Sotto Le Stelle

"SoleLuna is a charming Sunnyside restaurant where you can have a coffee at the bar during the day or stop by later at night when the space fills up with locals sharing simple pastas and bottles of wine. This is a quintessential neighborhood restaurant where they keep the menu simple and the owner comes to check on you wherever you’re sitting. The menu has staples like a basic lasagna and a fresh, bright pollo al limone—but pay special attention to the dinner specials. Past favorites have included an inexplicably flavorful octopus-and-mango salad, and a creamy gorgonzola fregola." - bryan kim, kenny yang, neha talreja, willa moore

"Perfect For: That person who eats tomatoes only on pizza  Pizza is a time-tested crowd favorite that pleases children, adults, and adult children who are expected to eat with people their own age. One of our favorite sit-down pizza date spots is Sotto Le Stelle in Sunnyside. They have three Neapolitan pizzas that are just sauce and a mild cheese, and one that forgoes cheese altogether. (We’ve recently learned that non-vegan cheese-haters exist.) Either way, you can eat it on a cute patio with string lanterns and potted plants, instead of standing up at a greasy slice shop. " - neha talreja

"Sure, you can head to an Italian restaurant in the West Village for a romantic night out, but guess what? You're not the only one with that idea. Go to SoleLuna in Sunnyside instead, where you can share some spaghetti alle vongole and a bottle of wine in a charming room with lots of windows and exposed brick. Pay special attention to the dinner specials—creamy gorgonzola fregola is a past favorite." - bryan kim, will hartman, willa moore, sonal shah

"Sotto Le Stelle is Sunnyside’s go-to date spot. They do wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas in a casual, rustic room that looks like it’s been around forever, even though it only opened in 2017. The pizzas come out with charred, airy crusts and toppings like sopressata, hot honey, and artichoke. You can’t really go wrong with any of them. This place feels a little less romantic during the day, when they tend to have the big TV on behind the bar. But get a seat in the backyard on a nice evening, and it becomes a magical experience. Afterwards, grab some dessert from Arcobaleno, their gelateria next door." - neha talreja, nikko duren

"Soleluna is another good Italian restaurant in Sunnyside from the people behind Sotto Le Stelle. And it’s where you should go for a plate of pasta al pomodoro in the area. The sidewalk tables make this an ideal outdoor birthday dinner spot, but you could also come here for any other occasion when you might want to bite into some speck wrapped baked asparagus with truffle burrata and smile." - nikko duren