Bleecker Street's Little Italy

Bleecker Street's Little Italy

Little Italy can be besieged by slow-moving crowds, touristy shops, and desperate restaurant owners who call at you like shooting-gallery barkers at Coney Island. With its crowded cafés, bakeries, pizza parlors, and old-world merchants, Bleecker Street between 6th and 7th avenues seems more vital as a true Italian neighborhood.

For authentic Italian ambience, step into one of the fragrant Italian bakeries, such as, Rocco's (No. 243) or Pasticceria Bruno (No. 245). Have cannoli, cream puffs, and cookies packed up or order an espresso and linger over the treats.

Step into the past at the old-style butcher shops, such as Ottomanelli & Sons (No. 285) and Faicco's Sausage Store (No. 260), where Italian locals have gotten their pork custom cut since 1900.

The sweet (or stinky) smell of success seems nowhere more evident than at Murray's Cheese (No. 254), at Cornelia Street. Until recently, the shop opened in 1940 by Murray Greenberg (not Italian) was not much larger than the cheese case that stocked the stuff. Now it's a fromage fiend's emporium, with everything from imported crackers to bamboo cutting boards. Samples of cheese, gelato, salami, and other goodies are frequently offered.

In a town that's fierce about its pizza, some New Yorkers swear by John's Pizzeria (No. 278). But be forewarned: they don't deal in individual slices; whole pies only. Got diet-breaking guilt? Head east to Carmine Street and the Church of Our Lady of Pompeii, where Mother Cabrini, a naturalized Italian immigrant who became the first American saint, often prayed.