Find Italian comfort food at Settepani and share a love for moms
Settepani brings home-cooked family values to NYC with traditional Italian comfort food and Panettone. This family restaurant and bakery in Harlem serves delicious quality meals inspired by how their mothers and grandma made them.
Since their founding, the Settepani family kept close family ties enduring everything together.
Throughout the pandemic, the Settepani family grew closer with one another and their community through food. This Mother’s day, they have a set menu that celebrates mothers everywhere with dishes inspired by motherly love.
We spoke to Bilena Settepani, the enthusiastic young woman who helps run the show and the daughter of the Settepani family.
Family Values inside Italian comfort food
The pandemic was a hard time for many businesses, including restaurants. Despite the fears of uncertainty, Bilena and the Settefpani family came together to fight those tough times. The family ties can be tasted on their regular menu, including Italian comfort food.
“The beauty of working with your family that is older, is that I learn so much from my dad, and mom and we just all learn from each other”
Bilena Settepani
Their regular menu is a casual and inviting dining experience that makes everyone feel like family. Modern spins on traditional Italian dishes don’t take away from comfort. Each dish is served with simple, fresh ingredients and cooked in traditional ways.
Food is not the only thing that’s comforting. The Settepani atmosphere feels like home. The staffs smiling and friendly manners make customer interactions gentle yet inviting. The overall decors are beautifully casual with a modern finish, making it the perfect in-between for business meetings and casual dining.
“A lot of people are coming into Harlem who had never been to Harlem before, we’re giving an impression let’s make it a good one”
Bilena Settepani
Settepanis Bread and butter is Panettone.
While the Italian comfort food is splendid, Settepani is a bakery first and foremost. Mouthwatering baked goods are Settepani’s bread and butter. No pun intended. Settepani is famous for its year-round homemade Pannatone, a sweet Italian bread typically baked with dried fruit.
Making Pannetone from scratch is a four-day process. A Traditional Pannetone is typically served at family gatherings and holidays. Settepni puts a modern twist to the traditional Italian desserts by adding lots of different creative ingredients every month.
“What made us stick out is that we make panettone all year-round, and my mom is the biggest panettone fanatic”
Bilena Settepani
Ingredients like M&Ms, Nutella, peaches, and anything else Bilena could think of making Settepani’s Pannetone fun and exciting. Each Pannetone flavor of the month excites customers.
You can also find french toast panettone on their brunch menu.
Italian comfort food cooked with motherly love
“For me feel good food is something when I’m eating it makes me happy, so these dishes represents motherly love”
Bilena Settepani
As mothers day approaches, Settepni is cooking up something special to celebrate mothers day. You can find traditional home-cooked Italian comfort foods, such as passatelli in Brodo or Baccala Alla Messinese, and so much more.
The set menu dishes are casual and straightforward that remind you of home. The dishes
I tried the cotoletta di vitello alla palermitana, but with chicken instead of veal. A traditional panfried chicken cutlet seasoned with parsley and parmesan. The essence of Italian comfort. The flavor was transcending beyond comfort. The aroma of the parsley cooked in butter hits your appetite before the flavor does.
The taste is not overwhelming, making it cozy and easy to eat and enjoy. The panfried chicken is not oily. However, it pairs well with the refreshing salad that includes some of the freshest tomatoes you’ll ever have.
“We should never take our moms for granted, they’re the first people to ever know you’re existing, they’re the first people to ever love you, and they’re the first people to give you unconditional love”
Bilena Settepani
The smooth richness of the fried butter doesn’t combat other the flavor of the ingredients. The traditional taste makes this dish a nostalgic experience that earns this the title of being Italian comfort food.
Love for Moms every day
Bilena and the Settepani family celebrate the love that brings their family together every day. Not just mothers day. Delicious home-cooked Italian comfort food and a staff that makes you feel right at home to make Settepani the place to eat in Harlem if you’re looking for something casual.