You may recognize the name “Rao’s” from your local grocery store’s pasta aisle. But for those who know, Rao’s is one of the most iconic institutions in NYC. Despite its success, for more than 130 years, Rao’s has existed in defiance of scale.
Tucked into a quiet corner of East Harlem, the ten-table Italian restaurant is less a “spot” and more a time capsule of an older New York that has largely disappeared. There is no maître d’ stand in the conventional sense, no online reservation system, no way in for the merely curious. Tables are owned, not booked. They belong to families, celebrities, athletes, and longtime regulars who treat their night at Rao’s like a standing appointment.
Over the years, those tables have been occupied by a long list of familiar names, including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Al Pacino, Martin Scorsese, Mariah Carey, Elizabeth Hurley, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martha Stewart, Drew Barrymore, and Bill Clinton. But in an industry built on turnover, Rao’s has never chased volume. It has achieved permanence…