Wow! Many Changes in Little Italy (New York, York: live, restaurants, shops)

[Dexterguy]

I got back from a trip from NYC just a few days ago, and I was suprised on how many changes the city has gone through. I arrived on Manhattan around lunch time, so I went straight to my favorite district for lunch "Little Italy." Many things have just in Little Italy in just a few years. The last time I went to NYC in 2003 or 04 I ate a restuarant in Little Italy called "Luna Restuarant." I tried looking around for it, and then I noticed that it was gone, a gift shop is know in it's place. To bad. Also a small Little Italy souvenir shop that was near Canal St is know a Discount store. And I noticed a new restuarant at Mulberry and Hester Streets. I believe the name is "Giovanna's", I believe I saw a another new place near Cha Cha's. Another thing that I noticed is that the tradional christmas decorations that Little Italy puts up through it's streets each year has changed to just white light arches, it no longer has the colored garland, with the stringed lights that they had for years. It is just amazing how fast things can change in just a few years.

Thankfully, many of the good restuarants did not cahnge!

[*Capo*]

I see more Chinese shops edging their way in to Mulberry St. from Canal.

Didn't Chinatown take a lot of the land Little Italy used to be comprised of?

[oc200]

Little Italy is almost all but gone now. Yes, there are still Italian restaurants and bakeries remaining, but they are mostly tourist traps and the food is mediocre at best. I find that most native New Yorkers do not go around that area for good Italian.

[Dexterguy]

There are still many great Italian restaurants in Little Italy, to name a few Il Cortile, Buona Notte, Caffe Napoli, and Puglia I all found to be very good to good. It is just so sad to see Little Italy slowly chewed away by Chinatown because it has so much history inside of it. Some of it's restaurants are nearing or are over 100 years old. Many Italians in NYC had ancesters who once lived in Little Italy, it is hard for many of these people to let their history go.

[Lillietta]

I grew up there when it was Little Italy, and it expanded uptown to 14th Street. I guess I'm sentimental, but I liked it much more then than it is now, especially all those markets - fish, olives, bread, meat.

[Futcha]

Chinatown is taking over. Little Italy is sort of moving to south - central Brooklyn, at least from what I hear. Haven't thought much about it.

[Dexterguy]

Originally Posted by FutureCop

Chinatown is taking over. Little Italy is sort of moving to south - central Brooklyn, at least from what I hear. Haven't thought much about it.

I do know that there is many Italians in the Coney Island area in southern Brooklyn. Maybe that is what you are talking about?

[Dexterguy]

When I was reading my "Manhattan" book by fodor's it says that the Little Italy Merchants Association requested no Chinese establishments on Mulberry Street, that way it would stay mostly "Italian". Does anyone know any details on the subject?

[Dockside]

Originally Posted by oc200

Little Italy is almost all but gone now. Yes, there are still Italian restaurants and bakeries remaining, but they are mostly tourist traps and the food is mediocre at best. I find that most native New Yorkers do not go around that area for good Italian.

I agree, most of the food is mediocre and I've eaten at many of the remaining restaurants. And to cut back costs, many are cash only which cuts down on on-the-spur-of-the-moment dining decisions.

[DouggieG]

I used to love Little Italy in Manhattan, but, as so may here have said, it has been all but consumed by Chinatown. I still go to Mulberry Street to eat at times because some very good restaurants remain, but it's sad to see it shrinking away. It also has become a huge tourist area. Little Italy in the Bronx (Arthur Avenue, etc.) remains authentic and is much like what Mulberry Street used to be.