About us

Sottocasa, Harlem is owned by Elena and Matteo—true Italians with different backgrounds but with two great passions in common: good food and travel. Elena: "I was born near Napoli and grew up inside my mother’s family restaurant/pizzeria since I was ten years old. That explains how passion and curiosity for good food became part of me. I did a commercial school and found a job in the IT business (in big companies like IBM and DELL) that allowed me to travel all along Italy and discover the variety of Italian gastronomic traditions and how different they are! Once (driving on a highway), I realized that I wanted to share my passion with other people so I simply quit my job and moved to Isola d’Elba, where Matteo was already working in a nice hotel." Matteo: "I am from Piacenza and since I was 14, I worked in the restaurant and hospitality business. I had the chance to travel and work in different countries around the world (USA, England, Germany, France) and in Italy as well. My job gave me the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and get in touch with different cultures and gastronomic traditions. I love good food, good wine, and good pizza and that’s why, after many years, I decided to start this adventure with Elena and open our own place. Here we are. For the last 5 years, we managed a small restaurant in Capoliveri (Elba Island, Tuscany) and after a few vacations in New York where we met Luca (that gave us the chance to realize our dream, helping us with his experience), we decided to bring here our passion and open a real Italian place in Harlem, that we consider a very vibe neighborhood, a perfect mix of culture, food, and tradition. Now we are ready to share our passions with everyone who will come and join us."