Welcome To Little Italy!
This neighborhood on New York’s lower east side is a great place for Italian food all year long, but it’s the annual “Feast Of San Gennaro” that allows everyone to celebrate faith and food!
The 2024 celebration is underway now: six blocks of New York’s lower east side Little Italy neighborhood is closed to traffic so foodies can celebrate with a giant Cannoli!
Yes, you can get a Cannoli all year long here – Cannoli are Sicilian pastries – tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough that are filled with a sweet, creamy filling containing ricotta—a staple of Sicilian cuisine. They line the streets right now:
You know that the word “cannoli” is forever cemented in movie history thanks to this one scene from “The Godfather”:
“Leave The Gun – Take The Cannoli!”
Clemenza had good taste and would feel right at home on New York’s Mulberry Street, where the festival takes place every year!
I got the chance to check out the festival again this year – and eat some great food as well!
You see, while the streets are lined for blocks with Italian restaurant after Italian restaurant, you come to the Feast of San Gennaro to sample food sold out of carts on the street!
Lucy’s Zeppoles!
Lucy’s is a legendary restaurant in Little Italy, and I had to see them in action – here’s a video showing the rice ball I ate as well as Zeppoles being cooked:
A “Zeppole” is an Italian pastry that’s just a deep-fried dough ball topped with powdered sugar.
There was one more iconic dish on display block after block after block as well:
Braciole!
If you don’t know the name, “braciole” is rolled meat stuffed with breadcrumbs and cheese and cooked in tomato sauce – and is a staple at Italian family gatherings.
At the Feast Of San Gennaro, they are cooked like a massive rolled up sausage on a grill and served with grilled onions and peppers stuffed into a roll – check it out!
So of course I had to get one…note: I do not like bell peppers so I just got mine with grilled onions only! And since I got there early in the day, it wasn’t too crowded! My Braciole got one last look before I ate it:
Umberto’s Calm House also has several booths, with stuffed clams, shrimp and my favorite: fried calamari with a zesty red sauce:
This is my second year in a row at the Feast, and for those who read my post from last year, you remember that I saw this sign:
Fried Oreos!
Yes, while there’s no way they are Italian in origin, they were everywhere and here’s what they looked like in a bag:
Yes, I bought them last year, took them home, stared at them, took a big bite and shared this taste test:
While this is a big celebration of eating and drinking and celebrating, I wanted to note the importance of the Feast Of San Gennaro from a religious point of view as well.
The Feast celebrates the life of San Gennaro of Naples who was Bishop of Benevento, Italy and was martyred in 305AD.
Figli di San Gennaro actively supports over 30 great charities and organizations, and I pinned some money on the display as an offering – as did many others as well.
So, it’s an important cultural celebration as well as one for great Italian food and drink…and there are a lot of opportunities to indulge in both:
It being an italian festival, you pass numerous booths serving up delicious items with lots of red sauce:
By late in the day, the street is packed with people having a great time at the feast of San Gennaro! Now, speaking of iconic Italian food:
Rao’s Meatballs!
I love meatballs. I have shared many recipes for them, but this is the greatest, thanks to the iconic Rao’s Restaurant in East Harlem…I made them at home and the recipe is here:
I am sharing and storing all of these recipes on my food website “Bite! Eat! Repeat!” – it’s your site for all things food – if you like what you see, please click on my link and follow this blog as well!
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Categories: Alcohol And Bars, Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Eat This!, Food, Food Pictures, Food Porn, Food Travel, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
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Great post! I accidentally walked the same festival in the Italian section in Boston once. What a fantastic experience! We just got back from Sicily. That was an even better experience!!
We went to Sicily two years ago and loved it! So much more to see! Thanks for the comment!
Hi John, I remember the fried Oreos. This looks like a fabulous event 🦋🩵
Robbie, it’s a huge celebration with tons of food – and lots of drinks as well…upbeat and fun and police keeping it joyful!
✨⭐️
This looks like so much fun. I would not be able to decide what to eat. I guess I would have to have some cannoli for sure.
Looks so tasty
It’s so much fun and a family thing, lots of kids as well as adults having fun!
what a blast! the closest I’ve ever come to this was happening upon an Italian festival in the north side of Boston -St. Agrippina parade and celebration
that are all so much fun – right?
so fun, we even joined in the parade, where they marched through the streets blessing everything including the liquor store, an important part of every community )
That really does remind me of The Godfather films, and I would want to eat every single one of the featured foods. (Except the fried Oreo)
Best wishes, Pete.
Those are a pure goof Pete, but they are sold all over the place – who knows why! Thanks for the comment!
Great images, John it seems there are food festivals everywhere atv the moment we have one here lots of yummy food 🙂
Yes, such a fun way to explore new flavors! Thanks for commenting!
Always a pleasure to visit, John 🙂
Love that line from the Godfather. We use it all the time. It is so beautiful to Feasts such as San Gennaro still celebrated.