posted by Archana on Cafe, Cake, Chocolate, Coffees & Cafes, Dessert, Ice cream, Pie, Vegging Out, West Village

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Much like peanut butter and jelly, La Lanterna and a cold winter night go together seamlessly. In fact, I’ve never been to this West Village restaurant when it wasn’t cold. It’s a quiet spot with a door that’d make you think you were entering a house. But when you set foot inside, you first see a narrow, somewhat plain-looking front seating area, followed by a beautifully intimate lower-set level accented with a waterfall and window ceiling. Trek downstairs and you enter a cavernous space glowing with heat from the fireplace.

In the three times I’ve been there, I’ve only ever had dessert, but choosing from one of their many pizzas is on my to-eat list. This weekend, we ordered a mixed fruit tart made with custard (as opposed to preserves; top left), a chocolate mousse cake (divine; top right) and a cafe mocha (bottom).

But the list doesn’t end there. On previous occasions, I’ve had the bread pudding and, my all-time favorite, the apple crumb pie with vanilla ice cream. Mmm…makes me think you spell heaven a-p-p-l-e-p-i-e.

I will tell you though, I did NOT like the hot chocolate there, which means it’s not the ultimate winter sanctuary because, really, what is cold weather without good hot cocoa? La Lanterna’s version is unsweetened and even if you try to add table sugar, it just doesn’t taste right.

Sugar and sweets aside, the bar within La Lanterna, aptly named The Bar Next Door, offers live jazz every night at 8 p.m. ($8 cover plus one drink). But here’s a little secret: Sometimes if you sit downstairs, you can hear the music—for free!

La Lanterna di Vittorio
129 MacDougal St. (between W. 3rd and W. 4th St.)
212.529.5945
A, B, C, D, E, F, V to W. 4th St.