Spaghetti Incident
Tucked away on the Lower East Side of NYC is a little slice of Italy, Spaghetti Incident. Their main schtick is that they serve spaghetti in a paper cone to takeaway – just like an old school Italian street fair. You get this from the walk-up window of their pasta shop, located directly next to the restaurant. You may call it a gimmick, but I think it’s genius. I’ve never seen any other restaurant do this in the USA. I mean, who doesn’t want to be able to walk through NYC while eating pasta?
Quirky but cool
The interior of the restaurant is old school, yet funky. It’s an odd combination of an Italian café and a 70s diner. It’s not what I would have imagined, but it somehow works. The small dining room seats 35 people: seven at the chef’s counter, which overlooks an open kitchen, and 28 seats across a mixture of two-top and four-top tables.
Have I died and gone to Italian Heaven?
The mouth-watering menu offers nine types of long pasta dishes. Think spaghetti and bucatini covered in classic sauces like carbonara, bolognese, and amatriciana. All of these are available in the cone. When you dine in, Spaghetti Incident offers three types of traditional Sicilian arancini or more modern salads like baby spinach, carrots, fennel, strawberries, hearts of palm, ginger, and pine nuts, served with a lemon dressing.
Limited beverage options
You don’t come here for the variety of drink options, and that’s okay. They offer three types of beer and a handful of red, white, and rosé wines served by the glass, ¼ L, ½ L, or full liter.
Andrew recommends:
Even though the walk-up window exists, I like to sit down and eat at this restaurant. I always order appetizers here, as they are delicious, and it’s much harder to eat apps AND pasta on the go…I mean, I only have so many hands. Here are a few front-runners on the menu:
The bread is excellent. The classic sliced Italian bread is served with very high-quality olive oil for dipping. Even though it’s light, be careful not to fill up on it.
DO NOT SKIP the arancini. It’s one of the best I’ve ever had. If you’re unsure of which to order or have never had one before, try the Artichoke & Parmigiano; it’s my favorite.
Crostino appetizer. The Crostino di Pomodori Secchi is a classic. It’s a crunchy toast covered in a sundried tomato puree and creamy burrata. Mmm.
The salads are excellent. If you are a salad lover, you’ll rejoice. With that said, I don’t come here to be healthy; I come to carb load.
Pasta. This is what you came for. They make some pasta in-house, while some pasta is imported from Italy. You cannot go wrong with any of the pastas, but the fresh pasta is delicious. The restaurant is most popular for their Chitarra: Homemade mozzarella and basil in fresh-chopped tomato sauce. I do love this one, but I also really like the Carbonara, Amatriciana, and Lamb Ragu.
Bonus: it’s not going to break the bank
Now let’s talk money. This is one of the most reasonably priced restaurants in NYC. You can get an arancini, crostino, and pasta, inclusive of a +20% tip, for less than $30. That’s a STEAL in my book – especially in NYC. Pro tip: there’s just one caveat – the restaurant is cash only.
