New Chelsea restaurant puts homemade pasta at the center

Forno D’Oro has landed in Chelsea at 196 8th Ave, New York, NY 10011, and it is putting homemade pasta front and center. The Italian spot pairs elevated pasta with Roman-style pizza, a combination that gives the restaurant a clearer point of view than the usual red-sauce grab bag.

The clearest signal is in the language the restaurant is using for itself. Its website calls it “a real Italian kitchen in the heart of New York” where “tradition, quality ingredients, and authentic flavors come together at the table.” Its Instagram bio describes “handcrafted Italian flavors” in Chelsea, and one post goes further: “From handcrafted pizzas to classic pasta dishes.” For pasta people, that wording matters. It points to a kitchen trying to make its noodle work feel made on-site and technique-driven, not just assembled from a standard menu template.

That focus is also what makes the opening worth a look in Chelsea, where new Italian restaurants have to earn attention fast. Roman-style pizza gives Forno D’Oro a crisp, recognizable hook, but the pasta is the more interesting draw for anyone who cares about texture, freshness, and sauce adhesion. If the pasta really is handcrafted as advertised, that is the part to order first, because the whole pitch hinges on whether the kitchen can deliver a cleaner bite and a more deliberate finish than the average neighborhood Italian place.

The people behind the restaurant help sharpen that identity. A separate Instagram post says, “Great food, great people, and Chef Salvador making it special,” and a YouTube video identifies the restaurant as being led by Master Pizzaiolo Salvatore Olivella. That gives the Chelsea opening a named culinary hand, which is usually a better sign than vague branding when a restaurant is leaning on both pizza and pasta craft.

OpenTable lists Forno D’Oro at the same 196 8th Ave address and shows daily hours of 12:00 pm to 11:00 pm, making it an easy lunch-to-late-dinner stop. The Infatuation also places it at 196 8th Ave, which matches the restaurant’s current Chelsea footprint and avoids the earlier 197 8th Ave confusion that has floated around other listings.

The restaurant is arriving into a neighborhood that already knows Italian competition, and that is exactly why the handmade pasta angle stands out. Chelsea has room for another Italian room only if it offers a specific reason to go, and Forno D’Oro’s mix of Roman-style pizza, handcrafted pasta, and a chef-led identity gives it one.