Profile

The brick-walled, tin-ceilinged spuntino is less than a restaurant (though the food's terrific), more than a bar (affable bartender, respectable Negroni), and already, in its infancy, the sort of homey, affordable, drop-in-anytime place that gives interlopers from distant zip codes a serious case of neighborhood envy. The menu reads like a shopping list, with mix-and-match categories for beans and grains, vegetables, meats, and cheeses, plus a choice of sandwich breads and fillings. But the ingredients are prime (and often organic) and the chefs make the most of them, whether they're dressing long leaves of verdant puntarelle with fragrant olive oil, capers, and anchovies, grating pecorino over bitter escarole, or roasting Brussels sprouts and acorn squash till they're irresistibly sweet. — Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite

Brunch

Sat.—Sun., 11 a.m.—4 p.m.

Weddings

The historic stable and garden area at Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli’s beloved Italian restaurant allow for small (up to 75) wedding receptions, complete with a menu of Frankies favorites like meatballs, cavatelli with sausage and browned sage butter, and roasted-eggplant crostini, and various beverage-package options.

Related Stories

New York Magazine Reviews

• Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite's Full Review (10/18/04)

Best of New York Awards

• The Best New Restaurant That Isn’t Masa or Per Se (2005)

Featured In

• The Best Places to Live in NYC: Our Critics’ Favorite Comestibles in Selected Neighborhoods (4/19/10)
• Trendlet: The Egg Sandwich Goes Gourmet (10/26/09)
• Where to Find the Best Late-Summer BLTs (9/22/08)
• Cheap Eats Guide 2006 (8/7/06)

Recipes at Frankies 457 Spuntino

• La Promesa (2011)
• Cured Sardines and Puntarelle Salad (2006)