If you're not eating great Italian food in New York City, you're just living life wrong. Plain and simple.

And no, don't give us that Times Square Olive Garden or Sbarro nonsense either. Why cop out and deprive yourself of authentic Italian food, especially living in NYC?

This city is just crawling with the most authentic Italian dining in the entire world (well, that is outside of Italy itself).

Because in case you haven't realized it by now, New York is the culinary melting pot of the world, the one city where you can get the best food of any ethnicity or variety. If it's not here, it doesn't exist. Period.

Most Italian restaurants in this city will serve up traditional dishes, as well as a series of fresh takes on original flavors. But where should you go for the best of the best of the absolute best in Italian food right now?

Well, look no further than this: these 15 Italian eateries below are the cream of the entire New York City restaurant crop.

There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Capito?

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1. L'Artusi (228 West 10th Street)

Two words: small plates.

The big thing about small plates is that you can get a taste of everything without having too much of a really good thing.

At L'Artusi, you can have it all. You can start with appetizers of lush green salads or a fine selection of raw seafood.

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Then, you can move on to a main course of pasta in shapes and sizes you didn't think you could find on this side of the Atlantic, seafood like the incomparable charred octopus, or a good ol' fashioned plate of chicken, steak, or pork.

Then make sure you round it all out with a slice of heaven, otherwise known as L'Artusi's mouthwatering olive oil cake.

No matter what course you're on, you know it's going to be good.

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2. Malatesta (649 Washington Street)

You know how they say if it's too good to be true, it probably is?

Such is not the case with Malatesta in the West Village. With a charming location and sidewalk seating reminiscent of the streets of Rome, this cash-only eatery turns out homemade pasta dishes for under $20.

What?! Could such a place even exist in the big expensive city? Of course it could. Now, let's get to the food.

The spinach gnocchi, light and airy pasta dumplings in a savory gorgonzola cheese sauce, is simple, stunning, and downright delicious.

The ravioli comes in a delicate pink sauce that is packed with cheese and great flavor.

The calamari is grilled versus fried, and although it's not your usual Italian appetizer, it still wows.

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3. Carbone (181 Thompson Street)

For fine Italian fare with glamorous appeal, Greenwich Village's Carbone is the place to be. The food is luxurious prepared and priced, so get ready to treat yourself.

A favorite amongst the lush menu is the spicy rigatoni with vodka sauce. It comes with great bites of perfectly al dente rigatoni pasta plus a creamy, subtly-spiced vodka sauce that makes this plate a shining star in the NYC pasta scene.

If you're looking for something more meaty and savory, grab yourself a cheesy, hulking slab of their infamous veal parmesan and dig in.

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4. Del Posto (89 10th Avenue)

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Just one of many culinary masterpieces of famed chef Mario Batali, Del Posto is all about those big, fancy Italian eats that will leave you astounded and begging for more (but definitely not hungry).

Del Posto is home to one of this city's most outrageously delicious foods, the 100 layer lasagna. It's no joke either. There are practically one hundred paper-thin lasagna noodles that are stuffed with meat, sauce, and cheese and packed into this dish. It's amazing.

Other luxe favorites include succulent, tender octopus and orechiette pasta with lamb neck ragu, carrots, and caraway. Bottom line is: Del Posto is creative Italian dining at its absolute best.

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5. Babbo (110 Waverly Place)

This cozy Italian eatery in the West Village will have you feeling at home while dining on sophisticated spins of classic Italian home cooking. How's that for atmosphere?

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Here, ravioli comes made with beef cheek, squab liver, and black truffles. It's packed with good ingredients that make for even better flavor.

For fish, the bronzini can't be beat, as its grilled to perfection, with a taste so fresh that it seems as if it was caught from the sea that same day.

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6. Lupa (170 Thompson Street)

At Lupa, pasta kills it again and again.

Whether you get big plates of noodles, such as the bucatini all'amatriciana or spaghetti alla carbonara (plus massive piles of freshly geated cheese on top, obviously) or soft, melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi, you won't be disappointed.

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Lupa is also a great place for a fabulous spread of Italian meats like Prosciutto di Parma or salami to munch on before your meal. (Take advantage of those offerings, people.)

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7. Scalini Fedeli (165 Duane Street)

This TriBeCa favorite for Italian is charming and intimate, the perfect spot for a romantic dinner. The food is Italian with hints of French flair, so it's modern and unique, but definitely still delicious.

Scalini Fedeli's menu changes monthly based on what specialties in their dishes are in-season.

Come for a prix-fixe dinner or try their tasting menu and see what the seasons have in store for your taste buds. Either way, you won't leave disappointed.

