I Cavallini

On our list of the best special-occasion restaurants in New York.

The team behind The Four Horsemen, the Michelin-starred wine bar down the block, opened I Cavallini on Grand Street in 2025 with twice as much seating and a narrower kitchen focus. Dishes skip names for straightforward lists of ingredients, a format that turns into plates like trofie in green pesto or farfallone in Calabrian chile butter. Pastas are handmade and mains lean rustic, set against a wine list built from under-the-radar Italian producers. About a third of the seats, at the bar and counter, are held back for walk-ins rather than reservations.