Every Italian family has that one relative who judges a restaurant by its gravy, and she is not easily impressed. The Bronx has spent more than a century giving those tough critics something to talk about, mostly along Arthur Avenue and the blocks around it.
This list covers six red-sauce joints where the meatballs are big, the marinara is serious, and the menus still read like a Sunday dinner at Nonna’s house. Some have been around for generations, one dates back to 1919, and a couple bring live music or a room full of sports memorabilia to the table.
If you want a real plate of rigatoni without the Manhattan fuss, save this list, grab someone hungry, and start planning your next Bronx dinner.
1. Antonio’s Trattoria, Bronx, NY
Belmont Avenue sits just a block off the more famous Arthur Avenue strip, and Antonio’s Trattoria makes a strong case for walking that extra block. The restaurant has an old-school, vintage setting, with the kind of red sauce any Italian mother would happily claim as her own…