Aunt Jake’s is Little Italy’s newest restaurant, brought to us by the owners of NYC classics Mulberry Project and Greenwich Project. Serving fresh pastas and Italian classics in an adorable ambiance, Aunt Jake’s embraces the essence of Little Italy, and manages to stand apart from its neighboring Italian restaurants. Best of all, they have gluten-free pasta, and the pasta is hand-made in-house, and by in-house, I mean right in front of you! …
A pasta restaurant may not sound too gluten-friendly, but the majority of the menu is or can be made gluten-free! A hand-made gluten-free spaghetti is on the menu, and it can be paired with any of the sauces EXCEPT for sauces containing meatballs. My friend and I ordered three pastas: the GF spaghetti with Sunday Sauce (tomato sauce and short rib), the GF Shrimp Scampi, and the GF spaghetti with lamb ragu. The pasta dishes were all outstanding! My friend even commented that she forgot she was eating gluten-free! The Sunday Sauce is the restaurant’s most popular sauce, and we see why! Bits of tender short rib smothered in tomato sauce– this sauce is not to be missed. We were also eyeing the chicken bolognese sauce, and I will have to try it on my next visit to the restaurant!
One section of the menu I assumed was TOTALLY off-limits was the “on bread” section; HOWEVER, all of these crostini are gluten-free when you ask for NOBREAD! Better yet, the kitchen will serve your dish on POLENTA STICKS! This secret menu item is a must-order! To round out your meal, the Kale Caesaar Salad is gluten-free when you ask for no croutons, the Beet Salad is great, and the Tuscan Potatoes are perfect if you’re not too full! When I asked if the potatoes were subject to cross contamination in the fryer, I was assured the only items cooked in the fryer were the potatoes and polenta, so no CC risk here!
I knew I would like Aunt Jake’s when I heard it was by the same team behind Mulberry Project and Greenwich Projet, and I knew I would LOVE the restaurant when I was told they had hand-made gluten-free spaghetti! Well, the restaurant totally lived up to my expectations. The restaurant is adorable, the food is great, and I will absolutely be back in again soon!