Fodor's Expert Review Pagliacci's

Crowded, frenetic, and buckets of fun, this New York–meets–Victoria trattoria has trumpeted showbiz since it opened in 1979, from the signed photos of owner Howie Siegal's movie-star friends plastering the walls, to the live jazz, swing, blues, or Celtic music playing several nights a week. The tables are so tightly packed that you'll be eyeing your neighbor's food from a menu that runs from the "Mae West" (veal with artichoke hearts) to a number of à la carte fresh, handmade pastas and gluten-free rice bowls to the "Prawns Al Capone" (shell-on butterfly shrimp sautéed in butter and white wine). The fun and the food isn't set to break the bank either. Sunday brunch is equally good.