#InauguralReview #Spiga on the #UpperEastSide by #DebraFasulo #LouisFasulo #JohannaMarchenaProietti and #MarcoProietti #808LexingtonAvenue between East 62nd and 63rd #Rome #Roman #Italian
Peachy's favorite
Today we are thrilled to announce that Spiga is making history on Whom You Know for the newest location and the third and fourth owners in their history; Peachy Deegan has worked with Spiga for years before either of them! It's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and we knew the original two owners of this storied venue on the Upper West Side when we first met them and they earned high marks on their very first try in 2012, when they were first published on. (The restaurant itself started in 2005.) Of course you know by now that Spiga means top of the wheat stalk. Two years ago, this Spiga which was here first on the Upper West side was featured most recently under current owner the talented Marco Proietti, Rome, Italy native. The newest, hottest Spiga news is that on December 3, 2025 Spiga opened a second location and the very first ever on the Upper East Side at 808 Lexington Avenue between East 62nd and 63rd and we visited it for the first time. This location is owned by Debra Fasulo, Louis Fasulo (Calabrian ancestry), Johanna Marchena Proietti and Marco Proietti (Rome).
There are 68 seats and 8 more at the bar and 35% of the menu changes seasonally: four times a year and the menu is central to Roman cuisine (as in the city of Rome, Italy of course) and the menu philosophy extends to encompass Italy as a whole.
As you know we are enthused burrata advocates, and the Burrata e Focaccia is one of the best renditions we've seen anywhere in 2026. The burrata itself is outstandingly fresh and the basil-pesto is astoundingly delicious. The housemade focaccia is also joined by whipped ricotta and cherry tomatoes to wonderfully round out the traditional classic on a plate.
Smile with your burrata and the world smiles with you
Boasting a lovely crispy outside, the Filetto di Salmone of the Secondi section says enchante to you as it pleasantly perches upon a luxurious bed of sauteed spinach swimming in fragrant piccata sauce, a perfect harbinger of spring. It was medium, just as we asked and this fish classic is a nice size as well and you will not be served a tiny sliver of fish the size of your pinkie like you might at lesser places we would never dream of telling you about. If you are a carnivore, you must give the Polpette Della Nonna your attention under Antipasti. Thoughtfully crafted in a 70 percent beef and 30 percent pork gorgeous amalgamation, the fab four meatballs struck a pose in intoxicatingly enchanting nonna's tomato sauce with parmigiano reggiano. This undisputed classic hits the spot.
Frittura Mista exudes crisp notes of seafood to ignite your appetite: deep fried shrimp and calamari party with vegetables zucchini and artichokes with spicy marinara providing terrific accentuation. If you are looking for a vegetarian option, you ought to know that the Eggplant Parm, formally known as Parmigiana di Melanzane, is an elevated version of this quintessential classic Italian staple. Also note no pictures are ever edited here: you excel like Louis and Marco or we do not publish. Both of them were there in person to work with Peachy when she visited, and are joined by their wives Debra and Johanna in ownership of Spiga Upper East Side.
Zesty, zippy Risotto Alla Vodka ai Gamberi lights up your life with a Primi that is a celebration of shrimp dancing up a storm of deliciousness in superlative vodka sauce. It tastes like the zippiness we hear emanating from the sax of Anthony Ferrara. Also stunning is this version of Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe, a classic of pecorino romano and black pepper.
However, there is absolutely no doubt in our mind that the piece de resistance of this entire menu is the firework triumph of Fettucine Funghi e Tartufo, the undisputed winner and leader of pasta in this neighborhood at the moment. Mixed mushrooms and white truffle oil will put you in a trance the minute you first catch the scent of it and when you breathe it in and taste it you will reach the high heavens of intoxicatingly deliciousness on your palate that few pastas achieve. You need to not walk but run to Spiga to eat this.
Obviously, everything in life is better with cheese.
Peachy's favorite Secondi this inaugural visit was the springtime favorite of hers: Pollo Milanese. We really applaud the cherry tomato variance and like that they are halved perfectly perched on arugula and pounded pollo that aims to satisfy! Note sometimes Irish people are awfully good at Italian cuisine like Executive Chef Owen O'Donoghue is here! Waitress Adrianna Kaloshi was a delight to work with as well. We look forward to seeing this baby Spiga develop and we will keep you posted.
