This post will help you plan your trip to Arthur Avenue and sample all the delicious food that can be found there. We have directions, a list of tours, and other nearby attractions.
- Plan Your Trip
- Guided Tours
- Self-Guided Tour
- Nearby Attractions
- Other NYC Neighborhoods
- Things to Do in NYC
PLAN YOUR TRIP
Residents of Arthur Avenue in the Bronx call the neighborhood “the real Little Italy,” and most food-savvy New Yorkers will agree.
Located in the Belmont section of the Bronx, Arthur Avenue was named after President Chester A. Arthur.
The Arthur Avenue enclave had nearby 100,000 Italian residents by the early 1900s. Many came to get jobs building the nearby Bronx Zoo.
Once the Third Avenue elevated train (the El) was built, more Italians moved uptown to the Arthur Avenue area.
Today, year-round, Arthur Avenue’s street poles are proudly decorated with red, white, and green garland. Arthur Avenue is a feast for the eyes and stomach.
How to Get There
Arthur Avenue is on the northeast side of St. Barnabas Hospital.
By Subway:
Take the Uptown B or D train to Fordham Road (map). You can also take the Uptown 4 train to a slightly farther subway station stop also called Fordham Road.
Whichever you choose, the walk to Arthur Avenue is approximately 15-20 minutes.
When you exit the station, walk eastbound on 188th Street and after about 5 blocks you will reach Webster Avenue. Make a left and walk one block to E. 189th Street. Make a right and about 6 blocks down you will reach Arthur Avenue.
Check out our post on the NYC Subway:
When is the Best Time to Go?
Many of the shops on Arthur Avenue are closed on Sundays, and Saturdays can get quite crowded.
Your best bet is to visit in the middle of the week.
Do the Shops Take Credit Cards?
Most of the shops take credit cards - but make sure to bring cash as some do not.
GUIDED TOURS
This section lists guided, small-group food tours as well as other Bronx tours available.
Bronx's Little Italy Walking Food Tour
This walking tour of Arthur Avenue in the Bronx runs every Wednesday. It focuses on the history of the neighborhood and generations of Italian and other immigrants.
You'll also get to sample some delicious treats from various, locally-owned shops, bakeries, and butchers.
New York's Real Little Italy Tour
This guided food tour of Arthur Avenue will help you get a taste of some of the best food in all of New York City. This kid-friendly tour runs almost every day but sells out fast.
Other Tours in the Bronx
Here are a few other guided tours that cover the Bronx:
- Brooklyn, Queens, and Bronx Tour
This tour will take you through three of New York City's boroughs to see the cultural diversity, famous landmarks, and hear from a multilingual tour guide.
- Half-Day Pizza Tasting Tour
If you haven't had enough food yet, take this bus tour of 4 of New York City's best pizzerias.
- Hip-Hop Bus Tour
Discover the history of hip-hop on this bus tour of Harlem and The Bronx. Each tour will be led by an artist such as GrandMaster Caz or Reggie Reg, which will allow you to hear first-hand accounts of the genre's evolution.
- Harlem and Bronx Bike Tour
If you're up for an athletic, half-day tour of Harlem and the Bronx, this bike excursion is perfect. You'll see the East River, Yankee Stadium, Grant's Tomb, and more on this 25-mile ride.
SELF-GUIDED TOUR
The tour starts at the intersection of E. 189th Street and Arthur Avenue. Links are provided to shops that have websites. Bring a big appetite. Now get ready to mangia, mangia, mangia!
TIP: View this tour in a PDF to print or save to your smartphone.
This is an interactive map. Click on the frame icon on the top right-hand corner to make map larger.
Tony and Tina’s (A)
- 2483 Arthur Avenue
- Call for hours 718-733-8094
We're starting in this Albanian-owned shop for burek, an Albanian baked snack made with delicate phyllo dough.
A bit like Greek spanakopita (spinach pie), burek is fluffier and here it comes in four varieties. Ground beef, spinach, and cheese are served in pie-like slices and the pumpkin (image on the right and our favorite) is served in individual crescents. Get a cup of their plain, strained yogurt for dipping.
Tino’s Deli (B)
- 2410 Arthur Avenue
- Open daily 6:30 am - 7:30 pm
Get ready for your first big bite into traditional Italian food with one of Tino’s mouth-watering heroes (sandwiches served on Italian bread), all big enough to share.
Let the ‘Godfather’ hero, layered with Hot Soppressata, Fried Eggplant, Ham Cappicola, Provolone Cheese, and Hot Peppers make you an offer you can’t refuse. The shop is also well-stocked with unique balsamic vinegars and pastas you won’t find even at famous Eataly in Manhattan.
Casa della Mozzarella (C)
- 604 E. 187th Street
- Open Monday - Saturday 7:30 am - 6:00 pm
- Open Sunday 7:30 am – 1:00 pm
The name of this shop tells you what this store is all about --their handmade mozzarella. It’s incredibly fresh and if you get lucky, you may see owner Orazio Carciotto stretching curds by hand.
We love the prosciutto ham and mozzarella sandwich. If you just want a small snack, grab some bocconcini (small mozzarella balls).
Teitel Brothers (D)
- 2354 Arthur Avenue
- Mon-Fri 7:00 am - 5:30 pm
- Closed Sundays
If the name sounds Jewish, you’re right. If you think this means they won’t have great Italian sausage, you’re wrong.
In 2015, the Daily News voted Teitel Brothers' Italian sausage the best in New York City. This tiny non-kosher shop is well stocked with savory traditional Italian foods -- parmigiana cheese and prosciutto ham, baccalà (dried and salted codfish), olive oils, and pignoli (pine) nuts, all at great prices.
