The 18 Best Pasta Dishes in New York City, Picked by Top Chefs

The dog days of summer conjure daydreams of ice cream, picnics, barbecues … and heaping plates of hearty pasta?

“I used to think I needed to make the pastas lighter in summer,” says Andrew Carmellini, who serves notable noodles at New York’s Locanda Verde, Café Carmellini and Bar Primi. But in the hottest months, he says, “we’d still sell so much carbonara and Bolognese, customers freaked out when I tried to change it.”

Now he makes them year-round.

New York is a pasta town, after all, dating to the mass arrival of Italian immigrants in the 1800s. And as with other city staples, namely pizza, bagels and burgers, there are a lot of strong opinions about them. Especially where to find the best.

So we polled a few experts—the country’s top chefs—to tell us what they love. Here are some highlights to enjoy this summer—and spring, fall and winter.

Pici all’Arrabbiata
Lodi, Midtown, Manhattan

Amid the throngs of tourists packing Rockefeller Center, this stylish aperitivo bar is a peaceful oasis with an all-day menu from chef Ignacio Mattos. The plump, piquant tomato-sauced pici is tossed with chunks of salty guanciale (cured pork jowl) and is the obsession of Kwame Onwuachi, who was recognized by the James Beard Foundation as a Rising Star Chef in 2019. “I have been craving it every day since the moment I had it,” he says. “It’s so simplistic and incredibly nuanced at the same time. Layered with flavor from the guanciale, tomato and chiles, it perfectly complements the thick pasta.”

—Recommended by Kwame Onwuachi, chef-owner of Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi in New York

Rigatoni Carbonara
Bar Primi, East Village, Manhattan

Occupying a corner on the rowdy Bowery is the two-story Bar Primi, where outdoor tables get packed in warm weather. Carmellini’s menu is a crowd-pleasing roundup of Italian antipasti and secondi favorites, but for Mitsunobu Nagae, owner and executive chef of L’Abeille, there’s only one order: rigatoni carbonara with guanciale, pecorino and egg yolk. “It’s a classic for a reason! Just a few ingredients, and done right, it’s the perfect blend of flavors,” Nagae says. “I’ve yet to taste a better carbonara in the city.”

—Recommended by Mitsunobu Nagae, chef-partner of L’Abeille and L’Abeille à Côté in New York