Every September, Mulberry Street in Little Italy is shut down and transformed into an Italian extravaganza in honor of San Gennaro, the patron saint of Naples. There are rides, guest speakers, performances, carnival games, and, of course, tons of food. Cannolis, pizza, pasta, arancini, meatballs, gelato… if it’s an Italian food that popular in the United States, you’ll find it at the Feast of San Gennaro.
But said food ain’t cheap.
We went with a budget of $20 a person, and I’m here to give you the rundown of how far our dollars went.
But first… what exactly is the Feast of San Gennaro?
I did a lovely write up last year on the topic last year, so I thought I’d just share it again!:
Saint Gennaro was the Bishop of Benevento during the late 2nd and early 3rd century. During this time, Diocletian began persecuting Christians. The bishop would not renounce his faith, and he died as a martyr on September 19th, 305 AD via decapitation. Eusebia, a nurse, was near-by, and she collected two vials of his blood.
Fast forward 10 or so years. San Gennaro’s body was being moved through Rome. They stopped for rest, and Eusebia placed the vials near his head. The blood started to melt, and everyone erupted in joy at the miracle. The blood has melted throughout important events in history. Notably when people called on him to stop Vesuvius from erupting. Some prayers were said in his name, and the lava began to slow down. A miracle! Today, the Miracle of San Gennaro’s blood melting happens three times a year on September 19th, December 16th, and the first Saturday in May.
(I dedicated 30 minutes to combing through various websites on San Gennaro. And nearly everyone had different variations on the story and dates— although all agree on the date of the beheading and how the blood was collected. Also note that Catholic Church does not officially recognize the blood melting as a miracle. Read more HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.)
Let’s Dive into the Eats!
1. Italian Inspired Empanadas, $10 for 3
We began our journey hungry, which is rarely a good idea. A $4 empanada sign lured us in. The prospect of a meatball parm had us staying, And grumbling stomaches suckered us into the 3 for $10 deal.
I regret to say that the meatball parm and chicken vodka were simply not good. Neither had much filling, and neither filling had much flavor.
However, the chorizo, which was steak and peppers, was absolutely delicious. There was plenty of flavorful meat and the peppers added crunch. The empanada dough itself was pretty flimsy and bland, but the filling certainly made up for it. If I were to do it again, I’d only get the chorizo for $4 and use the other $6 towards something else!
2. Sfogliatella from Caffe Napoli, $7
Sfogliatella is a shell shaped pastry with dozens of paper-thin, flakey layers and a sweet ricotta based filling. It originated in the Campania region of Italy over 400 years ago, and blossomed into an Italian pastry staple. I can count the number of sfogliatellas I’ve had on one hand, and have no idea what they are meant to taste like.
This one didn’t seem to have a ricotta filling, and the interior reminded me of an croissant. The outer layers were well defined and super crispy, and it had a subtle sweetness that wasn’t overwhelming. I liked it. Jeremy wasn’t a fan. I’ll need to hunt down more so I can give more useful feedback.
3. Sausage with peppers from Lucy’s, $13
Lucy’s is a tried and true street festival staple that has been serving up sausages for over three decades. The sausage and peppers for $13 is one of the best deals you’ll find at the Feast of San Gennaro, and we get it every year.
The sausage had a nice outer crunch with a little bit of heat, and there were plenty of onions and peppers. The roll wasn’t too hard, nor too soft. And you get to add your own ketchup and mustard.
4. Pistachio Cannoli from Figo, $7
Figo Il Gelato serves up an authentic taste of Italy in NYC. Their gelato is top tier, but we decided to finish up our Feast of San Gennaro food crawl with a pistachio cannoli.
The cannoli cream was thick and creamy without being too sweet, and the pastry had a nice flakiness and crunchiness. Plus, who doesn’t love pistachios?!
$40 for this food haul is hardly frugal considering the fact that not everything was good. Here is what I would have done differently:
- Only get the chorizo empanada rather than the 3 for $10, which would save $6.
- Get a mini cannoli instead of the large, which would save $3.
- Add in an arancini or meatball situation with the saved money.
PRO TIP: Not everywhere lists prices! Be sure to ask before ordering or you may end up with a tab that’s far to high for food that’s far to mediocre.
