Fodor's Expert Review Bella's Italian Café

Although this popular SoHo (South Howard Avenue) eatery earned its wings by offering crowd-pleasing Italian classics, much of this mainstay's popularity stems from the creative takes on them. Carnivores are not slighted here, but it is often more delicious to go meatless. Consider the pear sachet, which are pasta purses packed with pear and three cheeses and topped with a creamy saffron sauce. The grouper alla calabrese (lightly battered and sautéed with red wine, capers, olives, and onions) is another memory maker. Bella's is not too highbrow to ignore pizza and calzones—there are dozens of options. Offerings like these have kept the restaurant popular since 1986. If you're in a rush, there's curbside pickup.