Everyone who walks into Il Gigante in Ridgewood gets a boisterous greeting, as if the staff—a bunch of friends from Florence and Bologna—have been waiting just for them. The buzz of those servers getting to know guests, their extra large pours of chilled frappato, the handmade pastas, and very reasonable prices all add up to the kind of friendly restaurant you should know about for a date or catchup, especially when you don't want the bill to exceed $40 per person.
The wine starts at $12 a glass—you’ll want to drink several glasses—and the pastas are all under $20. They're sauced with things like rich ragù, or a perfect pink sauce with fennel sausage, and the gramigna is particularly great. Given the prices, you should have enough room to order an extra appetizer, and forgive the occasionally lukewarm lasagna. The best part is how your wine glass, which seems to have mysteriously emptied, smoothly gets another glug.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Camelia De Jesus
Calamari Fritti
If Il Gigante’s fried calamari were sold at Costco (we wish), it would come in a “party sized” bag. So get it to share with a few people. The batter is light and crisp, the marinara is bright and sweet, and the Calabrian chile aioli has a bit of a kick.
photo credit: Camelia De Jesus
Polpette Al Sugo
Three big, juicy meatballs in the same bright marinara. Another banger of an appetizer—and it’s best paired with lots of red wine.
photo credit: Il Gigante
Pappardelle Al Ragú
This ragù is a little disappointing. It slips off the wide sheets of pappardelle, leaving a pool of sauce at the bottom of the bowl. The sauce is nice and rich, but there’s nothing there to sop it up. There are better pastas on the menu.
photo credit: Camelia De Jesus
Gramigna Alla Salsiccia
Like this one, for example. These short squiggles are swimming in a pink sauce with crumbled Italian sausage. It’s sweet, it’s savory, it’s packed with fennel flavor, and you should order it.
photo credit: Il Gigante
Tortelloni Burro e Salvia
A fairly classic pasta, done well. These tortelloni are big, sauced perfectly, and stuffed with sweet and creamy ricotta. A great, subtle companion to the gramigna.
photo credit: Il Gigante
Lasagna Bolognese
This green lasagna is solid, but it didn’t blow us away (and we can't help but compare it to nearby Rolo's two-sheet version). If you need an extra pasta to round out your order, it’s a good option.
Cotoletta Alla Bolognese
This slab of fried pork is around the size of a regulation Ultimate Frisbee Disc, and topped with a rich, creamy parmigiano sauce. It’s crunchy, fried to a perfect medium temperature, and super rich. Get one to share if you’re not full of pasta.
