Rossini’s Restaurant- Best Italian Cuisine and Atmosphere in New York City–Complete with Live Music!

Article by: Elizabeth Berwitt and Katie too a little

A couple weeks ago, my parents came to NYC to celebrate my Dad’s birthday. Since we wanted this celebration to be extra special, I (Elizabeth) made it my mission to find the perfect restaurant for dinner, and let me tell you, Mission Accomplished!

Now, I don’t know about your parents but ours don’t equate a delicious NYC meal with foie gras, Cornish hens, or escargot (and neither do we)! Much like myself and my sisters, my parents like Italian restaurants that serve hearty portions of homemade pastas, rich sauces and staple Italian dishes like Chicken Parm and Penne alla Vodka. Rossini’s opened its doors back in 1978 and have been perfecting traditional Italian cuisine ever since!

From the minute we walked in we were immediately comforted from the Arctic blast outside by the warm, cozy atmosphere at Rossini’s. We sat in the main dining room where I felt like we were transported to a traditional Italian home. Although the food does not come cheap at Rossini’s, it’s worth the price (which relative to upscale Italian restaurants is average). If you’re lucky to snag a reservation on a Saturday night, there are 2 live opera singers and a piano player (Trio Romantica!) which starts at 8PM and lasts throughout the entire evening! (Sunday-Friday there is still a piano player) The Italian opera singing was incredible and the singers even took requests, including songs from Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and our favorite Broadway shows such as Les Mis. It’s a recession-proof way to see live music. The price is built right into your entrees! Our reservation was at 7:30PM, but we had such a great time that we wound up staying a full 4 hours! The culmination of the evening was when the entire restaurant was on their feet dancing to Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York. By the time dessert came, we truly felt like our waiter was part of the family. The Maitre de even had his arm around my Dad!

Oh and the food, Fuggetaboutit! The table was covered in crisp Caesar salads made tableside, (even sans anchovy paste if you wish which we loved!) traditional fried zucchini, penne arrabiata, pesto linguine, chicken Parm, chicken Francese, you name it! The wine was even reasonably priced—which of course called for us ordering an extra bottle of champagne! Delish!!

So, if you’re looking for an evening filled with delicious food and fantastic entertainment, look no further. Rossini’s is a one of a kind dining experience that you will never forget! It’s everything you would picture a perfect New York Italian restaurant to be. Our expectations were exceeded beyond our wildest beliefs! Don’t believe us? Check out the wall lined with celeb photos and letters praising the cuisine here! If you live in New York and haven’t been here you’ve never been to an Italian restaurant!

Rossini’s Restaurant
108 E 38th St, New York, NY
(212) 683-0135
info@rossinisrestaurant.com