2025 Village Award Winner: La Lanterna di Vittorio
Village Preservation is proud to honor the La Lanterna di Vittorio as a 2025 Village Awardee! Join us in recognizing La Lanterna and the five other remarkable awardees at Village Preservation’s Annual Meeting and Village Awards on Wednesday, June 11th, at the historic Great Hall at Cooper Union. Registration is free and open to all. Click here to register.
La Lanterna di Vittorio has been a beloved neighborhood institution since opening in 1977 at at 129 MacDougal Street. Its longstanding presence and commitment to quality have earned it a loyal following among locals and visitors alike, further solidifying its status as a quintessential Village restaurant.
La Lanterna opened in 1977 by Carlo “Vittorio” Antonini, an avid sailor and sportsman with a passion for food and drink, who immigrated just a decade before from Liguria, Italy along with his wife, Marisa. It started out in just the front dining room with a small menu of strong Italian coffees, perfectly toasted tramezzini, and classic pastries like Baba Rum and Tiramisu. It has expanded over the years, now offering a large range of lasagne, pizza, panini, salads, an extensive bar menu, a total of four dining rooms including a fully glass enclosed backyard Garden.
The ambiance reflects the authentic charm and character of Greenwich Village, providing patrons with a relaxed, charming, and intimate dining atmosphere with dim lighting, exposed brick walls, and rustic decor.
The restaurant serves classic Italian cuisine with a focus on simplicity, quality ingredients, and authentic flavors. The menu features a variety of traditional dishes showcasing the timeless appeal of Italian cooking, wide variety of coffees and tempting desserts.
They have a wonderful staff that makes you feel at home and it is a quintessential destination for anyone seeking an authentic Village coffee house and dining experience.
La Lanterna is located in one of three Federal Style houses on MacDougal Street that Village Preservation fought to protect for over ten years before they gained landmark protections in 2004. The homes were speculatively built in 1828-29 by downtown hat merchant Alonzo Alwyn Alvord as the area around Washington Square converted from a potter’s field to an upscale residential neighborhood. Read more about their connections to the area’s history of immigrants, artists, African Americans, and the LGBTQ+ community.
REGISTER HERE to be a part of the free community celebration at our Annual Meeting and Village Awards.