NYCReview
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Emilio’s Ballato
Included In
We know someone who fainted in the line for a table at Emilio’s Ballato. They’re okay, and we’re happy to report that after some water and a brief rest in a chair provided by the restaurant, they made it inside, where they ate off-menu veal (more on that later).
The line at this celebrity-swarmed Nolita hotspot is no joke. One frigid Friday evening, we talked to a couple who had been waiting 2.5 hours for a table. You cannot call ahead, you cannot put your name in and go get a drink. You will wait on East Houston for hours of your life, as everyone else walks by, smirking at you, and assuming you’re here to eat baked clams in the vicinity of Taylor Swift tonight. (They’re probably not smirking at you. That’s just how it feels.)
But now that we’ve made Emilio’s sound almost entirely not worth it, we’re going to pull a 180. Because once you’ve made it inside—even if you never see Taylor Swift eating baked clams—you’ll realize why people actually come to this legendary Southern Italian restaurant. The food at Emilio’s Ballato, which has been open since 1956—is excellent.
Which brings us back to the veal. The Vitello Antonio is an off-menu special, and it tastes like veal parm that hired a personal stylist, and asked them for a wardrobe refresh. It's smothered in vodka sauce, and best enjoyed as only one part of a proper spread—the rest of which should include things like chicken parm, bolognese, and caesar salad.
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Though couples sip red wine in the front room, which is covered in framed photos of notable visitors, Emilio's Ballato is best with a group, because then they'll seat you in the semi-secret, nearly windowless back room. (Unless, of course, there’s a certain celebrity back there, working through a buttery platter of bivalves.) Let a server convince you to do things family style, which really just means taking the dishes and their prices, and multiplying them both, liberally. Obviously, showing up with a large group on a Saturday night would be like descending into hell—but we came with a group of six on a Tuesday, and only waited 30 minutes.
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
For a seriously exceptional restaurant that serves seriously good food (at times, to seriously famous people), Emilio’s is, at its core, a family-owned establishment. Even during the busiest service, the table just inside the door is occupied by Emilio Sr., who surveys the dining room and watches YouTube videos on his phone, while cleaning his teeth with a floss pick. His son Anthony is in charge of the kitchen, while Mario and Emilio Jr. run the show out front, occasionally dropping into a group of regulars for a glass of wine. On one visit, when we worried we might have overstayed our welcome, Emilio Jr. assured us: "If I was busy, I'd tell you to get the fuck out of here." Things like that only make us love this place more.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Tagliatelle alla Bolognese
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Pollo alla Parmigiana
photo credit: Jordan Lawrence
Vitello Antonio
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Spaghetti con Polpette
Caesar
photo credit: Willa Moore
Calamari Fritti
photo credit: Noah Devereaux