Arthur Avenue (Belmont)
The Bronx’s authentic, working Little Italy where fourth-generation artisans rule the counter.
Settled in the late nineteenth century by Italian stonecutters and craftsmen who built the neighboring Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Garden, the Belmont neighborhood centered on Arthur Avenue and East 187th Street is where New York chefs actually shop for Italian ingredients. Instead of one-stop supermarkets, Belmont preserves the traditional European guild model: you buy your warm fior di latte from the cheesemaker, your fresh egg fettuccine from the pasta cutter, your dry-cured sausage from the pork store, and your sesame loaf from the brick-oven baker.
Must-Visit Spots
Casa Della Mozzarella
Watch Orazio and Carlo Carciotto pull glossy, warm fior di latte curds by hand behind the counter; order a custom bocconcini hero on crusty bread.
604 E 187th St
Fordham Rd (B/D) or Metro-North Fordham
Calabria Pork Store
Look up at a ceiling-wide "chandelier" of hundreds of dry-cured sweet and hot soppressata sausages ageing overhead.
2338 Arthur Ave
Fordham Rd (B/D)
Madonia Brothers Bakery
Over a century of crusty pane di casa, olive and prosciutto loaves, and Sicilian cannoli piped fresh to order with sheep’s-milk ricotta.
2348 Arthur Ave
Fordham Rd (B/D)
Borgatti’s Ravioli & Egg Noodles
Silky sheets of golden egg pasta rolled and hand-cut to your exact preferred width right at the counter, plus boxes of tender cheese ravioli.
632 E 187th St
Fordham Rd (B/D)
Arthur Avenue Retail Market
Opened by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia in 1940, housing Dominican cigar rollers, Mike’s Deli, Bronx Beer Hall, and specialty produce stalls.
2344 Arthur Ave
Fordham Rd (B/D/4)
New York Botanical Garden
Just across Fordham Road sits 250 acres of old-growth forest, the landmark Enid A. Haupt Victorian glass conservatory, and seasonal floral shows.
2900 Southern Blvd
Bedford Park Blvd (B/D) or Metro-North Botanical Garden
Stories from Arthur Avenue (Belmont)
The Real Little Italy: Arthur Avenue’s Century-Old Pork Stores & Mozzarella Masters
Manhattan’s Mulberry Street may draw the tour buses, but New York food insiders ride up to Belmont in The Bronx for four generations of uncompromising Italian-American craftsmanship.