It’s food fit for a Pope. 

Chef Salvo Lo Castro, of Casasalvo on Spring Street in SoHo, spent 10 years at the Vatican and cooked for two popes. The food at his eatery is Sicilian-Mediterranean. 

What You Need To Know

  • NYC Restaurant Week runs from July 20 to Aug. 16 

  • Chef Salvo Lo Castro and his Casasalvo restaurant in SoHo are taking part, along with more than 600 eateries in over 70 neighborhoods 

  • Lo Castro worked at the Vatican for 10 years and cooked for two popes 

Lo Castro said that the cuisine from his native Sicily has several influences.

“North Africa, Algeria, Morocco, Greece, and Italy,” he said of the menu, which features plenty of pasta, fish, and what he called his “unique” beef meatballs with sauce slow-cooked for eight hours. 

Lo Castro opened the eatery last year. He has cooked for many notables, and there are pictures of him on the wall with the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Danny DeVito, and Michael Imperioli.

But what has gained him a lot of attention is his work at the Vatican, cooking for Popes John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. So what were their favorite dishes?

“Pope John Paul liked spaghetti with tomato and soup. Pope Benedict preferred gnocchi, potatoes; he is from Germany, and strudel,” said Lo Castro.

Lo Castro is serving up that gnocchi di Papa Benedetto for NYC Restaurant Week. The summer edition of the twice-a-year promotion runs from July 20 to Aug. 16. Prix fixe lunches and dinners are priced at $30, $45 and $60; tax and tip not included.

Lo Castro said Restaurant Week can be a boost for his and other food establishments around town.

“For me, it’s very important to have the new guests and the new customers and the people I discover in my kitchen and during the Restaurant Week, I go to every table and thank them for visiting Casasalvo,” he said.

The restaurant is a decorated space with, of course, plenty of nods to the chef’s past at the Vatican. He also had an audience with Pope Leo recently.

For more on New York City Restaurant Week, click here.