Nolita Tours

The pocket-sized NYC neighborhood of Nolita was considered part of Little Italy until the mid-90s, when it experienced a rush of trendy restaurant and boutique openings. Since then, the neighborhood has been known as Nolita, which means North of Little Italy. Its narrow streets are home to numerous galleries, independent shops, and bijou cafés.

Explore Nolita and Little Italy on a walking tour, which typically cover both neighborhoods. Some tours analyze Nolita and Little Italy’s criminal history and their role as a center for the Italian-American mafia, while other walking tours focus on Nolita’s gastronomic delights and include tastings of typical Italian foods such as mozzarella and pizza; some also explore the gastronomic influences of neighboring immigrant communities in Chinatown and the Lower East Side. 

Nolita is hemmed in by East Houston Street to the North, Broome Street to the south, Bowery to the east, and Lafayette Street to the west. To get here, ride the subway to Spring Street (4 or 6 trains), Broadway-Lafayette St (B, D, F, or M), or Bowery (J). 

Nolita is a year-round destination; its hot-ticket restaurants attract diners in all seasons. In summer, many of the cafés and restaurants put out sidewalk seating that’s ideal for watching fashionable crowds milling about. 

Nolita’s dining scene is the envy of many a Manhattan neighborhood and attracts hungry New Yorkers from all over town. Sample pizza from the longstanding Lombardi’s, which has been serving wood-fired pies since 1905, or from the by-the-slice Prince Street Pizza, where there’s almost always a line. Parm, meanwhile, dishes out Italian-American sandwiches while Emilio’s Ballato attracts a celebrity clientele with its Italian classics. Italian is far from the only option though; enjoy cuisines that range from casual Middle Eastern falafel at Taïm to Western Chinese dishes at Xi'an Famous Foods and tacos at La Esquina.