Out of My Way- sharing stories of food across the region that I would go out of my way for…and so should you!
Little Venice
111 Chenango St
Binghamton, NY 13901
Little Venice is an old school Italian restaurant in the heart of downtown Binghamton complete with classic neon sign beckoning you to come in. When you walk in, the place seems cavernous yet cozy with hundreds of paintings hanging on the wall of the main dining room and nearly 80 years’ worth of restaurant and family memorabilia including newspaper articles and photographs of famous diners in the bar and take-out areas.
My husband specifically requested Little Venice for his birthday dinner this year as he loves their signature “meat logs” which are essentially sausage shaped meat balls. According to the lore, the meat logs are unique to Little Venice and were invented by co-founder and cook Carmella Yezzi in 1946. Aunt Carmella believed that the traditional round shape caused meatballs to dry out too easily so she began shaping them into small, delicious logs that became synonymous with Binghamton.
Like all traditional Italian restaurants, Little Venice has many pasta-forward items on the menu but unlike most others, they make much of their pasta and ravioli in-house (using a machine that was custom made for them by a family friend who worked in a machine shop at IBM!) My go-to is typically their “Create Your Own Pasta” option where you can choose either a full or half order of pasta, dressed with your favorite sauce, and finished with your desired toppings. The also offer a gluten-free spaghetti which was nice to see.
This time, my husband and I split the Little Venice parmigiana sampler which came with two meat logs, one sausage and a chicken cutlet. He ordered a side of homemade spaghetti, and I had the homemade ravioli, which was fluffy, tender, and absolutely divine. I also had the house salad which is served with homemade croutons and your choice of homemade dressings. I ordered mine with the crumbly blue cheese and Italian dressing and was not disappointed.
Even though we weren’t hungry at all, we could not leave without trying their house made gelato and settled on the Spumoni, a classic combination of pistachio, cherry and chocolate. In our satiated and blissed out states, we neglected to pick up some jars of their red sauce on the way out, but I would highly recommend a visit to their gift shop where you can also find shirts and other fun merch, gift cards, and thoughtfully curated gift baskets.
There is a reason Little Venice has been a staple in the Binghamton area for nearly 80 years. They have created a space that feels nostalgic without being stuck in the past and their food honors tradition while also making space for modern tastes and preferences.
