There’s nothing quite like fresh pasta, fried risotto balls, and paper-thin shavings of cured meats. Especially when a restaurant caters those dishes for us. If you need delicious Italian catering for work, rest assured that it’s easier than ever to find options in NYC. Plenty of restaurants will roll into your neighborhood and drop off catering to your office. These ten restaurants deliver the best Italian catering to offices in NYC.
1. Carmine’s Catering (W. 44th St., New York)
NYC’s Carmine’s Catering offers perfectly curated Italian spreads so you can order catering with minimal planning and still receive beautiful dishes to nibble on (or inhale). Try the “Sorrento,” which comes with two entrées, pasta, salad, and spongy, olive oil–rich focaccia bread. Dishes like chicken scarpariello—juicy chicken, sausage, and peppers in a lovely pan sauce—and eggplant parmigiana—are rich and fortifying.
2. Piazza Pizza & Grill (3rd Ave., New York)
At Piazza Pizza & Grill the focus is on pizza. The restaurant caters a lineup of specialty pies inspired by global cuisines, such as the Mediterranean, made with bright tomato sauce, creamy mozzarella, and snips of basil. Aside from pizza, the menu offers pastas, salads, and grilled meats and fish. Don’t forget to order icy-cold drinks.
3. Piccolo Café (3rd Ave., New York)
Italian desserts make Piccolo Café’s already strong catering menu great—and that’s why the NYC restaurant is on our “best of” list. Start with a round of pasta or panini to fill up the team. Then go for a pound of scrumptious Italian cookies and fried cannoli piped with sweet ricotta. Use the tiramisu—espresso-soaked ladyfingers blanketed in creamy mascarpone—to bend the ear of a client.
4. La Panineria (W. 8th St., New York)
If you’re entertaining prospects, try La Panineria’s catering platter of meats and cheeses. It stars rich prosciutto, buttery mortadella, salami, and an assortment of soft and hard cheeses. The sandwiches are also worth trying. Paper-thin shavings of cured meats are fanned out on olive oil–stained bread and then topped with marinated and sun-ripened ingredients.
5. Bravo Pizza (Park Ave. S., New York)
For your next team brainstorm, wolf down hot slices of pizza from Bravo Pizza. Choose from over a dozen pizzas, like the foldable New York-style pizza. It’s made with cheese and a deep, sweet tomato sauce. The white pizza features a creamy, garlic-scented sauce.
6. Tuscan Hills Catering (Queens Blvd., Queens)
If you want an old-school Italian meal catered for a work lunch, try NYC’s Tuscan Hills Catering. Your best bet is to go for Italian specialties like fried risotto balls with a hidden gob of molten mozzarella (folks at your NYC office just might applaud you for it). Make room for entrées like chicken in a white wine and caper sauce, and fish with capers and olives.
7. Joe and Sal’s Pizzeria (Franklin Ave., Brooklyn)
The people behind Joe and Sal’s Pizzeria are pizza savants who take unusual ingredients to create combos that hit the spot. The salumi pizza is a masterpiece: sweet and hot salami are draped on a crisp crust with squiggles of spicy Sriracha sauce. The pizza randazzo has its own distinctive flavor: roasted eggplant and cherry tomatoes meld with fruity, smoky Calabrese peppers. If there’s a work anniversary coming up, remember that nothing says “we appreciate you” like pizza.
8. Amici Pizzeria Catering (Amboy Rd., Staten Island)
NYC’s Amici Pizzeria Catering offers a lineup of classic Italian dishes rolled into pies. Try the lasagna pizza, the eggplant parmigiana pizza, or the chicken marsala pizza made triumphant by a rich Marsala wine sauce. There are traditional pizzas, too, including cheese, white, and veggie.
9. Casa Calamari Catering (3rd Ave., Bay Ridge)
It’s the fried calamari that vaults NYC’s Italian restaurant Casa Calamari Catering to our “best of” list. Think tender meat encased in an airy, shatteringly crisp crust. Also satisfying are the penne vodka, fried risotto balls, and tender, succulent meats.
10. Ornella Trattoria (23rd Ave., Astoria)
Michelin-recommended Italian restaurant Ornella Trattoria is a popular destination for catering in NYC thanks to its impressive pastas and quality meats and vegetables. The Vesuvio catering package, which comes with two pastas and salad, makes ordering lunch fast and simple. Try the little, ear-shaped orecchiette pasta tossed with tender broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes. There’s also the oceany seafood pasta called linguine frutti di mare. Briny juices from mussels and clams help to flavor the tomato sauce.
Our best-of lists round up the best restaurants on ezCater so you can easily find great catering for your meetings.
Ready to order some scrumptious Italian dishes for the office?