What is the Red Sauce Index?

A maintained index of NYC Italian restaurants scored on food, value, and consistency across repeat visits. Entries move up, down, or off the index — the history is part of the point.

What do the scores mean?

Scores are comparative, not absolute: an 8.5 means we'd choose it over almost anything in its price band. We publish the band (per-person, with one drink) alongside every score.

How do you handle new openings?

New restaurants enter as 'unrated — first visit logged' and only get a score after a second visit at least three weeks later. Opening-week cooking is a bad predictor.

Can a restaurant pay to be listed?

No, and they can't pay to be removed either. Several have asked about both.

What are the price bands, and what does each one buy?

Four bands, per person with one drink: under $40, $40 to $75, $75 to $125, and $125 and up. Scores are only compared inside a band — an 8.5 in the first band and an 8.5 in the fourth are both worth your money, for very different evenings.

How often is the index re-scored?

Every entry is re-visited at least twice a year, and sooner when a chef leaves, a menu is rewritten, or reader reports pile up. A score we have not re-earned at the table gets marked stale rather than quietly kept.

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1 guide · Updated 07.2026 · Newest first

Jul 25

How to Avoid Tourist-Trap Italian Restaurants in NYC

The tells are structural, not culinary. Six signals you can read from the sidewalk before you sit down, why the traps cluster where they do, and what a menu is really telling you.

Rank score01Tony Marchetti · 5 min readOpen guide →

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How to Avoid Tourist-Trap Italian Restaurants in NYC

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