Native New Yorkers, especially those from the provinces, know Don Peppe's well. That is because Don Peppe's is the source material for all of the Family Style Italian Americans which began popping up in the '80s, first on Nassau County and then in Manhattan. Some of them, like Piccolo Bussola, are excellent. Some of them, especially in Manhattan, are awful overpriced pretenders, mostly catering to the tourists. Sadly, with his cutesy writing style Wells showed himself to be an outta towner when he awarded three stars to Carbone, which we all know is an inauthentic wildly expensive tourist trap which clearly ripped off recipes from Don Peppe. Wells also knows nothing about Chicken Scarpariella, which Don Peppe does to absolute perfection, slow cooked, picante, seasoned perfectly in a garlicy gravy, with CRISPED skin.
7
Better than any restaurant on Staten Italy.
Waiters are terrific, also, as is gatekeeper.
Waiters are terrific, also, as is gatekeeper.
1
I think unfortunately you, Pete, have lost all sense of perspective. This restuarant deserves maybe a "good" at best. You definitely do NOT go there for the food. It's a fun place, a classic New York place, but giving it one star, you have got to be kidding me. Go at your own risk.
4
Actually a lot of us go for the food , all due respect: )
12
Anyone able to compare Don Peppe to Dominick's on Arthur Ave. in the Bronx? Also no reservations, short waits, menus, credit cards or even a written check when it's time to pay. It's not all character, the food is wonderful, too. I've been enjoying them for years. Sounds like Peppe may be better tasting. Anyone?
2
One more quick observation before they close the comments section , I'm the product of a mixed marriage Sicilian and Neapolitan ( Nablidon : ) ) , the cuisines of my grandmothers on both sides is accurately , and wonderfully echoed at Don Peppes , so those of you on high horses , kindly dismount. : )
13
This is a wonderfully written piece that has thoroughly whet my appetite to try this restaurant. As someone else here mentioned, King Umberto in Elmont is about as good as it gets and if Don Peppe can beat that, wow! Manga!
5
By the way, Mike, I wouldn't ask the guy in the last picture about the restaurant's finances. I grew up in Rochester, NY. I know when to keep my mouth shut.
8
This reminds me of the Basque hotels in the California Central Valley & Nevada. It is about flavor, and nothing cute about its presentation. And value? Forgetaboutit!
2
Oh, Dio! Is this what passes for Italian cuisine in NYC?
1
Not at all, as the lead states, it's red sauce Italian, which can be somewhat dismissive or affectionate, depending on context.
1
No, it's not what "passes" for "Italian cuisine" in NYC. Rather, it's Italian American cooking, an immigrant cuisine rooted in the food of southern Italy. When it's done well, it's wonderfully delicious food. When it's not done well (as is the case in so many old establishments here in the city that have lost touch with their immigrant roots), it is downright awful. This food should not be confused with American Italian food which is the chain restaurants and faux Italian food butchered to suit American taste buds. Rather, this is food rooted in the immigrant experience and it should be respected as such. As for Italian cuisine, well there is no such thing, but you can eat in many wonderfully authentic regional Italian restaurants all over New York City. Whatever you want, our city has it!
14
I've been going there for 30 years. I love the Scapariello... it's usually got the skin crispy, a trade-off resulting in dry breast pieces sometimes.
Best ziti and white clam on the planet, bar none.
Last time there I was surprised to see the special salad on the bill for $21. Really?
(And now it'll go up to $30 with this review...)
Somebody mentioned GoodFellas... the conversations I've overheard there will turn your hair. Not far from JFK. Henry Hill, where are you?
Best ziti and white clam on the planet, bar none.
Last time there I was surprised to see the special salad on the bill for $21. Really?
(And now it'll go up to $30 with this review...)
Somebody mentioned GoodFellas... the conversations I've overheard there will turn your hair. Not far from JFK. Henry Hill, where are you?
9
You're making me hungry! And I'm too far from NY!
Stuck in the Midwest....
Stuck in the Midwest....
6
I guess that a restaurant which serves real food that people actually like and not some nouveau jazz consisting of a small pile of over-priced, unidentifiable food on a painted plate only gets one star.
10
It all sounds wonderfully yummy. I am hungry. Impressed that the ownership has dress code standards no tank tops etc but especially happy that no hats are allowed. How did that basic standard of good manners get so lost. On my next trip to NYC I'll be,there
3
As a native New Yorker, this is the restaurant I miss the most. The best Italian food I have ever had. The most interesting clientele. I think about the place often, recalling the lasagna containing three different red sauces, or the spiciness of the fra diavolo sauce, or how I looked forward to going there, especially with someone who had never been there before. This article captured the essence of this fantastic eatery.
