all the way to classic Italian dishes like fried calamari, beef carpaccio, meatballs, burrata “stracciatella” and fresh salads.
The create-your-own-pasta choices are anything but the norm, including the beet pappardelle, squid ink pasta, and PORK CHOP WEDNESDAYS, part of their weekly specials that vary by day of the week.
Best part about everything is the Create Your Own Pasta menu, with seemingly rare noodle options and delicious sauces, there is really no bad-sounding option: beet pappardelle with marinara? How about four cheese herb ravioli with pesto sauce? Get creative with your dish and add a spicy sauce; there’s really nothing you cannot do pasta-wise at Aunt Jake’s.