Cosenza's Fish Market (E)
- 2354 Arthur Avenue
- Open daily 7:00 am - 5:30 pm.
This century-old raw bar opened in 1918 and serves up delicious, fresh oysters and clams, crabs, wild mussels, littleneck clams, swordfish, Portuguese octopus rainbow trout. In good weather, you can slurp down $1 oysters at the outdoor raw bar, and enjoy the fresh air as you slurp away!
Madonia Brothers Bakery (F)
- 2348 Arthur Avenue
- Open Monday - Saturday 6:00 am - 7:00 pm
- Open Sunday 7:00 am – 6:00 pm
This bakery produces 400 to 500 pounds of biscotti a week in varieties like vanilla nut, double chocolate, and Napolitano. Their bread is great too and comes in some interesting flavors worth trying such as jalapeño, prosciutto, chocolate cherry, and cinnamon swirl. Grab an olive loaf and take it with you one block to your next stop.
Randazzo's Seafood (G)
- 2327 Arthur Avenue
Founded over 80 years ago by an immigrant Italian fisherman named Frank Randazzo, this seafood paradise is still run by the family.
You can get everything from vongole (clams) to scorfano (a spiny fish used in stews. They even carry California sea urchin when it's in season. They also serve oysters outside.
Calandra Cheese (H)
- 2314 Arthur Avenue
- Open Monday - Saturday 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
- Closed Sundays
- Cash only
You’ve already had your mozzarella, and probably some Parmigianino. So why come to one more cheese shop? They have the best home-made ricotta cheese on the street.
Arthur Avenue Retail Market (I)
- 2344 Arthur Avenue
- Monday - Sunday 6:00 am - 7:00 pm
Go to the Arthur Avenue Retail Market for the pizza at Café al Mercato. Their Sicilian-style square slices are the best in the neighborhood.
While visiting the market, walk around and you’ll find nine restaurants, five pastry shops, four butchers, two pasta-makers, six bread stores, three pork stores, five gourmet delicatessens, two fish markets, three gourmet coffee shops, and an Italian wine shop.
There are also various stores where you can buy non-edible souvenirs.
Belmont Library and Enrico Fermi Cultural Center (J)
- 610 E. 18th Street
- Closed Sundays
This is a branch of the New York Public Library but places emphasis and the Italian heritage and residents of the neighborhood.
They have copies of Italian books, newspapers, and magazines in their collection if you want to stop and catch up on what’s happening in the mother country Italia.
They also have public restrooms.
Addeo Bakers (K)
- 2372 Hughes Avenue
- Open Monday - Saturday 7:30 am - 6:30 pm
- Closed Sundays
One word: breadsticks. Over 80 years ago, founders Gennaro and Vincenza opened this traditional Italian bread and biscuits shop and today their grandsons still bake the best breadsticks in town.
DeLillo Pasticceria (L)
- 610 E. 187th Street
- Open Monday - Thursday 8:00 am - 8:00 pm
- Open Friday - Sunday 8:00 am - 9:00 pm
This shop opened in 1925 and has been drawing in customers for almost a century with their enticing Italian desserts like cannoli, sfogliatelle, and homemade Italian ices. The selection is vast and sure to please everyone.
Egidio Pastry Shop (M)
- 622 E. 187th Street
- Open daily 7:00 am - 8:00 pm
One of many Italian-Americans to leave Little Italy for the Bronx was Don Pasquale Egidio, who moved his shop to Arthur Avenue in 1912.
Borgatti's Ravioli & Egg Noodles (N)
- 632 E. 187th Street
- Open Tuesday - Friday 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
- Open Saturday 8:30 am - 6:00 pm
- Closed Sundays and Mondays
By now you probably don’t have room for another bite. Fortunately, this 75-year-old shop is the place to stock up on dried and fresh noodles to cook at home.
Their ravioli comes in standard flavors and fillings: ricotta cheese, meat, spinach, etc. Their fresh egg noodles have tomato, carrot, mushroom, and squid ink.
Purchase with any of the jarred sauces or make your own at home and bring back your memories of your day exploring Arthur Avenue.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church (O)
The last stop on your tour of Arthur Avenue has food for the soul.
The church was built in 1917 and at the height of its history in the 1940s and 1950s, more than 40,000 Italian- American chose Our Lady of Mt. Carmel as their parish.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS
The Bronx Zoo (P)
The Bronx Zoo is an easy walk or drive from Little Italy by using the zoo’s Southern Blvd. exit/parking lot. The zoo is a 10-15 minute walk from Arthur Avenue.
If you visit the zoo first, you can walk to Arthur Avenue by making a right out of the zoo onto Southern Blvd. and then make a left onto 187th Street. After about 5 or 6 blocks you’ll reach Arthur Avenue where you can let the food animal in you go wild.
New York Botanical Garden (Q)
The New York Botanical Garden was founded in 1891. This National Historic Landmark covers 250 acres, supporting over one million living plants. The Garden has a remarkable diversity of tropical, temperate, and desert flora. This is a perfect place to find tranquility and peace before or after the bustling business of Arthur Avenue.
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium is also in the Bronx! If you’re a fan of the New York Yankees and in town during baseball season, why not catch a game? Alternatively, you can take a tour of the stadium year-round.
During tours, you’ll be able to access areas of Yankee Stadium that are usually restricted to players and staff.
Harlem Walking Tour
Harlem is not far from Yankee Stadium. The area is full of interesting architecture, music, food, and culture.
If you come on a pay-what-you-like walking tour with us, we will walk past and talk about the Abyssinian Baptist Church, Apollo Theater, Schomberg Center, and more.
Other Arthur Avenue Merchants
Arthur Avenue’s Merchants’ Association website is a very helpful website with a list of all merchants as well as upcoming celebrations and events in the neighborhood.
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