Restaurant Radar: L'Ito's is a Pleasure for Pizza & More!

Don’t kid yourself: new restaurants are opening because even in a pandemic, people sometimes need to not cook their own food. That’s why we’re highlighting L’Ito’s as a spot worth visiting. Located in that part of Chinatown that also identifies as Two Bridges, L’ito’s is owned by Sarah Krathen and Ashley Santoro, who met while at Niche Niche, a most excellent spot for wine. I’m telling you this because wine is an important part of their story. In fact, Ashley also owns the wine shop Leisir which is literally the same address as L’ito’s. So…it’s nearby.

Call the Gotham Burger Club: we got a Martin’s roll sighting Photo: l_itosnyc

Why do we like this spot? Well for starters, it’s women owned and it’s great to see diversity happening in the world of pizza making. What’s the inspiration for this menu you might say? How about anything that would comfort you during a pandemic? There’s cheese and pepperoni pizzas, a fried chicken sandwich, lasagna, and mozzarella sticks just to give you a better understanding of what it is you will find here. Pro tip: if you want to really understand how creative a place can be, look at their sandwich line up. L’ito’s adds touches like umeboshi aioli and pickled daikon to their fried chicken option, and it’s very likely you’ll find something like a yuzu kosho turkey burger with hand cut fries on any given day (okay maybe that day was earlier this week, but you get the idea). How can I say this succinctly? How about: this is what you get when fine dining pros just want to open a place that serves people delicious food without formalities? The stuff chefs eat when they get off their shift? A future model for restaurants to follow when a pandemic hits? Yes, all of those work.

L’ito’s is designed for grab and go although there’s a small area to sit inside. Check the menu in advance as specials are always changing and certain foods - like pizza - are available for pick up only.

Sarah, Ashley, and unnamed dog welcome you to L’itos Photo: l_itosnyc