Owner Frank Pellegrino Jr. Tells Us How To Land A Table At Rao's

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

The over 125-year legacy of Rao's now includes a line of jarred tomato sauces, cookbooks, and a multitude of celebrity fans — but it all goes back to the original restaurant located in Manhattan. The legendary restaurant is known for its standout southern Italian fare, including massive meatballs and seafood salad, but unfortunately, most won't make it inside those famous doors. The reason? Rao's original New York City location has just 10 tables — and most have been claimed for decades. During Mashed's exclusive interview with the fourth-generation owner, Frank Pellegrino Jr., the acclaimed chef and author of "Rao's On The Grill" and "Rao's Classics" shared how to dine in the now-iconic establishment.

Its very, very shortlist of regulars have held standing reservations for years, some even decades. The complexity of their reservation system goes back to a 1977 review from The New York Times, and since then, the late Frank Sr. vowed to maintain the integrity of his restaurant by catering to his people — the local Italian-American immigrants in his Harlem neighborhood that came in week in and week out.

Frank Pellegrino Jr. proclaimed: "Those are the people that my family came over with that ultimately became the patrons of Rao's Bar and Grill back in the day. And my father refused to displace them for new business. So at least 60% of those tables in the restaurant were already accounted for, so that only left you with 40%, which is basically four tables to get reservations to."