Italian$$$federal-hill
Cassarino's on Atwells, opened 1988, is the candlelit Federal Hill room locals book midweek. Northern Italian classics, a marble bar, polished service.
Signature: Lobster ravioli, Veal piccata, Tiramisu
Order: Lobster ravioli or veal piccata; close with the house tiramisu.
Tip: Walk-in seats at the bar serve the full menu; book the booths through OpenTable.
Southern Italian$$$federal-hill
Joe and Esther DeQuattro's Pane e Vino, on Federal Hill since 2002, pours Southern Italian cooking and a 120-bottle all-Italian list. Half-price Mondays.
Signature: House-made pasta, Veal Milanese, All-Italian wine list
Order: Veal Milanese with a glass of Aglianico, or a flight of the pasta of the day.
Tip: Half-price wine all day Monday; the Atwells patio is the best seat on Al Fresco Saturdays.
Italian$$$federal-hill
Massimo on Atwells runs contemporary regional Italian under the DeQuattro family. Gluten-free menu, biodynamic wines, marble bar with seats.
Signature: Regional Italian pasta, Biodynamic wines, Branzino
Order: Whatever regional pasta is the special, plus a glass of small-producer Italian red.
Tip: Open Sunday for brunch from 10:30; Monday through Thursday until 21:30, weekends to 22:30.
Italian wine bar$$$downtown
Bacaro on South Water is part Venetian bacaro, part full Italian dining room. Cicchetti and salumeria at the downstairs bar; pasta and entree dining upstairs.
Signature: Cicchetti plates, House salumi, Hand-rolled pasta
Order: A round of cicchetti and a glass of Lugana downstairs; a pasta upstairs.
Tip: Tuesday to Saturday, 17:00 to 22:00; downstairs bar walks in, dining room takes reservations.
Italian$$$federal-hill
Costantino's Venda on DePasquale Square pairs the 1938 Italian pasta market with a full restaurant. Hand-pressed ravioli, the fountain patio.
Signature: Hand-pressed ravioli, Pasta of the day, Federal Hill seafood pasta
Order: Whatever ravioli is being run from the downstairs market, with a glass off the Italian list.
Tip: Free live music on the plaza patio nightly through summer; the deli takes pasta to-go.
Pizza and raw bar$$fox-point
Chef Robert Andreozzi's Pizza Marvin on Wickenden runs New Haven pizza with a small raw bar; the Pepperoni Negroni is the house cocktail order.
Signature: New Haven-style pies, Shucked clams, Pepperoni Negroni
Order: A pepperoni pie, a dozen shucked clams, a Pepperoni Negroni.
Tip: Walk-ins only; the small dining room turns over quickly between 18:00 and 21:00.