The shops and restaurants are very good. Some are a little pricey. All areas of Italy are represented.
A giant market like Manhattan's Eately and smaller wonder Italian delicatessens and restaurants sprinkled throughout Manhattan Brooklyn and Queens steal a little of this venerable Italian enclave's thunder but it's still worth a visit, with lunch or dinner at a great Italian restaurant and a food shopping trip in the Italian Market on Arthur Avenue. You can still feel the old way of life here and that's important.
Arthur Ave is really worth visiting. There's a great variety of eating options and it is superior to Manhattan's Little Italy. Both times we visited by taking a taxi here from Manhattan. The Institute of Culinary Education run an occasional walking/eating tour of the area - recommended.
The neighborhood is still hanging in there, but like all things good its not what it was.But that dosent stop me from visiting and enjoying Rigolettos and the traditional shops that are still there.And they still have the best semolina bread in The Bronx.
Getting there is going through a war zone. But once you're in, you're safe. I have eaten at several restaurants and visited their bakeries. For today's quality, the food is good all around. Make sure you to go by car, so you can park within the Little Italy area. It's like the north-end in Boston, only there you have nice areas outside to walk around. In the Bronx, good luck. It's not 1948 any more... it's been bad - and only getting worse, since the 1980's. If you choose to walk on Fordham Road, don't show your jewelry.... hide your phones - men: keep wallets elsewhere. Lots of robberies all over the area. they will pull the chains right off your neck. This is not the place to site-see. Oh.. and bring a translator.
Most of the businesses that made Littie Italy in The Bronx nice are gone. There's very little left due to other kinds of businesses taking over and the neighborhood changing with new dwellings and new buildings built by Fordham University.
So your gonna see a lot, go inside the market, have a good Alice of pizza at full moon, go to borgettis for fresh pasta to go, Madonna bakery for bread and sweets at de lillo, spend a few hours walking around
If you want a little taste of what life was like back in the day, you must visit Arthur Avenue and 187th in the Bronx. Every store you go into has tasty treats to delight all. My favorite is the Market where many vendors have stands from butchers, fruit markets, baked goods, Cold cuts, oils, vinegars, plants, and souvenirs. You can even sit and have lunch, American or Italian coffees, pastry, pizza or whatever you may desire. Also, this is the type of shopping that made the early days special, before supermarkets were in existence. If you needed cheese, you went to the cheese store, if you needed fish, you went to the fish store, if you needed bread, you went to the bread store, etc. Restaurants are plentiful and all delicious, Antonio's is a favorite, but most are excellent. Enjoy the culture, freshness, and price of all the things you buy. Don't forget to sample the tasty treats each merchant has to offer.
Being originally from Bronx and having moved upstate in early 30's I return quite often to NYC especially Bronx and Manhattan. I love Arthur Ave for the handmade pasta stores where you order by your needs to the various pastry and Deli's where you can get everything. Of course the eateries from pizza to full service restaurants are all authentic with characters both eating and serving. A Ave is not a huge area so one can easily traverse this in a few hours do to stopping frequently to buy or look. Make it a day
You must go to Borgattis for their ravioli! I have to say the cheese raviolis are the best! The dough is perfect as well as the cheese filling!