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8. dell'anima (38 8th Avenue)

Fun fact: in Italian, dell'anima means "of the soul" and well, their food will definitely touch your soul and tug at your heartstrings with how incredibly tasty it is.

Embark on an Italian feasting adventure like no other with unique, unusual dishes like roasted bone marrow and locally sourced duck breast with caramel-cranberry sauce.

These dishes are gorgeously non-traditional, but that's not always a bad thing when you're looking for new favorites foods in NYC, right?

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9. Felidia (243 East 58th Street)

Just another restaurant by a television chef in NYC, right? Wrong. Much like her culinary counterpart Batali, Lidia Bastianich's Felidia in Midtown East proves that homegirl knows her way around incredible Italian food.

The spinach pappardelle-- long and thick pasta noodles-- comes with tender, savory shredded duck ragu and the mushrooms are out of this world when it comes to new flavors in a would-be classic dish.

Ravioli is delightfully stuffed with the unlikely combination of pear and pecorino cheese. And, naturally, one does not forget the beautifully plated array of fresh baked Italian cookies for dessert.

Elegant, gorgeous, and expertly crafted food is the standard here.

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10. La Pizza Fresca (31 East 20th Street)

Where would any of us Italian foodies be without pizza?

Aside from the fact that pizza is just an all-around staple of the diet in NYC, there's definitely a way to show that pizza is an art form like at La Pizza Fresca in Flatiron.

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Encased by exposed brick walls, this charming pizzeria serves up a mean Neapolitan pizza. Toppings include anything your taste buds desire, from spicy salami to salty pancettas or prosciutto, and not to mention oozing, freshly melted cheeses like mozzarella or bufala.

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11. Basta Pasta (37 West 17th Street)

NYC is all about the food fusions, as you know, and at Basta Pasta, the fusion here is the unlikely contender and combination of Japanese and Italian foods.

Elements from each side of the culinary spectrum are added together to make really new, innovative food that you'll enjoy and never forget.

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You can go as safe as fettuccine with bolognese sauce if you need to.

But if you're looking to up the ante, try one of their signature pasta dishes, featuring luxe ingredients from the sea like fish roe or sea urchin added to already delicious existent spaghetti and linguine dishes with pink sauce and fresh Italian herbs.

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12. Aurora (70 Grand Street - Brooklyn)

Aurora is located on the Williamsburg waterfront and is at its best in the warm summer months when dining al fresco is the seasonal norm.

Pasta dishes are lovely here, as are boards of prosciutto paired with excellent, creamy burrata cheese.

Treat yourself to meaty slabs of steak or veal if you're looking for something rich and thick. Oh, and take note-- Aurora also makes for an exceptional brunch outing on a weekend morning or early afternoon.

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13. Dominick's (2335 Arthur Avenue - the Bronx)

At Dominick's, the atmosphere feels of family traditions, as seating and serving of the food is done family style. If you grew up in a big Italian family, this is as close as it gets to Sunday dinners with the whole bunch.

As for the food, it's very classic and traditional. It's the spread you'd find at an Italian family dinner, but not boringly so, just simply delicious.

Start off sharing appetizers of stuffed artichokes and clams that are out of this world good, then move onto sharing plates of veal osso buco and pork chops served pizzaiola style.

Spoon helpings of baked ziti and meatballs onto each other's plates and enjoy a family style feast like no other.

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14. Roberto's (603 Crescent Avenue - the Bronx)

Roberto's is another Arthur Avenue gem up in the Little Italy of the Bronx, but that doesn't mean that it should be overlooked. The original restaurant that spawned the amazing Zero Otto Nove, Roberto's dishes out authentic Neapolitan and Salerno style cuisine.

The penne with peas and guanciale is outstanding, as is the fusilli with mussels, clams, and shrimp.

The pasta is made in-house, and the outstanding freshness of its accompanying ingredients give all of Roberto's dishes a fresh, authentic taste.

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15. Pasquale's Rigoletto Restaurant (2311 Arthur Avenue - the Bronx)

Pasquale's Rigoletto does traditional, old-school Italian food like no other.

While other places may serve cosmopolitan twists on Italian food, Pasquale's Rigoletto will give you no-nonsense classics loaded with red sauce and spaghetti marinara on the side.

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Chicken parmesan comes in larger-than-life portions that you did not know were possible to make, but that won't stop you from devouring the cheesy, saucy goodness that comes to your plate.

Another delightful dish is the veal sorrentina with cheese, prosciutto, and the most perfectly cooked tender eggplant you could imagine in a savory marsala wine sauce.

Now that's the Italian we all know and love!

Check out 10 Most Decadent Pasta Dishes That’ll Satisfy Your Carb Cravings in NYC. 

[Feature Image Courtesy: CarboneNewYork]