.jpg "Malatesta Trattoria by Diane Sooyeon Kang")
Nestled in the West Village, Malatesta is a cozy Italian trattoria offering homemade pasta, delightful seasonal specials, and a charming no-frills vibe.
"Malatesta is that ideal West Village Italian restaurant you knew had to exist somewhere, but could never actually find. They keep their windows and doors open all summer, so in addition to the plentiful sidewalk seating, every seat in the house feels sort of outside. It’s walk-in only, which means it’s a great spontaneous move. Just be sure to bring cash." - katherine lewin, hillary reinsberg
"If you don’t have your own neighborhood Italian place, or if you just prefer the West Village to whatever neighborhood you live in, check out Malatesta. Sit at a table on the sidewalk, and eat some really good gnocchi while pondering a move to Washington and Christopher." - matt tervooren, neha talreja
"Our appreciation for excellent casual Italian restaurants is well-documented. But Malatesta is a particularly good one to hit in the summer, when they open up all the windows, so the inside gets a nice breeze - and there’s plenty of sidewalk seating as well. Great for everything from dates to dinner with friends, Malatesta is a place that’ll always make you go, “Oh yeah, that’s a good idea.”" - katherine lewin
"If you do summer like we do summer, you’re constantly in search of charming little spots where you can eat really good pasta without having to blackmail a senator to get a reservation. One of these places is Malatesta - a cash-only restaurant a block from the Hudson where you should sit on the sidewalk with some gnocchi and veal meatballs." - hannah albertine
"Some of the places on this ranking are too fancy, pricey, or intimidating for a weeknight. Malatesta is not. This unpretentious restaurant just wants you to be happy and eat a solid plate of gnocchi, maybe even at a table on the sidewalk. The dining room has vintage posters, scuffed tile floors, and handwritten menus, and most things cost less than $20. You'll probably see a small crowd waiting for tables when you arrive, but don't let that scare you. The wait times usually aren't too bad, and the relatively reasonable prices are worth a small amount of lingering." - Bryan Kim
