Downtown Bronxville landed two spots on Westchester Magazine's best new restaurants list for 2026, with La Chitarra and La Maison earning recognition less than a year after both opened their doors in December 2025.
The two restaurants sit within a short walk of each other in the village center. La Chitarra occupies a converted hair salon on Cedar Street, while La Maison took over the former Ernie's Wine Bar space at 7 Pondfield Road, directly across from the Metro-North station.
La Chitarra: pasta shop meets trattoria
Randall Restiano, a sommelier with 20 years in the business and stints at Eataly Flatiron and Gramercy Tavern, co-owns La Chitarra with his cousin Peter Diana. Consulting chef John Poiarkoff, formerly of NYC's Marta, developed the menu.
The concept is half pasta shop, half 34-seat trattoria. Restiano gutted the old salon space, hauling out four tons of debris and uncovering a hidden skylight, according to the Journal News. The result: a snug dining room with a five-seat marble bar, blue-and-white floor tiles, and bottle-lined shelves. Staff wear lumberjack shirts; the playlist leans 1990s rock.
"I want people to see Italian food the way I see Italian food. When it lands on your plate, it should scream with flavor," Restiano told the Journal News in January 2026.
The name refers to the wire-strung, guitar-like tool used to cut spaghetti alla chitarra, a pasta shape from the Ciociaria region of Frosinone, Italy, where Restiano's grandmother grew up. A replica sits on the bar.
Restiano and Poiarkoff source San Marzano tomatoes from a Bronx importer, cheese from a Brooklyn company, eggs from Latremore Farm in Chazy, New York, and heritage chickens from LaBelle Patrimoine in Pennsylvania. The wine list runs more than 100 bottles, about 70% Italian, with a focus on small-farm, biodynamic producers.
The adjacent pasta shop sells the same housemade sauces, pastas, and mozzarella served in the restaurant. La Chitarra is open for lunch (noon to 4 p.m.) and dinner (5 to 10 p.m.) Tuesday through Sunday. The pasta shop is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Phone: 914-652-2591.
La Maison: French bistro, Bronxville roots
Spencer Pingel, who also owns the Mexican restaurant La Casa next door, opened La Maison after spending three years living in France. The village hasn't had a French restaurant since Le Bon Viveur closed, according to Forbes.
La Maison shares a hotel-size kitchen with La Casa. The dining room features rattan chairs in a green-and-white weave, white linens, black-and-white floor tiles, and teal stools at a copper-topped bar.
The menu is intentionally concise. Current offerings include steak frites, moules frites, coq au vin, lamb chops, and pan-seared scallops with sage butter. The cocktail list features French-leaning options like the Fleur de Sureau (St-Germain with vodka or gin).
La Maison is open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner, with seating beginning at 5 p.m. and closing times ranging from 10 to 11 p.m. depending on the night. Closed Sunday and Monday. Reservations are available through Resy. Phone: 914-233-5041.
