1. Pepe Giallo
8.5
195 10th Ave (btw 21st and 22nd), New York, NY
Italian Restaurant · Chelsea · 103 tips and reviews
Gino M.: Great price and decor but the food falls short. Neither authentic nor classic Italian-American. Undercooked pasta (not al dente) but their tomato sauce was actually pretty good.
Sebastian Dörner: Pasta with Chicken and mushrooms was really great. They even served it with tomato sauce at my request!
Cole Kennedy: Perfect spot for a late pasta dinner, especially if you can sit in the garden. Loved the pappardelle with sausage in spicy tomato sauce.
3. Parm
8.2
248 Mulberry St (btwn Prince & Spring St), New York, NY
Italian Restaurant · NoLita · 494 tips and reviews
Mark Chu-Carroll: eggplant parm sandwich is the best I've ever had. Perfectly cooked tender eggplant, great tomato sauce, loaded with fresh basil, on fantastic semolina bread. The eggplant sandwich to die for!
Halstead Property: What else to order other than a meatball parm from a place called Parm? The melted mozzarella in the toasted hero is mouthwatering with the juicy meatballs and fresh tomato sauce.
Steven Lambiase: The chicken parm is easily best I've ever had. Flavorful tomato sauce, little basil, perfectly cooked chicken breast, amazing sesame roll. None like it.
4. Scarpetta
8.4
88 Madison Ave (at 29th Street), New York, NY
Italian Restaurant · NoMad · 271 tips and reviews
The Salup Group: Order the spaghetti with tomato sauce. Its the best in town!
Gothamist: The spaghetti and basil is house-made spaghetti, tomato sauce and a sprinkle of basil - it's so fresh and packed with flavor you'll believe you're eating something far more complicated. Read more.
Village Voice: The signature pasta remains a homemade spaghetti in a light tomato sauce. The name of the restaurant means 'little shoe,' referring to the bread you'll use to scoop every ever last bit of sauce. Read more.
5. Rubirosa Ristorante
9.2
235 Mulberry St (btwn Prince & Spring St), New York, NY
Italian Restaurant · NoLita · 844 tips and reviews
Bradley Langerman: Pepperoni pizzas with green bell peppers; white onions; black olives; red bell peppers; pineapples; Canadian Bacon; sausage; pepperonis; meatballs; tomato sauce; mozzarella cheeses is yummy.
Shangril Shah: Tie-dye is a must-have if you love all three of vodka, pesto, and tomato sauces. Amazing.
Jon Crowley: The best tomato sauce I've ever had on pizza.
6. Joe's Pizza
9.1
150 E 14th St (at 3rd Ave), New York, NY
Pizzeria · East Village · 174 tips and reviews
Halstead Property: Although there’s no surprise toppings, that sweet tomato sauce flavor and just the right amount of cheese sprinkled on top makes this one of NY’s best classic plain or mozzarella cheese pizzas.
Ellis Hamburger: My favorite slice in NYC. So simple. So delicious. The tomato sauce is everything.
Joey J: Can't go wrong with Joe's. The Pizza is fresh and crispy. Their Sicilian slice is one of my favorites. You can't fake a good tomato sauce. Any Italian will agree, the sauce makes the slice.
7. Scarr's Pizza
9.0
35 Orchard St (btwn Canal & Hester St), New York, NY
Pizzeria · Chinatown · 78 tips and reviews
Emily Wilson: Fun vibe in the back room and solid NY-style pies, although the tomato sauce is a bit too sweet for my liking. The star of the show here is the vegan Caesar, no doubt. Could eat that all the time.
F. Bastard: The grandma slice is very, very good: a layer of crunch, plenty of chew, naturally sweet tomato sauce with a hit of garlic and quality cheese. Love the bar behind the oven!
Jamie Lonie: This place has an old school diner vibe with draft Budweiser and solid pizza. Plus there's awesome rap music always playing. Try a slice of Sicilian.
9. Antonucci
8.8
170 E 81st St (3rd Avenue), New York, NY
Italian Restaurant · Upper East Side · 15 tips and reviews
Piper Flusser: don't forget to ask for the tomato sauce and baked goat cheese dip-it should come witht he bread but sometimes they forget- its absolutely amazing!
Ting: Wow. What a surprise. The carbonara is fantastic. The bacon and egg combi here is so fragrant. Order the half portion so that u can try other stuff! It's not in the menu for dinner, so ask nicely!
Stephen Shapiro: Like an old and comfortable shoe - everything is good and the place feels like your own even if you're only there for the first time.
10. Frank Restaurant
8.5
88 2nd Ave (at E 5th St), New York, NY
Italian Restaurant · East Village · 169 tips and reviews
Leslie Teng: Baked eggs pomodoro are savory and delicious; comes with toast good for soaking up the tomato sauce. French toast is amazing: firm and fluffy, filled with jam, comes with lots of fruit.
Holiday: Gnocchi in tomato sauce is perfection pairs swimmingly Chianti. Cash only is brutal and needs to end.
Tara DeVincenzo: without writing a full love letter to my black linguine calamari (wowowow), I suggest the generously spread liver pate on fresh crostini. mind-blowingly delicious
Staff Picks: Ever had fried pizza? Try this Naples specialty called montanara. The dough is flash-fried before it's cooked in the oven. Then covered with tomato sauce, basil, & smoky buffalo mozzarella. Read more.
Zen Jr: Great pizza, the tomato sauce is delicious
Abdulaziz Alrajhi: Amazing Pizza...try the white Pizza they replaced the tomato sauce with Burrata (cheese sauce) 👍
12. Joe's Pizza
8.9
7 Carmine St (at 6th Ave), New York, NY
Pizzeria · West Village · 453 tips and reviews
Eater: As many food writers and pizza nerds have noted over the last few decades, Joe's Pizza serves the quintessential NY slice. The crust is thin and crisp, with even layers of cheese and tomato sauce. Read more.
Gothamist: Joe's doles out exactly what you expect from a classic slice joint—$2.75 gets you a piping hot, gooey cheese and savory tomato sauce spread atop a floury, chewy crust. Read more.
Eater: Joe's Pizza serves the quintessential New York slice. The crust is thin and crisp, with even layers of cheese and tomato sauce. Read more.
13. Piccola Cucina Osteria
8.1
196 Spring St (btwn Sullivan & Thompson St), New York, NY
Italian Restaurant · SoHo · 111 tips and reviews
Martina Caruso: Small REALLY Italian kitchen. Great salami and cheese appetizer. Try after then polpettine with tomatoes sauce. The will change your life respect meat balls!
Vanessa Macedo: During lunch they have pasta just for $10. And amazing pasta! I ordered one dish with lobster and tomato sauce, it was delicious! You won't regret
Rommy Nalon: The antipasti misti are excellent!! And if you can speak Italian you get a treat or two ;)