Italian Restaurants Near Lincoln Center, Before the Show
Priya Raman · October 24, 2026 · 8 min
Italian restaurants near Lincoln Center: five rooms compared on published hours, prix fixe lunches, late tables and private-room capacities, as of October 2026.
Lincoln Ristorante, at 142 West 65th Street, sits at Lincoln Center itself, making it the closest of the five Italian restaurants checked, but it serves only Tuesday to Saturday, 4PM to 9PM. For a Sunday, a Monday or a later table, Cafe Fiorello at 1900 Broadway calls itself “across the street from Lincoln Center,” is open every day and stays until 11:30pm on Friday and Saturday. Hours, prices and capacities below come from each restaurant’s own website, checked in October 2026.
Three more complete the five: Il Violino on Columbus Avenue, La Pecora Bianca’s Lincoln Square location and Bad Roman at Columbus Circle. No Lincoln Center event schedule is cited here; the only performance listing used is New York City Ballet’s Nutcracker page, and the one curtain time below is a hypothetical.
Five Italian restaurants near Lincoln Center, at a glance
| Restaurant | Address | Sunday close | Monday close | Friday and Saturday close |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Ristorante | 142 West 65th Street | No service listed | No service listed | 9PM |
| Cafe Fiorello | 1900 Broadway | 10pm | 10pm | 11:30pm |
| Il Violino | 180 Columbus Avenue | 10pm | 10pm | 10pm |
| La Pecora Bianca Lincoln Square | 61 Columbus Avenue | 10pm | 11pm | Friday unclear; Saturday midnight |
| Bad Roman | 10 Columbus Circle, Third Floor | 10pm | 10pm | 11pm |
Closes are each room’s published closing time. None of the five publishes a walking time, and where a menu prints prices without dollar signs, they are read here as dollars.
Which Italian restaurants are closest to Lincoln Center?
By their own wording, Lincoln Ristorante is at Lincoln Center, Cafe Fiorello is across the street and Il Violino is “just steps” away. La Pecora Bianca and Bad Roman give addresses only.
Lincoln Ristorante, 142 West 65th Street
Its address page reads “Located at Lincoln Center,” and the About page describes “an authentic interpretation of Italian cuisine in New York at Lincoln Center.” Service is Tuesday to Saturday, 4PM to 9PM, with no Sunday or Monday service listed. As of October 2026, dinner pastas run from casarecce al pesto genovese and rigatoni amatriciana at $37 to bucatini arrabbiata with poached lobster at $46.
Cafe Fiorello, 1900 Broadway
The site calls Cafe Fiorello “a great spot for pre-theater dining” and “open late each night,” with “a light bite at the antipasto bar” on offer. Hours are Monday 12pm to 10pm, Tuesday to Thursday 12pm to 11pm, Friday 12pm to 11:30pm, Saturday 10am to 11:30pm and Sunday 10am to 10pm. Pastas run from housemade ravioli with burrata mozzarella at $28 to linguini pescatore at $44.
Il Violino, 180 Columbus Avenue
Il Violino says it has been on the Upper West Side since 1993 and is “a neighborhood staple just steps from Lincoln Center,” listing the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Ballet among nearby attractions. Doors open at 4pm on Monday and 11am Tuesday to Sunday, and service ends at 10pm nightly. Dinner pastas run from a printed $20 for lasagna alla bolognese, with spaghetti al pomodoro at $22, to linguine ai frutti di mare at $39.
La Pecora Bianca Lincoln Square, 61 Columbus Avenue
The restaurant labels this location Lincoln Square. Printed hours are Monday and Tuesday 11:30am to 11pm, Wednesday 11am to 11pm, Saturday 4pm to midnight and Sunday 4pm to 10pm, so no weekend daytime service is listed. Thursday and Friday print as “11:30am -11:00” with no closing am or pm, so call (212) 680-4061. The menu PDF states “All our pastas are made in-house,” with spaghetti, pomodoro or cacio e pepe, at $26, tagliatelle with beef and pork bolognese at $30 and a Margherita pizza at $23.
Bad Roman, 10 Columbus Circle
Bad Roman is on the third floor “within The Shops at Columbus Circle” and describes its menu as “playful takes on Italian classics.” Dinner is 5pm to 10pm Sunday and Monday and 5pm to 11pm Tuesday to Saturday. Weekday lunch is 11:30am to 3pm, weekend brunch 11am to 3pm, and a “limited menu” runs 3pm to 5pm in the bar only. Pastas run from kale mafaldine at $29 to spicy lobster campanelle at $58.
Which Italian restaurants work before the opera or the ballet?
New York City Ballet’s Nutcracker page lists a run at the David H. Koch Theater, 20 Lincoln Center Plaza, from November 27, 2026 to January 2, 2027, at approximately two hours, with “no late or re-entry seating.” Dinner has to end before the curtain, not at it. Take a hypothetical 7 o’clock curtain, an illustration only, since any real performance has its own printed start time:
- Tuesday to Saturday. Lincoln Ristorante opens at 4PM, three hours ahead, but its 9PM close falls about where a two-hour show would end, so it fits dinner before a performance rather than after.
