Maialino is a Danny Meyer creation fashioned on a Roman-style Trattoira.

As well as being an Italian restaurant, Maialino also has a great bar area where you can pop in with friends and enjoy an excellent cup of coffee during the morning hours.  It then transforms in to a wine bar later in the day serving small plates of food complimenting the wines perfectly.  I loved the wonderful open antipasto station with its hams, salamis and cheeses as well as fresh pastries and cakes!

I had a delightful lunch here one very wet New York day.  The menu and ingredients are seasonal and very fresh.  I like the fact that you are not overwhelmed with choice either.  I started with a delicious Insalata Caprese with Heirloom Tomatoes, Buffalo Mozzarella drizzled with Basil.  Being both a fish and pasta lover I went for the Spaghetti alla Chitarra with Sicilian Tuna and black olives whilst my host had an excellent Ravioli di Ricotta in brown butter, lemon and sage.  We shared a perfectly prepared side dish of spinach with olive oil and lemon.  As for the desserts – well take a look at the pictures.  They were delicious!

They have an extensive selection of Italian wines and many are available by the glass, quarter or full bottle, which I like.

I had a quick peek at the breakfast, brunch and dinner menus. They offer a very nice selection of pastries at breakfast all reasonably priced as well as nice choice of eggs and salads.  The Brunch is more extensive and the dinner menu also has a large selection of cheeses to choose from.

Open for breakfast Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 10am. Lunch Monday to Friday from 12noon to 2pm.  Brunch at the weekend from 10am to 2pm.

Open for dinner Sunday to Thursday from 5:30pm to 10:30pm; Friday and Saturday from 5:30pm to 11pm.