"Emporio isn't the absolute best Italian restaurant in the city, but in the context of Nolita, it’s a very useful place. If you have to plan a last-minute dinner in the area and a few people in your group are demanding pasta, come here. Reservations are doable, and if you walk in on a Friday night and ask for a table, the host won’t laugh at you (although there might be a short wait). You can eat a crispy pizza or some decent cacio e pepe in the big, dark dining room with a low-key EDM soundtrack, and you’ll probably spend less than $50 per person." - bryan kim