As New York has many restaurant options, we need to explore a little bit of all, right? But I confess: I think if I could, I would eat at an Italian restaurant every weekend. There’s nothing better than a portion of pasta, risotto or even a pizza – especially during the winter. Last Sunday, after we saw the New York City Marathon and we walk through Central Park, we stopped for lunch at Osteria Cotta, an Italian restaurant in the Upper West Side.
This restaurant opened in 2011 and serves Italian food, obviously, in a warm and inviting atmosphere. The restaurant is composed of 4 separate areas, The lively Bar on the main floor, the rustic dining room upstairs, the intimate living room behind the dining room and the vibrant outside cafe. As the day was beautiful and not so cold, we sat on the outside – there were heaters, which made the experience much more enjoyable.
It was a Sunday and, as in most restaurants in the city, they were serving brunch. In addition to the classics egg dishes – with prices from $11 to $14, there were pasta options – like spaghetti with tomato sauce, ravioli, and pappardelle carbonara, with prices from $13 to $15 – and pizzas, baked in wood oven, with prices from $13 to $15. Although most Americans order a pizza as a single dish, we ordered one and shared. With 6 slices, we choose the Tartufo flavor, with mozzarella, smoked prosciutto, button mushrooms, truffle cream & white truffle oil. A delight! The dough was very thin and the mixture of flavors of the ingredients was fantastic. We also ordered two appetizers to complement our lunch. One was the Eggplant Caponata $ 5), a kind of antipasto, we eat with bread. The other was the Arancini ($ 8) a portion with four risotto balls. That’s right! What a delicious thing!
The dinner menu at Osteria Cotta has more choices of pizzas and pasta than the brunch menu. There are 9 options for pizzas and more 8 varieties of pasta, the same average price of the brunch menu – nothing costs more than $15. There are also other dishes with meat, fish and chicken from $18 to $28.
I loved it! I will definitely go back there if I have the opportunity – to try a portion of pasta. I saw some dishes on the other tables and they were super appetizing! Not to mention that the Upper West Side is super charming! The Osteria Cotta is open from Monday to Wednesday, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays, from 3 p.m. to 2 p.m. (perfect for a late lunch) and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am.
Address: 513 Columbus Avenue.
Laura Peruchi is a Brazilian blogger, author, and entrepreneur. She has lived in Manhattan with her husband since 2014. Since then, she has shared on her blog varied content about the Big Apple. From travel tips, including unusual things to do, shopping tips, etiquette, restaurants, and a lot more, her blog has become a reference in Portuguese (also available in English) for anyone planning a trip to New York City.
