How to Dine at Rao’s Without a Reservation | Eater NY

"I had long been intimidated by trying to get into Rao’s, East Harlem’s famous Italian restaurant, so walking in as a hopeful Tuesday walk-in felt like an experiment. Open since 1896 at 455 E. 114th Street at Pleasant Avenue and founded by the Rao family, the restaurant—put on the map by Anna Pellegrino Rao and Vincent Rao (who made the lemon chicken famous)—operates with table rights, established around the 1970s, that grant seats to patrons over generations and help explain why there are only ten tables and why getting one is so notoriously difficult. The room feels like a den for power brokers—mayors, moguls and celebrities have long been regulars—and the walls, wooden booths and famous staff contribute to a sense of history that includes mob stories, informal casting for Goodfellas and friendships with law enforcement figures. My night began at the bar (where I learned not to hand over cash or give a name because the bartender tracks faces) and culminated when regulars and staff arranged a two-top for us; a grey-haired man walked us through the menu and we were served baked clams, herb-covered roasted red peppers, garlicky broccoli rabe, filet of sole with capers, meatballs passing on white plates and penne vodka with a glistening sauce. Friends at the bar paid for our drinks and gifted a Rao’s T-shirt, and although the food warranted the hype, it was the story, the room and the ritual of getting in that felt like the real attraction." - Emily Cementina