6 West Village Spots Named As Best Around NYU: List

WEST VILLAGE, NY — Back to school season means a flood of purple-shirted NYU students returning to the neighborhood, or as they might call it, campus.

For neighborhood restaurants, it means preparing for a deluge of students, some looking for basic sustenance and others for a more regal dining experience.

A new list published by EaterNY names 10 places they recommend to eat around NYU, six of which are in the West Village.

Here's the six spots below, and what to know about each.

Pane Pasta (58 West Eighth St.)

Eater calls this pastry, panini, pasta — and more — shop as a "narrow storefront that feels like Palermo, Sicily." That's no coincidence — owners Vincenzo Virzi and Pietro Chircoare both from the Italian island. Despite being fairly new (it opened right before the pandemic hit), the carryout spot has won positive reviews for its pastry and focaccia sandwiches.

John’s of Bleecker Street (278 Bleecker St.)

There isn't much to say about this 100-year-old joint. The coal-oven pizzeria is about as classic as it gets, and finds its way onto nearly every single list of the nation's best pizza parlors.

Pelicana Chicken (52 East Eighth St.)

Pelicana Chicken is part of a Korean fried chicken chain, writes Eater. But don't let that cause you to write it off. Eater describes their chicken coatings as "sweet and crackly," and recommends their onion rings, fried and skewered mac and cheese and fries.

Mamoun's (119 MacDougal St.)

Serving falafel to students on MacDougal Street since 1971, Mamoun's is a well-established NYU classic and serves falafel-pita sandwiches, and other Middle Eastern fare, until 2 a.m.

Pommes Frites (128 MacDougal St.)

Not in the mood for Middle Eastern? Then head across the street for some Belgian treats. "Pommes Frites is a fixture of food-intensive MacDougal Street," Eater writes, describing the fries as coming with "a bewildering catalog of sauces, some with an extra charge."

Monte's Trattoria (97 MacDougal St.)

Rounding out the MacDougal Street scene is a place that Eater says is the "obvious" answer when people ask where they should ask their parents to take them on family visits. Since 1918, the red-sauce joint has served classics in a setting Eater calls "comfortable and convivial, and puts you in mind of the century-old Italian roots of the neighborhood."