✦ Italian · Carroll Gardens

Best Italian Restaurants in Carroll Gardens

The best Italian restaurants in Carroll Gardens, New York City — 3 ranked picks with ratings and must-try dishes.

3 picks

Carroll Gardens has 3 Italian restaurants we would send anyone to, ranked here by rating and review depth. Frankies 457 Spuntino sits at the top with 4.5 stars. If you only order one thing, make it the cavatelli with sausage and browned sage butter at Frankies 457 Spuntino. Most of this list stays under $40 a head. None of these take online reservations — they are walk-in or phone-only, so go early.

Carroll Gardens holds onto its Italian-American backbone while newer rooms fill in around Smith and Court Streets.

Frankies 457 Spuntino Watch

Frankies 457 Spuntino

Italian  ·  Carroll Gardens  ·  $$$

★★★★½ 4.5

The Carroll Gardens Italian restaurant with the back garden that half of Brooklyn has proposed in

Must-try: Cavatelli with sausage and browned sage butter, Meatballs, Escarole salad

📍 457 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

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Cafe Spaghetti Watch

Cafe Spaghetti

Italian  ·  Carroll Gardens  ·  $$

★★★★☆ 4.3

back-to-basics Italian with a charming vine-covered backyard

Must-try: Spaghetti pomodoro, Lasagna, Meatballs

📍 126 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

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Bar Ferdinando Watch

Bar Ferdinando

Italian  ·  Carroll Gardens  ·  $$

★★★★☆ 4.1

a historic Sicilian room revived, walk-in and all day

Must-try: Clams over fries, Sicilian focaccia sandwich, Negroni

📍 151 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best Italian restaurant in Carroll Gardens?

Frankies 457 Spuntino — 4.5 stars across 2,400 reviews, the highest on this list. The Carroll Gardens Italian restaurant with the back garden that half of Brooklyn has proposed in.

Which of these is the best value?

Cafe Spaghetti at $$ — 4.3 stars without the $$$$ bill. 2 of the 3 restaurants on this page are $$ or under.

Do these restaurants take reservations?

None of the 3 on this page take online bookings — they are walk-in or phone-only. Going early, or on a weeknight, is the reliable move.

What should I order?

The cavatelli with sausage and browned sage butter at Frankies 457 Spuntino, the spaghetti pomodoro at Cafe Spaghetti and the clams over fries at Bar Ferdinando. Those are the dishes regulars point to first.

How were these picked?

Ratings and review volume decide the order, but the list itself is drawn from restaurants people actually post about — 2 of the 3 here have a TikTok attached to their card. Every entry is checked as open before it ships.

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