LaRina is a cozy, modern Italian haven boasting a charming patio, where handmade pastas and expertly curated wines create a memorable dining experience.
"If you’re still reading this list, odds are you’re a certified pasta freak—someone who deeply appreciates the simple union of pasta and olive oil. Should this apply, forgo all other pasta plans and head to LaRina in Fort Greene. Start with the smoked spaghetti: a delightfully simple aglio e olio, but with an intense smoky flavor and a handful of crunchy hazelnuts. Try to get a garden table out back." - willa moore, bryan kim, neha talreja, carlo mantuano
"When it comes to eating out in NYC, you almost always have to compromise in some way—but not at LaRina. At this casual restaurant in Fort Greene, you don’t just get great pasta, great prices, or a great patio. You get all three of those things. Their menu changes often, but if it's available, get the smoked spaghetti. LaRina is somewhere you can walk into on a random weeknight for dinner, and you'll feel like a lucky person every time you're here." - bryan kim, neha talreja, willa moore, molly fitzpatrick, tiffany yannetta
"Top Chef season 14 contestant Silvia Barban is the chef behind two Brooklyn Italian restaurants, including this Fort Greene spot LaRina Pastificio & Vino. The menu is centered on regional pasta and natural wine. Think smoked garlic and olive oil spaghetti, and the cocoa pasta stuffed with mushrooms and mascarpone. Barban and her business partners also operate Crown Heights restaurant Briscola Trattoria." - Nadia Chaudhury
"There’s some kind of magic forcefield bubble that hovers on top of LaRina’s back patio. Another word for it? The Feel Good Factor. It’s in full force at this neighborhood Italian spot in Clinton Hill, where you can split a pasta tasting menu for $37 or just go all-in on a personal bowl with your carafe of wine. We have no idea why this place isn’t absolutely slammed nightly, but you should be taking advantage of it now, whenever the sudden urge to eat pasta outside strikes." - katherine lewin, hillary reinsberg
"The backyard patio at LaRina in Fort Greene is so attractive that it’s almost disrespectful to other patios in the city. There are teal and navy tile floors, brick walls covered with ivy, and that thing called a pergola that your dad’s always wanted to install in the garden at home. The pastas range from $19 to $24, and that’s what we’d recommend you stick with during your summer evening outdoors. Plus, they can make any of them gluten-free." - hannah albertine
