The relatively new Il Tinello East, opened in September 2022, descends from Il Tinello West, the old-school Italian restaurant operating across town on West 56^th Street for 38 years. For folks working or living on the east side of Manhattan however, finding a new Il Tinello on East 46^th Street was like a gift from heaven. Il Tinello East is the perfect “new” old-school Italian restaurant for a mid-week business lunch with a client or two, or a dinner with your best friend, sister/brother or parent. Perfect, that is, if everyone is in the mood for a quiet restaurant meal in Manhattan (a rarity these days) with friendly waiters in white gloves and exceptionally good traditional Italian cuisine on the menu.

© Il Tinello East

For diners tired of the noise and crowds at Carmines, Carbone or in the smaller places on Mulberry Street in Little Italy, many now make Il Tinello East their go-to spot for Italian food. Il Tinello East not only resides on a relatively quiet block, but also guests in the restaurant do not have to scream over music to hear each other. The food is the attention getter here, and why not, Il Tinello translates as The Dining Room, and the staff in the kitchen and those working the floor are determined to maintain a calm, relaxing atmosphere.

A manager greets diners with a smile and a pressed suit, and a bow-tied server quickly provides a basket of warm bread and a couple of small dishes of caponata for the table.  The wine list is impressive, as is the handcrafted cocktail list, including one called Side of 46 Street, with Hennessy Cognac, Grand Marnier liqueur and lemon juice. Another great cocktail, the Smoked Mantinello, combines 1792 Ridgemont Reserve, small-batch bourbon, Averna liqueur and orange bitters.

© Il Tinello East

The nine antipasti choices include octopus salad with potato, red onions, caper berries and lemon; and Capesante, seared jumbo sea scallops, brandy, saffron and herb sauce. Soup is the traditional ministrone or a Risi e Bisi (Venetian rice and pea soup). There are 10 pasta dishes, from cappellini to orecchiette to tagliolini; six pollo choices; and five meat dishes. These include Campagnola for two, which includes beef, chicken, sausages, peppers, potatoes, white wine, rosemary and garlic; and a Tagliata with black Angus steak, arugula, garlic and rosemary. There are plenty of shrimp, squid and mixed seafood dishes, too.

The restaurant is also known for its house salad favorites, caesar salad for two prepared tableside and served classic style, or the Siciliana salad with mesclun, tomatoes, onions, feta cheese and cucumbers.

© Il Tinello East

All 11 desserts are made in house, including the Italian ricotta cheesecake, tartufo, panna cotta, chocolate cake and crème brûlée.

With servers in white gloves and suits, and appetizer and dessert carts quietly moving among the white tablecloths, diners at the new El Tinello will feel as if they have stepped back in time to an era when a polite, quiet atmosphere and excellent cuisine was a recipe for success. Servers will also go off-menu if a diner desires a special dish. At Il Tinello East the menu is the same for lunch and dinner, and the restaurant is open every day except Sunday.