In New York City there’s the de facto Chinatown in Manhattan and then there’s the de jure (rightfully entitled) Chinatown in Flushing, Queens. The Flushing Chinatown is superior in pretty much every way. Similarly we have Manhattan’s famed Little Italy, but its Bronx counterpart blows its better known brother from another borough out of the water.
Simultaneously known as Arthur Avenue, Belmont and the Little Italy of the Bronx, Arthur Avenue is a foodie paradise. While not as universally recognized (even to many New Yorkers) as Manhattan’s Mulberry Street area, Gothamites in the know including many famous people such as actor Chazz Palminteri, author Don DiLillo, rock and roll singer Dion DiMucci (from Dion and the Belmonts) and podcaster Martin Blanco (I Wish I Were A Prosciutto) are certainly aware because they grew up on or around Arthur and Belmont Avenues.
On a recent Arthur Avenue Food Tour, my friendly and knowledgeable guide, Dario Chiazzolino (he’s also a renowned jazz guitarist) brought the group of 15 to about a dozen restaurants and food emporiums while pausing frequently to talk about the area’s rich Italian heritage and to pass out delectable samples. Our final destination, a sit down meal, included more food than any of us could finish. Besides tasting amazing fare and meeting friendly locals (many of whom are Italian speaking, first generation immigrants), one of the best things about visiting Belmont in the Bronx is taking home bags of freshly made cheese, bread, sausage, pasta, ravioli, jarred tomato sauce, cigars, unusual houseware and desserts.
And speaking of desserts, the made-to-order cannoli (the first stop on our approximately 2 1/2 hour tour) is truly amazing. The server stuffs the freshly made shells with creamy filling and then immediately hands them to you. There’s also just caught seafood available that you can carry away or consume at multiple sidewalk raw bars as well as a variety of gourmet coffee beans. I began the day with probably the best Macchiato I’ve ever had at the neighborhood’s beloved food hall, the Arthur Avenue Retail Market, and the day just kept getting better from there.