12
When an establishment won't take credit cards it suggests to me that they are tax cheats.
22
Mike, the banks/ credit card companies are the ones in cheating. I hope more places have cash only policy.
3
It tells me that they don't have to take credit cards.
13
It tells me that many of the patrons may be people who don't want their money traceable through credit cards.
1
OMG, my mouth is watering. This place sounds like the best of the genuine Italian places that faux red sauce joints like Carbone's tries to imitate and fail. Those clams! Family run, traditional Italian restos have been priced out of most of NYC and environs, replaced by seen and be seen, pale, pretentious Instagram stages. I only venture through this part of Queens en route to JFK, but I'm absolutely going to make a special pilgrimage to South Ozone Park (I lived in Howard Beach till I was 8 so I know the area) very soon to experience all this deliciousness for myself!
12
Somewhere, Pete Wells' former English teachers and Creative Writing professors are (rightfully) crowing.
Among the many gems in this effervescent review:
"...in a pan hot enough to scare the peppers out of their skins."
"...run under the broiler long enough to put a crackle on the lips of the shells."
"...a garlic-butter sauce turned sunset pink by a rumor of tomatoes."
Among the many gems in this effervescent review:
"...in a pan hot enough to scare the peppers out of their skins."
"...run under the broiler long enough to put a crackle on the lips of the shells."
"...a garlic-butter sauce turned sunset pink by a rumor of tomatoes."
38
"Both [house wines] have the carefree good cheer of the very young."!
4
Don't forget "white clam sauce can be a thin soup with stray eraser tips"! So true. Pete, I love you.
9
'...a rumor of tomatoes' got me too!
2
Good writing. I got hungry as I read this. Food the way it’s supposed to be. Nothing better.
We’ve got a few places like that down in Hilo, whose names I will not mention so they won’t get the kiss-of-death of tourism hordes. Local food, nothing fancy, been here forever. Honolulu’s got this whole Pacific fusion thing going, and bravo to the creativity. Given the choice, though, I’ll take the grilled butterfish charred just right.
Kudos to Pete Wells and photographer An Rong Xu. Don Peppe, keep those baked clams honest.
We’ve got a few places like that down in Hilo, whose names I will not mention so they won’t get the kiss-of-death of tourism hordes. Local food, nothing fancy, been here forever. Honolulu’s got this whole Pacific fusion thing going, and bravo to the creativity. Given the choice, though, I’ll take the grilled butterfish charred just right.
Kudos to Pete Wells and photographer An Rong Xu. Don Peppe, keep those baked clams honest.
19
Good review
When you're by Belmont, try King Umberto
Their deep fried capellini app will knock your socks off
When you're by Belmont, try King Umberto
Their deep fried capellini app will knock your socks off
9
In the 60’s my friends and I frequented the smaller location in Brooklyn on Cleveland near Liberty. What feasts then and now at the Lefferts Blvd. location( I think they deserve more than one star).
Best to go with a crowd, as Mr. Wells pointed out the portions are family sized. Haven’t been in a while and hope Johnny is still chef!! After the review precipitated my Pavlovian reaction I think I’ll be there soon!! Thanks for a wonderful review.
Best to go with a crowd, as Mr. Wells pointed out the portions are family sized. Haven’t been in a while and hope Johnny is still chef!! After the review precipitated my Pavlovian reaction I think I’ll be there soon!! Thanks for a wonderful review.
16
I love the photo of the staring woman in the dining room. It looks like a Magritte or Francis Bacon.
17
I ate there with five other people several years ago. We went on a Saturday night and had to wait between 2 & 2 1/2 hours to be seated. We ordered several dishes, but when the bill arrived we were charged 1 1/2 times for two of the dishes. We were told that they had adjusted the amount of food that they had served us so that there would be enough for all. We were never told this when we ordered. We didn't complain and weren't upset but it would have been nice to have been told beforehand. By the way, the food was excellent.
6
Peter Wells, you are the best. Thanks for such descriptive, coherent reviews that totally make one feel like they are there with you.
22
Been eating here a VERY long time. The food is always great and consistent. This is a family style restaurant with big portions and down home cooking. This place is not to be taken as "gourmet," but for the good time it offers and the excellent food. So "foodies" please stay away.
If you are concerned that the spaghetti marinara is 18.50, you probably should't go out for dinner anyway.
I recommend the chicken scarp and the stuffed shells and of course the salad with whatever kind of dressing they've been making over the years.
