Best Sicily Bottega
Espresso bar · Financial District ·
Sicilian market with focaccia sandwiches, arancini, pastries, and imports
Sicilian market with focaccia sandwiches, arancini, pastries, and imports
"The first time you step into Best Sicily Bottega, you might wonder if you’re in the right place: The store is stacked from floor to ceiling with imported Italian foods. There are red and green pestos, panettone left over from the holidays, and at least six kinds of olive oil. In the middle of the shop, there’s a small pastry case. That’s where you’ll find the softball-sized arancini. The selection seems to change, whether they’re stuffed with beef ragu and green peas, or eggplant and tomato. The place is more of a lunch stop, but it’s open until 7:30 p.m. weekdays and 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday." - Eater Staff
"Tucked away on Beaver Street (87 Beaver Street, between Hanover and Wall streets), this small Sicilian shop opened last May and, to me, feels like a pocket of Sicily in the Financial District. Owned by Sicilians Silvia Lombardo and Nicolas Calia, it’s stacked floor to ceiling with imported Italian goods — red and green pestos, panettone, and multiple olive oils — and in the middle there's a small pastry case where the softball-sized arancini live. The recipes come from Lombardo, who has been importing Sicilian foods for years, and everything I’ve tried has been quite good: my first favorite was the arancini with beef ragu and green peas, and on a return visit I had cone-shaped arancini alla norma filled with eggplant and tomato, which turns Sicily’s famous pasta into a rice ball. Despite a hefty Instagram following and promotional videos by Calia (including an instructional how-to-find-it clip), I’ve never encountered a line, though the shop is busiest around lunch when Italian-speaking customers come for espresso and often leave with focaccia, olive oil cake, and almond cookies. Thursday is the best time to visit because they sell meatballs and the shop smells most like a nonna’s kitchen. It’s open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed Sunday." - Luke Fortney
"A tiny Fiduciary outpost for Old Country imports where Italian is commonly spoken and pantry staples shine, but the real highlights are pressed focaccia sandwiches, softball-size arancini, olive-oil cake, and gorgeous bomboloni." - The Editors, Charlotte Druckman
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