{"id":219909,"date":"2026-05-04T22:46:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T22:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/219909\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T22:46:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T22:46:12","slug":"this-nyc-italian-restaurant-takes-diners-back-to-the-early-1900s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/219909\/","title":{"rendered":"This NYC Italian Restaurant Takes Diners Back To The Early 1900s"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">New York City is home to an abundance of\u00a0Italian restaurants \u2014 you can barely walk a block without encountering one, and they run the gamut from hole-in-the-wall mom-and-pops to Michelin-starred outfits. Naturally, with the city being so old, there is also a third breed of these institutions: historic spots, and if Gene&#8217;s \u2014 which made Food Republic&#8217;s list of the <a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/lifestyle\/articles\/16-best-italian-restaurants-york-120200034.html\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:best Italian restaurants in NYC;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">best Italian restaurants in NYC<\/a> \u2014 doesn&#8217;t fit into that bracket, we don&#8217;t know which one does. This restaurant is seemingly frozen in time, and it has been serving up old-world fare in Greenwich Village since 1919.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While Gene&#8217;s\u00a0has moved once in its over-100-year history (it&#8217;s 33 years younger than the <a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/lifestyle\/articles\/oldest-italian-restaurant-us-located-111700776.html\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:oldest Italian eatery in the U.S.;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">oldest Italian eatery in the U.S.<\/a>), it was just down the street, and the eatery has remained mostly unchanged ever since. Everything from the interior, with its wooden bar, white tablecloths, and linoleum floors, to its menu, which still features many of the same dishes from when it originally opened, screams time capsule, in the best way possible.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">And its guests are eating it all up. &#8220;Great atmosphere &#8230; the staff was the epitome of old world charm missing in most establishments these days,&#8221; one <a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/maps.app.goo.gl\/LaQK91KWb1SMKdM77\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Google reviewer;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Google reviewer<\/a>\u00a0wrote. Another happy diner on <a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/maps.app.goo.gl\/ZWMByB43faN3UsxJ7\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Google;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Google<\/a> echoed that sentiment, calling Gene&#8217;s &#8220;a true old-school New York Italian gem that feels both authentic and inviting.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read more: <a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foodrepublic.com\/1621495\/things-you-should-think-twice-about-ordering-steakhouse\/?zsource=yahoo\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:12 Things Experts Say You Should Think Twice About Ordering From A Steakhouse;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">12 Things Experts Say You Should Think Twice About Ordering From A Steakhouse<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Must-try meals from Gene&#8217;s<img alt=\"Chicken Parmigiana, wine, bread, and spaghetti served at Gene's.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"780\" height=\"438\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/b35462e436bfa9dc0b7d0aed211d31f6.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Chicken Parmigiana, wine, bread, and spaghetti served at Gene&#8217;s. &#8211; claytonasherdoyle \/ Instagram<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">With a menu whose dishes harken back to the early 20th century, and which has delighted diners for over 100 years, there are a few must-try meals at Gene&#8217;s. To start off, though, you&#8217;ll want to give the Clams Casino a try, which features clam meat mixed with salty bacon and peppers, topped with breadcrumbs, piled onto the open shells, and baked (more adventurous eaters will enjoy the raw clams on the half-shell, too).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Moving onto entrees, the Chicken Toscana is a highlight; it takes at least 40 minutes to prepare (you can&#8217;t hurry perfection), and it comes out tender and rich, awash in a creamy, garlicky sauce that is cooked with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Another poultry fan favorite is the Chicken Parmigiana, which one <a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/maps.app.goo.gl\/smrPkbEAaU8qNS2a9\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Google reviewer;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Google reviewer<\/a> wrote was the &#8220;best &#8230; in the area[,] or I&#8217;d say in the CITY!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">And finally, what dinner is complete without dessert? Customers rave about the <a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/lifestyle\/youre-only-2-ingredients-away-191526338.html\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:decadent chocolate mousse;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">decadent chocolate mousse<\/a>. Adding to its &#8220;two thumbs up&#8221; reputation is the value: Gene&#8217;s offers excellent food at even better prices, not just good for New York City, but for anywhere. Entrees range mostly from $30 to $40 (the most expensive meal is the $73 broiled veal chop), and they all include a side of rice, a vegetable or potato, or spaghetti.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Want more food knowledge? <a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.foodrepublic.com\/newsletter-syndicated?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=foodrepublic-NL-feed\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Sign up to our free newsletter;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Sign up to our free newsletter<\/a> where we&#8217;re helping thousands of foodies, like you, become culinary masters, one email at a time. You can also <a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=foodrepublic.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:add us as a preferred search source;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">add us as a preferred search source<\/a> on Google.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the <a data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foodrepublic.com\/2163711\/nyc-italian-restaurant-genes-1919\/?zsource=yahoo\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:original article on Food Republic;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">original article on Food Republic<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York City is home to an abundance of\u00a0Italian restaurants \u2014 you can barely walk a block without&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":219910,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[86611,41440,9,24,56,63,65,64],"class_list":["post-219909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-food-republic","tag-italian-restaurants","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219909"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219909\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/219910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}