An don't forget the ice cold red wine (wink).
If you are concerned that the spaghetti marinara is 18.50, you probably should't go out for dinner anyway.
I recommend the chicken scarp and the stuffed shells and of course the salad with whatever kind of dressing they've been making over the years.
An don't forget the ice cold red wine (wink).
8
Chicken scarp? Hope you'e Italian, because you are not allowed to say it that way if you are not. Similarly with mozzarell, manicot, prosciutt, scungil, etc, etc...
3
Beautiful...foodies stay away. Amen brother.
4
This little not-so-inside joke gave me a chuckle. ;)
2
After my sister's funeral my cousin from Ozone Park took a bunch of us here for lunch and I said it was my treat. A treat it certainly was, but the waiter laughed when I whipped out my credit card, and as it turned out my other sister had to bail me out.
10
A well written review that most certainly conveys the soul of this place to a reader far away. I'd appreciate the recipe for the fried peppers if anyone knows it.
15
I lived in Ozone Park for 20 yrs when I was young. I have never been to this restaurant but use to go to Roccos by the old Crossbay Theater which is now a Modells.
I do love these old "red sauce" restaurants but they are getting very pricey. Bamontes and Frost and Manettas are three of them by my house in Greenpoint, Bklyn.
They should have a "happy house" type deal, where if you go say from noon to four, you get a break in the price.
For every red sauce rest. I go to, I go many more times to the local pizza place and get the same thing albeit not quite as good for half the price.
I do love these old "red sauce" restaurants but they are getting very pricey. Bamontes and Frost and Manettas are three of them by my house in Greenpoint, Bklyn.
They should have a "happy house" type deal, where if you go say from noon to four, you get a break in the price.
For every red sauce rest. I go to, I go many more times to the local pizza place and get the same thing albeit not quite as good for half the price.
5
And most of these "red sauce" places (including the ones you mentioned) are not only pricey, but they are horrible. I mean, they are absolutely terrible. The reason is simply, they original immigrant ownership isn't there and they've lost their roots. They serve garbage like alla Vodka or alfredo sauce. Remember the days when you could get half a lamb's head in some of these places? Or a plate of Soffritto Napoletano that thick stew of lungs and hearts and tomatoes and hot peppers? The roots are gone in most of these places. They are theme parks to entertain tourists.
11
Thank you for your reply GC...You are obviously more of a historian re these red sauce restaurants than I am. I am speculating you may be older than I am...
I am sure you are right re some of the more exotic dishes you mentioned. One thing I did see at Bamontes around 1980ish was a middle age probably italian man eating a plate of cloves of garlic! I got heart burn just looking at him.
The stuff that is left is still good though imo. Also within each restaurant some stand out more than others for certain items.
Manettas in LIC serves up amaretto tir. for dessert. I hate to use the phrase "to die for". I do not like tir. dessert however Manettas tir. is so good, I crave it. That is the ultimate compliment.
Also some rests. have Italian pastry shops next to them. Conos in Williamsburg (which recently closed) was right next to Fortunato Bros. which serves up italian pastries and all types of coffee out of this world at very inexpensive prices.
Glad to see Pete Wells and other NYT critics are going outside Manhattan. Don't get me wrong, it is there job to review, the top most expensive restaurants in Manhattan but it doesn't hurt to go to a place like Don Peppe every now and then.
I am sure you are right re some of the more exotic dishes you mentioned. One thing I did see at Bamontes around 1980ish was a middle age probably italian man eating a plate of cloves of garlic! I got heart burn just looking at him.
The stuff that is left is still good though imo. Also within each restaurant some stand out more than others for certain items.
Manettas in LIC serves up amaretto tir. for dessert. I hate to use the phrase "to die for". I do not like tir. dessert however Manettas tir. is so good, I crave it. That is the ultimate compliment.
Also some rests. have Italian pastry shops next to them. Conos in Williamsburg (which recently closed) was right next to Fortunato Bros. which serves up italian pastries and all types of coffee out of this world at very inexpensive prices.
Glad to see Pete Wells and other NYT critics are going outside Manhattan. Don't get me wrong, it is there job to review, the top most expensive restaurants in Manhattan but it doesn't hurt to go to a place like Don Peppe every now and then.
2
Do the math. The portions at Don Peppe's are FAMILY STYLE. The pastas can serve 3 as a main or up to 4 as a middle course. The mains, full size can easily serve three.This place uses top round veal and fresh, well sourced seafood. The prices are well below anything in the city and only a fraction of what you'd pay at a tourist trap, crowd sourced ripoff like Carbone.
