I discovered Pepolino in TriBeCa many years ago. This Italian restaurant has been there for some time, that is no wonder when you tried their food. Comfy, it reminded me some of the delicious dishes we had in Italy, like their pappa Al pomodoro, a soup made with tomato, garlic and bread. A peasant soup that is very comforting.
Another classic is their melanzane e scarmoza that is made with thin slices of eggplant topped with smokey mozzarella. Good, with a nice smokiness, I just wished that the eggplant would have been more cooked since it was bit under and bitter.

For an elegant experience, they propose a polenta mousse topped with cheese fondue and black truffle. Decadent, creamy and addictive.

Polenta con fondue at Pepolino in TriBeCa

Of course, going there, you cannot miss the pasta. And I could not resist ordering the linguine nere di mare or homemade squid ink linguine with seafood (shrimp, calamari and mussels) in a spicy tomato sauce. This dish is superb, the pasta and seafood (lots of it) being perfectly cooked, and the sauce, that was not spicy, had a robust flavor.

Linguine nere di mare at Pepolino in TriBeCa

I should mention that, with bread, they served us a tomato mousse that was very good, light and tasty. Different from the classic olive oil and bread.

We did not have dessert there because we had other plans, but I admit that I would have liked to try some of their options. Well, it will be for another time as we will go back for sure since this place truly reminds us some of the restaurants we ate at in Italy.
Enjoy (I did)!
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Pepolino -281 W Broadway, New York, NY 10013

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