Food: A Survivor

Lavagna: An East Village Italian Restaurant That Blew My Mind

By Arthur Schwartz

Last month Kelly and I headed east to find some good, but affordable Italian food for my son’s 39th birthday. We not only found an affordable place, we found a gem, well worth a walk across to 5th Street between A and B.

Lavagna, opened in 1999, is a family-run restaurant, including the chef. The restaurant is known for its handcrafted pasta, seasonal ingredients, and many more delicious Italian dishes. The idea of Lavagna (Italian for lasagna) was to serve traditional Italian dishes made with clean, high quality ingredients. When Yorgo, who was present all evening, took over the restaurant a few years later, it saw success almost immediately. “It started very busy,” Yorgo says. “There weren’t many restaurants in the East Village at the time, so people embraced it.” 

Part of the quality is due to its wood oven; only a handful of restaurants in Manhattan have one. Signature  dishes include the wood fire fish for two, wood oven made pizzas, and a pasta dish, pappardelle with rabbit ragu and rigatoni with crumbled sausage, cream, tomato, and peas, which is the restaurant’s most popular dish.

Lavagna feels slightly removed from the chaos of the East Village without ever losing its connection to it. The air carries garlic, tomato, and slow-simmered sauces, signaling a kitchen built on comfort and care. Nothing is rushed and nothing was overdone.

The kitchen focuses on doing a smaller number of things exceptionally well, allowing the quality of ingredients and technique to carry the meal. The pasta program, in particular, stands out for its texture and consistency, delivering that unmistakable handmade feel. Pricing sits within the mid-to-upper range for the East Village, reflecting both quality and demand. My recommendation: try a pizza as an appetizer, then order a pasta, something simple and well-executed, and build the table from there with a few additional dishes if you’re sharing. This is not a rushed dinner; it benefits from taking your time and letting the space settle around you. It’s especially well-suited for smaller groups or quieter evenings where conversation and food take center stage.

I can’t wait to go back.