1
Had Father's Day dinner at a restaurant in Dallas that calls itself "Little Italy." Overcooked shrimp in watery red sauce. Disgrazia.
2
Classic NY place... feels like the cast of Goodfellas will be coming in at any moment. No pretensions, no nonsense- refreshing in this day of mediocre chi chi places with high prices and very average food. My favorite moment: we were there towards the end of the evening and while the waiters waited for their last customers to finish up and leave, they all sat around one of the big round tables and played cards.
17
Between the description, the pictures and the menu, it seems like you could feed a family of four with one order of "special salad" ($25) and a pound of spaghetti marinara ($18.50). I cook a pound of pasta for four people at home, and it's a big portion. That works out to just under $11/person. Is that a "$$" price?
5
That veal cutlet prep looks & sounds delicious!
2
Love, love, love this review, Pete Wells!!
8
I much prefer Italian food to this.
7
It's ironic that I read this review while relaxing in my hotel in Italy...for in the restaurants here there are no "pound of pasta" available or any other huge portions of stuffed this or that....just simple dishes of delicious foods, sliced cured meats, simple small pasta dishes, fresh salads, pizzas and breads, and roast rabbit, fish, shrimp mussels and veil dishes...this restaurant sounds about as Italian as the Olive Garden.
7
This restaurant is not "Italian" it's "Italian American" which is quite specific, wonderful, and not Olive Garden which fake. And the huge portions are meant to be eaten family style.
47
Olive Garden?! Not in a million years! It's an Italian-American restaurant; that is, an immigrant cuisine rooted in southern Italy. Read the review: the recipes date back 100 years to an immigrant restauranteur. Pounds of pasta are because it is a family style restaurant. Stuffed vegetables are very common in parts of souther Italy. Go to Napoli, Puglia, Calabria, Sicilia, etc. and then enlighten us about "Italian" food.
9
sorry, Ken, you're wrong about no 'stuffed this or that'. my Sicilian family ate stuffed artichokes every spring, followed by stuffed zucchini and stuffed eggplant in summer.
1
My family used to stop at Don Peppe's all the time in the summer coming home from our beach club, El Patio. My father was a regular at Aqueduct. Lots of fun memories brought back by this review. And yes - the baked clams. The best I've ever had anywhere. Thanks for the memories. Will have to go and make some new ones.
9
All sounds wonderful. But - is that a dark hair I see on the plate of clams? (photo #4)
13
Think that's light reflecting off the edge of a pool of butter/olive oil in the sauce.
It all looks delicious!
It all looks delicious!
2
I don't know for sure, but I swear it looks like a hair to me, too. I can even see what looks like the other end of it peeking out of the edge of the other side of the clam?
What great memories this brought of NYC Italian-American food! The description of the baked clams alone made me almost weep. Never had the pleasure of eating at this restaurant when I lived there in the 70s (we went to Luna's and Umberto's a lot), but it sounds like heaven!
5
I used to date a girl from Queens. Her dad would take us there once every few weeks. The food was great. The dining room was always abuzz with people having fun. Thanks for the well-written and amusing review Pete!
20
This is such a wonderful review to read. There have been a lot of commenters piling on Pete Wells in past months for not, say, reviewing the appropriate restaurant, or, say, giving out two many two-star reviews. So I went back and read some old Craig Clairborne and Ruth Reichl reviews from the Times archives. Try it. They read like dusty old encyclopedia entries compared to this. These reviews are individual, creative gems, like the Mark Bittman videos the Times used to produce a few years ago. Keep up the excellent work, Pete.
59
Agree this review is a pleasure to read, but so were Reichl's!
10
You know Craig Claiborne was restaurant critic FIFTY years ago, right?
1
Although I am too far to sample Mr. Wells's glowing recommendation of Don Peppe, looking through the slides I like the baked clams with sauce (No. 4); the salad (No. 6), but without tomatoes; and the breaded cutlet (No. 9), for which only the sauce is shown. Slide No. 11 -- a man smoking a cigar outside the restaurant -- demonstrates the plight of all smokers in a society dominated by opponents of tobacco use.
10
The last time I was there, some years ago I asked the waiter what kind of soup they had, " You want soup? go to your mothers house " I'm still not certain if he was trying to be funny or just a wanna be wise guy.
The food however was excellent.
The food however was excellent.
60
Hahaha! On one of the first of many visits to Don Peppe's I asked the waiter if they had Prosecco. He replied in an almost outraged tone "Lady, this is a family restaurant!" He also went on to call each of the women at the table "Marie".
