Il Totano is a charming coastal Italian seafood spot by Top Chef's Harold Dieterle, boasting vibrant decor and standout crudos in a cozy, laid-back setting.
"Il Totano was a seafood-focused restaurant known for its unique approach to aging fish outside of sushi establishments. It was opened by Top Chef season one winner Harold Dieterle and Alexandra Shapiro. Despite receiving praise for its crudo and dry-aged fish, the restaurant closed after a short run due to unclear concept direction and the challenging economics of operating a neighborhood restaurant in New York City." - Emma Orlow
"A seafood restaurant that closed after less than a year of operation." - Nadia Chaudhury
"It's a bit of a time warp to enter what's ostensibly a new restaurant beneath one of those formal burgundy awnings that are largely bygone everywhere except hotels and Upper East Side co-ops. But Il Totano, the new coastal Italian restaurant from Top Chef winner Harold Dieterle that occupies the garden level of a brownstone in the West Village, melds elements of utter class with bright color. This is the first restaurant I've ever been in where the idea of a beach-inspired interior really landed—gray-blue plaster, happy orange booths, wicker chairs—although the low-ceilinged, window-free space is still a bit tough. Once you order, though, the food will whisk you away. The slate of crudos are excellent, with the dry-aged kona kampachi in a bright passionfruit colatura ($22) the raw fish highlight. A $49 halibut saltimbocca wrapped in crispy prosciutto and sage also really delivers. —C.H." - CNT Editors
"The first Top Chef winner, Harold Dieterle, of the late Perilla and Kin Shop, has teamed up with Alexandra Shapiro, of Flex Mussels and Hoexters, to open Il Totano, an 80-seat restaurant, hoping to capture the spirt of a 1970 Italian holiday vacation. Aged fish inspires the centerpiece of the menu and the space, which includes a dry-aging fridge in the dining room. In addition to crudos, the menu revives Perilla’s spicy duck meatballs. Don’t miss the pork cotolette, pounded thin and lightly fried, topped with bitter greens and whole anchovies." - Eater Staff
"Il Totano in the West Village is a coastal Italian restaurant with a selection of raw bar items, like diver scallop crudo with ramp aquapazza. It’s from a Top Chef alum and the team behind Hoexter's, and is located in the former Flex Mussels space, in a townhouse basement." - will hartman