# Alternatives to Don Angie: 6 NYC Italian Rooms We Track

_Published 2026-07-24 on DinnerElite (https://dinnerelite.com/blog/alternatives-to-don-angie)._

Don Angie is Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli's modern Italian restaurant in the West Village, the room behind the pinwheel lasagna that became one of the neighborhood's hardest tables. This guide is for the nights you cannot get one. Nothing here is a straight swap. Don Angie's dining room is its own thing, but we actively track every room below, and each one answers a different reason you wanted Don Angie, whether that's ambitious modern Italian cooking or a great pasta dinner in the West Village. We haven't booked any of these tables for you, and we never book automatically. We watch each room around the clock and email you the moment a table opens, whether that's a fresh release or a cancellation.

## Why is Don Angie so hard to book?

Don Angie is a small corner dining room with a national reputation, so demand for its tables runs well past what the room can seat. In mid-July 2026 it moved its books to OpenTable after years as a Resy hard table, per its own site, so retire any saved Resy link before you try. Tables still book out fast once they open. Cancellations in the day or two before service are your best short-notice shot. For the current release pattern and platform, our [Don Angie drop-time page](/reservations/1505) tracks the live details, since those move and we'd rather point you at the real page than print a number that goes stale. The takeaway is the same as for any top table. You need either sharp timing at the release or a fast alert on a cancellation.

## What is the closest alternative to Don Angie?

[L'Artusi](/reservations/25973), a few blocks away in the West Village, is the closest in spirit: a modern, pasta-forward Italian room with the same buzzy energy and a menu built for sharing. It books on Resy and opens up more readily than Don Angie, especially at the bar and for earlier seatings. If you wanted a lively West Village Italian dinner rather than the pinwheel lasagna specifically, this is the table to chase first.

## Where else can you get ambitious modern Italian?

Three rooms carry serious cooking of their own. [Rezdôra](/reservations/5771) in the Flatiron is Stefano Secchi's Michelin-starred homage to Emilia-Romagna, where the handmade pasta is the reason to go, and it books on SevenRooms. [Torrisi](/reservations/64593) in Nolita is Rich Torrisi's ambitious Italian-American room from Major Food Group, the same group behind Carbone, and it books on Resy. And [Lilia](/reservations/418) in Williamsburg is Missy Robbins's pasta destination, one of the most sought-after tables in Brooklyn, also on Resy. All three are hard to book in their own right, but each opens up more predictably than Don Angie, and none is a walk-in.

## What if you just want a great, easier Italian table?

Two West Village rooms give you excellent Italian without the same scramble, because both hold real space for walk-ins. [Via Carota](/reservations/2567), Rita Sodi and Jody Williams's all-day trattoria, keeps a portion of its seats for walk-ins, so an early bar stool often beats waiting on a reservation. Its sibling [I Sodi](/reservations/443), Sodi's Tuscan room, does the same. Both take a limited number of reservations on Resy, but the walk-in option is the move most people miss, and an off-peak arrival is often the fastest way in.

## How do you actually get a table at any of these?

Timing beats luck. The hardest rooms release tables on a set schedule and then lose a thin trickle to cancellations, and the cancellations are the opening most people miss. DinnerElite watches all of them at once. Pick the rooms you want, set a free alert, and we email you the instant a matching table appears, whether that's a fresh release or someone else's changed plans. We send alerts and never book automatically. The one exception is our Expert plan, where a human on our team books hard tables on your behalf. Everyone else books the table themselves. Start with the [Don Angie page](/reservations/1505) if that's still your goal, and keep the alternatives above as backups.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is Don Angie known for?

Don Angie is a modern Italian restaurant in the West Village from chefs Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, best known for its pinwheel lasagna. The small room and its national reputation are a big part of why its tables are so hard to get.

### What restaurant is most like Don Angie?

L'Artusi, a nearby West Village room, is the closest in spirit: modern, pasta-forward Italian with a lively bar and easier availability. If you want more ambitious cooking, chase Rezdôra, Torrisi, or Lilia instead.

### Are these alternatives easier to book than Don Angie?

Most are. Two of them, Via Carota and I Sodi, hold real space for walk-ins, which Don Angie does not. None of the reservations are guaranteed, which is why we watch these rooms and alert you the moment one opens.

### How do you book Don Angie?

Don Angie moved its reservations to OpenTable in mid-July 2026 after years on Resy, so book through OpenTable and retire any old Resy link. Tables open a set window ahead and fill fast, so check our Don Angie drop-time page for the current pattern and set an alert to catch cancellations.

### Does DinnerElite book the table for me?

No. We send alerts, and you book the table yourself. The one exception is our Expert plan, where a human concierge books on your behalf.