29
THIS is the Pete Wells we know and love. Keep doing these real restaurants in the dreaded Outer Boroughs for real people. They're great!
81
Ditto! Although I am always entertained by mr wells' reviews, it's nice to see a review of a "real" restaurant.
29
What does a 'real restaurant' entail? I am baffled by commentators who seem to have an aversion to any establishment reviewed, which aims higher than serving burgers in a basket.
5
IMO a "real restaurant" has real food and real cooking. It's not hampered by the trends of the day or catering to certain demographic. It's food you moma/pop/uncle/aunt made/makes. It's not something you might eat everyday but it has flavor, evokes memories, and down right satiating.
A "real restaurant" has people in it that are having a good time and conversation, not looking at their phones, taking photos of their food for IG/Snapchat/Facebook. And pretending they are apart of the hip crowd. Rather people are engaged with their dining experience.
A "real restaurant" has people in it that are having a good time and conversation, not looking at their phones, taking photos of their food for IG/Snapchat/Facebook. And pretending they are apart of the hip crowd. Rather people are engaged with their dining experience.
21
Now, you've gone and ruined everything. I always offer to pick up friends landing at JFK or drop them off, so I can make a visit to Don Peppe's. Now, every "foodie" reading the NY Times will clog the narrow waiting area near the door, making it difficult for those of us who have been coming here for years, to get a table.
76
Like just about everything else that is reviewed or touched by the NYT.
I thought the same, Famdoc. This is the one joint, when I come home to NYC, that my family and I count on to give my kids the authentic NY experience that I had growing up. Coming home from Jones Beach in the summer and having Zupa di Clam with Chicken Don Pep and a side of sarcastic service.
Maybe they'll add "No skinny jeans or manbuns" to the dress code...
Maybe they'll add "No skinny jeans or manbuns" to the dress code...
5
Many years ago we ate here and noted an order of three large meatballs being served at the table next to us. When we told our server we would like an order of meatballs the reply was "we don't have meatballs on the menu." Other than that a great restaurant and some of the best marinara sauce an anywhere.
23
Fun review. Good to get out of Manhattan and its cultural appendage (Brooklyn).
43
My old neighborhoods premier red sauce joint finally makes the big time,a review in the Times : ), I love this place and try to eat there when ever I'm in the vicinity. God bless !!!
47
You can go to La Parma. 3 locations on Long Island. Same menu - food is identical - I have been to both. Owner/chef former employees (started La Parma with Don Peppe blessing) of Don Peppe.
Food is great. Also no reservations, family style, but they accept credit cards. There are other Italian family style restaurants but none as good.
Food is great. Also no reservations, family style, but they accept credit cards. There are other Italian family style restaurants but none as good.
33
So glad you visited Don Peppe. Think you are the first Times critic to review. The clams are brilliant, the clam sauce a treasure, shrimp Luciano totally great. In my experience, Don Peppe excels at seafood, pasta and vegetables, like peppers, eggplant, stuffed archichokes, broccoli rabe. And it's fun too.
52
Give me three orders of those baked clams, some bread to dip up the sauce, the house salad and a big bottle of mineral water and I'm good to go. Those clams look outstanding!.
28
Don't know that I'm running there; lots of the same red-sauce places near where I live offering the same, if not variations on the theme. A great, breezy review, nonetheless, that has gotten me hungry for all that a red-sauce joint can offer.
It is great, however, to read a review of a place that appeals to those of us not in the .01%. I understand that the Times is a paper for that strata of society, fair enough. But there are enough of us who enjoy a place like this and don't need to spend a months salary.
Although I learned long ago that a review in the paper of record jams up the reservation line....or just the guy at the front of the house controlling the line.
It is great, however, to read a review of a place that appeals to those of us not in the .01%. I understand that the Times is a paper for that strata of society, fair enough. But there are enough of us who enjoy a place like this and don't need to spend a months salary.
Although I learned long ago that a review in the paper of record jams up the reservation line....or just the guy at the front of the house controlling the line.
37
I agree with you about reviewing a place that is genuinely reasonably priced. It would be nice if a couple of days a month would be reserved for FOOD reviews of tasty food that is B+ and more realistically priced than most of the other reviewed restaurants.
9
I don't know what you are talking about. Hungry City reviews mostly cheap great ethnic hole-in-the-wall places all over NYC. some places are high-brow but plenty of regular spots are featured as well.
19
Again. um "Antipasti and pasta, $13 to $29; main courses, $19 to $85." not exactly cheap.
15