Bronx food guide: Arthur Avenue, Little Italy and beyond

The Bronx is the only New York City borough on the mainland, and its food reputation rests on a few streets. The best known is Arthur Avenue in the Belmont neighborhood, which locals call the real Little Italy of New York. Go for a morning, taste a little at several shops and carry a bag for the bread.

What is Arthur Avenue?

Arthur Avenue runs through Belmont, an Italian-American neighborhood near the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden. Its reputation dates to the early twentieth century, when Italian immigrants came to help build those institutions. Today the avenue holds butchers, bakers, cheese shops, fishmongers, pasta makers, delis and restaurants, and many shops are family-run. It is a place to shop and snack as much as to sit down for a meal.

What is the Arthur Avenue Retail Market?

The Arthur Avenue Retail Market is the indoor heart of the avenue. Vendors sell produce, meat, cheese and prepared food, and a sandwich counter inside is a local favorite. Walking through it takes half an hour, and tasting as you go is the point.

What do you buy on Arthur Avenue?

Shops on the avenue include delis, bakeries known for bread, pasticcerias with cannoli, and pasta shops where egg noodles are made on the spot. Buy fresh pasta, cured meats, cheeses, olive oil, bread and pastry. Carry a bag, because purchases add up. Bakeries sell by the piece or by the pound, so ask for a mix. Bring a cooler if you will travel far, especially in summer.

Where can you eat a sit-down meal?

Arthur Avenue has traditional red-sauce restaurants, and weekend dinners can be busy. Some close one or two days a week, so ask when you book. Order a pasta, a veal or chicken dish and share a dessert. If you are in a rush, a sandwich from a deli is a better value.

How do you get to Arthur Avenue?

The market is about a mile from the Fordham Road station on the B and D subway lines. Another route is Metro-North from Grand Central to Fordham, followed by a half-mile walk. Buses run along Fordham Road and Arthur Avenue, and a taxi or rideshare is a convenient last leg. Plan your return before dark if you are unfamiliar with the area.

What else is there to eat in the Bronx?

The Bronx has a large Dominican, Puerto Rican, Mexican, West African and Caribbean population, and its neighborhoods have restaurants and bakeries serving those foods. Look around Fordham, the Grand Concourse, Mott Haven and the South Bronx. Ask a local where they eat. The Bronx is also home to Yankee Stadium, where a game day brings many food carts and restaurants nearby.

What should you know about tipping and prices?

Prices on Arthur Avenue are lower than in Manhattan's Little Italy. Sales tax is added at the register, a tip of 18 to 20 percent is customary at a table, and a small tip at a counter is welcome. Some shops prefer cash or have a card minimum. Plan a half-day, wear comfortable shoes and bring an appetite. Arrive hungry but pace yourself, since the best way to enjoy the avenue is to taste a little at several shops and not to fill up at the first.

How should you spend a half-day on Arthur Avenue?

Arrive at about 10 or 11 a.m., when shops are open and not yet crowded. Start at the indoor market for an overview, then walk the avenue and the cross streets, stopping for bread, cheese and cured meats. Stop for coffee and a pastry in the middle of the morning. Eat lunch at a deli counter or a restaurant, and buy your groceries on the way back to the subway. Saturday is the busiest day, with families shopping for the week, while weekdays are calmer. Most shops close in the late afternoon, and many are closed or on short hours on Sundays and Mondays, so check before you go.

If you also want to see the Bronx Zoo or the New York Botanical Garden, which are both close to Belmont, combine a morning visit with a market lunch. Admission and hours for the zoo and the garden change by season, so check them first. A food-focused day trip works best when you leave time for the unexpected.

Holidays are special on Arthur Avenue. Before Christmas and Easter the shops stock seasonal breads, cookies and fish, and crowds are heavy, with lines out the door at bakeries. If you want the atmosphere without the crush, visit on a weekday the week before. Order ahead for holiday centerpieces, and bring a large bag or a small cart for your purchases.

How do you remember what to buy on Arthur Avenue?

An afternoon on Arthur Avenue is a dozen small purchases, and the good ones are easy to lose. In the Mosey app, rate the sandwich, the cannoli or the fresh pasta by the dish, add a tag such as Bakery or Deli, and keep them in a list for your next trip with a bag. Share the list with whoever you are bringing, and ask them to add what they found. Beyond the avenue, rating a Dominican or West African plate in the Bronx builds a record of a borough that few visitors cover.

Rate your favorite bite from the Bronx in the Mosey app and keep it for next time.

More guides to read next:

• Manhattan Chinatown food guide: dim sum, dumplings and bakeries
• Brooklyn food guide: Sunset Park, Brighton Beach and Coney Island
• Harlem food guide: soul food, West African cooking and Lenox Avenue

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