Caffe Buon Gusto, Riversale

You could order the succulent chicken Marsala with mushrooms at Caffe Buon Gusto, and you could also order salmon sautéed in white wine, lemon, and capers. But then you'd miss out on the one thing you can get nowhere else: the restaurant's homemade pasta tossed in a housemade sauce.

In both the Brooklyn Heights and Upper East Side locations, the chefs at this authentic Italian restaurant make gnocchi, ravioli, black linguine, and more from scratch. They bake their own bread—best eaten with a mix of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and Parmesan—and they use fresh ingredients to craft their sauces, including pesto and rich Bolognese.