The pandemic hit the Bronx’s Arthur Avenue neighborhood restaurants as hard as any, but, as ever, they survive and in many cases are again thriving, not least because they cater to an extraordinary number of regulars—many of them former Bronxites, now living in the ‘burbs—who come back for the kind of comfort food and comforting hospitality that has long distinguished this Italian-American enclave.

And the food has never been  better, for while the cooking is still predominantly southern Italian, a glance at the day’s specials will find a wide range of regional cucina all’Italiana supported by first-rate ingredients, many purchased right there from the street’s market vendors and bakeries.