Raffetto's

SoHo
144 W. Houston St.
between MacDougal/Sullivan Sts.

P: 212.777.1261

Since 1906 Raffetto's has been making tender and flavorful fresh pastas -- to many it's the best in New York. While you can buy their products in several of the city's better grocers, including Fairway and Zabar's, it's best to shop right where the pasta is made and where you can have them cut the pasta exactly as you like it.

What's great:

They make large sheets of pasta (egg, spinach, and other flavors) that they will cut exactly to your specifications and their stuffed pastas include a variety of ravioli and tortelini. They also make excellent cavatelli, a ricotta cheese pasta that's very hard to find anywhere else. Everything freezes beautifully so if you have the freezer space, buy some extra.

What to avoid:

They also sell a small selection of Italian grocery items which can be convenient but that's not the reason to shop here.

What to know:

Raffetto's supplies some of the city's better Italian restaurants but why go out for lobster ravioli when you can buy it here and eat at home?