The Top 5 Italian Restaurants in Schenectady, New York

Anyone who has been to Schenectady knows there are many Italian restaurants in the city due to the large amount of Italian families that immigrated to the area in the early 20th century. There are almost as many Italian restaurants per capita in Schenectady as there are in comparable sized cities in Italy. Your choice of Italian restaurant in Schenctady runs the gamut from simple spaghetti joints to fine Italian dining. The best are all family run and most are on the second or third generation of family members running the business. As a native of Schenctady, I have eaten in nearly every Italian restaurant in town. The following are my favorites.

Canali's - 126 Mariaville Rd., 518-355-5323. Open for dinner daily, you can never go wrong with Canali's. The jammed parking lot in front will attest to that. They serve wonderful veal and peppers, a fantastic pork tenderloin with cream gravy, an18 oz. rib eye steak that will satisfy any red meat eater and homemade cavetelli to die for. Most dinners are under $22 with soup or salad included. The portions are enormous. My favorite dish is the pork tenderloin and I easily get 4 meals out of it. Reservations aren't necessary but don't try to get a table on the week-end without them unless you want a 2 hour wait. Dress is casual and family friendly.

Roman Villa - 273 Duanesburg Rd., 518-355-2090. Another family friendly and comfortable place for dinner. The minute you walk in, you feel welcome. The dining room has a fireplace which helps take the chill off on cold winter nights. The outdoor patio deck serves cold drinks on hot summer nights. Try their famous dish, Roman Villa chicken, breaded chicken served with a butter/lemon and garlic sauce topped with roasted peppers scallions and melted mozzarella cheese or the hot antipasto with shrimp, eggplant, scallops, hot peppers, artichokes and mushrooms. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

El Divino - 1702 Chrisler Ave., 518-374-7711. El Divino is a pretty little dining room tucked away in a shopping strip on Chrisler Ave. The food is anything but typical Italian. The dishes will be familiar, like chicken parm or rigatoni with vodka sauce but whatever magic the chef works in the kitchen makes everything taste better than anywhere else. The greens and beans are fantastic. The dining room has about 10 tables and dress is eclectic. I've seen shorts and sandals and cocktail dresses. Closed Sundays.

Ferrari's - 1254 Congress St., 518-382-8865. This family run restaurant has been at the corner of Congress and Tenth Streets in Mt. Pleasent, the old Italian section of Schenectady, for nearly 40 years. Going to Ferrari's is like going to your Italian grandma's for dinner. The sauce is great, the portions gigantic- even I couldn't finish my dessert. The steak pizziola is spectacular. They are very accommodating for special orders. Totally casual. Totally family friendly. Closed Sunday.

Cornell's - 39 N. Jay St., 518-370-3825. This is the crown jewel of the new, revitalized, "Little Italy" section of Schenectady. Cornell's was an institution for decades on Van Vranken Ave. and moved to Jay St. a few years ago. The new restaurant is beautiful and the food is every bit as good as when Mama Cornell started serving over 60 years ago. Homemade cavetelli, linguini with clam sauce, chicken marsala, all your favorite Italian dishes. Try the Veal alla Raphael, a specialty of the house. Dress is business casual. Closed Monday.

Whenever you are craving Italian food in Schenectady, you have many restaurants to choose from. Try any of these and you won't be disappointed.