The Super Bowl game day feels like a real American holiday. Football fans or not, people will likely tune in with family and friends to enjoy the excitement of the game, Jennifer Lopez half-game show, and the iconic commercials. Food is a crucial element of any Super Bowl watching party, often served in the form of tasty snacks and easy to pick up appetizers to nibble on throughout the game. If the idea of home entertaining is overwhelming and you don’t want to settle for chips and beer, just join the party at some of the few Italian restaurants in New York City, raising their game food.
San Matteo Pizzeria e Cucina, already a popular destination for the sports fans that enjoy authentic Neapolitan pizza, has a communal bar atmosphere and a perfect set up to watch the game from several screens on the space. For the Super Bowl night, they are offering the best deal in the city with a packed buffet open to any guest that buys a drink. The aperitivo style menu includes arancini, potatoes croquettes, slices of their signature pizza, and a special recipe of buffalo wings cooked in their brick oven and dressed with a gorgonzola cheese sauce, made just once a year for the big game. The event is sponsored by two beer companies, Italian Peroni and American Cors Light, but a full bar is available, along with the restaurant menu. “Pizza alla Diavola, with spicy sopressata salami, is always the most popular item at Super Bowl night,” explains Fabio Casella, San Matteo restaurants co-owner with his brother Ciro. “For some reason, people just like to indulge in spicy food during the game.” For people entertaining at home, San Matteo also offers three types of 6-foot hero sandwiches for delivery, from a prosciutto di Parma, mozzarella, pesto, roasted peppers, and tomatoes mix, to their Italian charcuterie combo of mortadella, prosciutto cotto, capicollo, with provolone cheese, vegetables with a balsamic dressing, to a cotoletta sandwich, stuffed with breaded chicken cutlets and topped with mozzarella.
San Matteo pizza
For a more intimate experience, Felice Bar on the Upper East Side and Felice Gold Street in the Financial District will be showing the game to enjoy while sipping on any of their classic or signature cocktails, from a Balsamic Negroni to an Aperol Spritz, and a selection of finger food such as arancini, bruschetta, and crostini with tasty toppings such as burrata and sautéed zucchini, or black olive tapenade and prosciutto. For Super Bowl night, Felice offers a course of sliders and a glass of Felice red wine for $19.
Felice burrata and sautéed funghi
Finally, West Village eatery Rosemary’s is organizing a Pig Roast Super Bowl event, a buffet-style dinner centered on the traditional porchetta pulled pork sandwiches, a popular Italian street food. The menu will also include their signature focaccia, a variety of appetizers such as a mozzarella bar, a kale and celery Caesar salad, and fusilli alla napolitana, made with housemade burrata, and spicy chili wings ($48 per person).
Rosemary's dishes
Buon appetito and… may the best wins!