- Sunday or Monday. Lincoln Ristorante lists no service. The other four list evening service: Cafe Fiorello and Il Violino to 10pm, La Pecora Bianca from 4pm on Sunday, Bad Roman from 5pm.
- Weekend matinee. Cafe Fiorello opens at 10am on Saturday and Sunday, and Il Violino serves a weekend prix fixe brunch from 11am to 3:45pm.
Which of the five are open after a performance?
The table covers Sunday, Monday, Friday and Saturday. Counting rooms that publish a close after 10pm, Sunday has none and Monday has one (La Pecora Bianca, 11pm). Tuesday and Wednesday have three, Cafe Fiorello, La Pecora Bianca and Bad Roman, all to 11pm. Saturday also has three: Cafe Fiorello to 11:30pm, La Pecora Bianca to midnight and Bad Roman to 11pm. On Thursday and Friday only Cafe Fiorello and Bad Roman are confirmed. Hours are closing times, not last seatings, so ask each room when booking.
How much is a prix fixe lunch near Lincoln Center?
Two rooms publish one. Cafe Fiorello’s Lunch Pre-Fixe is three courses at $39.95 per person, “Available Mon-Fri Lunch,” with no cut-off hour printed. Il Violino’s is $34.95, Tuesday to Friday, 11am to 3:45pm: a soup or salad and an entree, served with a glass of rose, pinot grigio or montepulciano. That is five dollars less, for two courses and a glass against three courses. Il Violino also lists a $31.95 weekend brunch prix fixe, and both of its prix fixe menus note an 18% gratuity for parties of 5 or more. La Pecora Bianca and Bad Roman publish none on the pages read.
What is the best Italian restaurant near Lincoln Center?
None is best on every night; the published hours decide it.
- Before a performance, Tuesday to Saturday: Lincoln Ristorante, if $37 to $46 pastas suit the budget.
- After a performance: Cafe Fiorello, to 11pm Tuesday to Thursday and 11:30pm Friday and Saturday, or La Pecora Bianca, to midnight on Saturday.
- Sunday or Monday: Cafe Fiorello, Il Violino, La Pecora Bianca or Bad Roman, all of which list evening service.
- Lower pasta prices: Il Violino, whose dinner pastas start at a printed $20, or La Pecora Bianca from $26.
- Daytime: Il Violino or Cafe Fiorello for a weekday prix fixe.
Which of these rooms can host a group?
Three publish private-dining capacities. Cafe Fiorello lists a semi-private room for 16 to 40 seated and seats larger groups in the main restaurant from 15 guests. Bad Roman’s Piazza Room seats 48 and its Lazzeri Room 40, and combined they hold 100 seated. Lincoln Ristorante lists a private room for 22 seated, dining rooms for 45 to 75, a larger space for up to 125 and a buyout for up to 350. Il Violino publishes a seating capacity of 75 indoors and 25 heated outdoor rather than a private room. La Pecora Bianca’s private-events menu lists seven other locations but not Lincoln Square; its Bryant Park location is covered in Italian restaurants near Bryant Park and the Winter Village. Parties above 15 guests can start with The Private Room’s guide to groups of 15 or more.
Where to look south of Columbus Circle
The closest other clusters on this site lie to the south. Italian restaurants near Rockefeller Center and Radio City covers six rooms from West 49th to West 55th Street, and Italian restaurants near Times Square, block by block covers Restaurant Row on West 46th Street.
What counted as near Lincoln Center
Each describes its cooking as Italian on its own site, has an address at Lincoln Center, on Broadway, on Columbus Avenue or at Columbus Circle, and publishes its hours. The comparisons rest on those published hours, menus and addresses, not on ratings.
Frequently asked questions
Can you eat Italian at Lincoln Center itself?
Yes. Lincoln Ristorante, the closest Italian restaurant to Lincoln Center, describes its 142 West 65th Street address as “Located at Lincoln Center” and serves Tuesday to Saturday, 4PM to 9PM. Cafe Fiorello, at 1900 Broadway, calls itself across the street from Lincoln Center and is open daily.
What Italian restaurants are in Lincoln Square?
Of the five restaurants checked, only La Pecora Bianca uses the Lincoln Square name, for its 61 Columbus Avenue location. Il Violino, at 180 Columbus Avenue, says it is just steps from Lincoln Center, and Cafe Fiorello, at 1900 Broadway, says it is across the street.
Which Italian restaurants near Lincoln Center are open on Sunday and Monday?
Four of the five serve dinner on both days: Cafe Fiorello, Il Violino, La Pecora Bianca and Bad Roman. Lincoln Ristorante lists no service on either day, and on Sunday every open room closes at 10pm or earlier.
How much is a prix fixe lunch near Lincoln Center?
Cafe Fiorello’s Lunch Pre-Fixe is $39.95 for three courses on weekdays, and Il Violino’s is $34.95 from Tuesday to Friday, 11am to 3:45pm, with a glass of wine.
