NYCReview
I Sodi
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Note: I Sodi has moved around the corner to a new location at 314 Bleecker Street.
If you already know about I Sodi, it’s probably not because of us. When we first reviewed this restaurant, we were riding high on L’Artusi, another West Village Italian place that also happens to be around the corner. But several years later, I Sodi no longer needs to compete. This restaurant simply serves the best Italian food in the neighborhood - and therefore, some of the very best Italian food in New York City.
I Sodi is a single, narrow room with white tablecloths, servers wearing ties, maybe eight tables, and a bar that takes up half of the space. It feels upscale, but it’s not trying too hard. The good energy in the room comes from people who are enjoying their dinner - not from hip lighting fixtures or hanging plants or dusty shades of pink. Everyone is here for the food.
And that food is straightforward, classic Italian. Dishes so simple you’re confused when they end up tasting this good. Stuff like artichoke salad with only olive oil and parmesan, spaghetti cacio e pepe, and lasagna. Granted, that lasagna is 20 layers or something ridiculous like that, but it’s still just meat lasagna - the best we’ve ever had. If the default place you go to in your mind is your future retirement estate in Tuscany - or really anywhere it would be acceptable to live on a diet of pasta alone - you will like I Sodi.
photo credit: Andy Matias
You’ll also like I Sodi because you’ll be comfortable here. It’s a small space that’s always packed, but never feels like a sh*tshow. (They’ve even built a walled-off vestibule to put the hangry waiting people, so you can enjoy your ravioli in peace.) The waitstaff makes sure you’re never without a drink, and when you’re ready for another round you have a seven-item negroni menu and lots of Italian reds to choose from. One visit here and you’ll understand why everyone around you seems to be a regular.
You'll want to be one of those regulars - but it's not going to happen. Even getting just one table here requires a combination of determination, courage, and whatever else it takes to stay up until exactly midnight with your reservation browser open over and over again until it works. Just don't give up, because if any Italian food in New York City is worth the effort, it's I Sodi's.
Food Rundown
Bread Basket
They’re going to ask you if you want one. You know what to do. $2 well spent.
Fried Artichokes
I Sodi has a specials menu that’s constantly changing, and you should absolutely order things from it. Like these fried artichokes, which are basically a mountain of bronze feathery things that were maybe vegetables at one point but have moved onto a much more magestic place.
Insalata Amara
The best salad at I Sodi, this is a big pile of bitter leaves, mascarpone and blue cheeses, balsamic, and walnuts. The cheeses and vinegar combine to form a creamy, tangy dressing, and the whole thing is excellent.
Artichokes Salad
Only available as a special when the artichokes are good. This is nothing more than a bed of super-thinly-sliced artichokes, covered in sheets of parmesan, and topped with olive oil. We would sleep in here any night of the week.
Cacio e Pepe
The mains at I Sodi are more than respectable, but if you even so much dabble in the religion of carbohydrates, we would suggest you focus your attention on the pastas. This cacio e pepe is one of the better ones in the city. Simple and perfect, we don’t ever want to have a meal here without this on our table.
Lasagne A Sugo
This is probably I Sodi’s signature pasta, and for good reason. It’s something like 26 layers of pasta, plus bechamel and an insanely good meat sauce - but somehow it’s not so heavy that you feel like you need an oxygen mask. You’re not leaving here without eating this.
Pappardelle With Rabbit And Mushrooms
Again, order off the specials menu. You will be rewarded. The pappardelle pasta itself is perfectly cooked, and the rabbit and mushroom bolognese is incredible.
Galletto Schiacciato
We’re referring to this by its Italian name, because if you call it the “cornish hen grilled under a brick,” your server will just repeat it back to you in Italian, and then you might be left confused and making her repeat herself like we did. Don’t say we never try to help you. Oh, and this is a good chicken.
