City guides · 22 cities
Best Sausage and Peppers in the World
Where is the best sausage and peppers?
New York City is the world capital of sausage and peppers thanks to the Feast of San Gennaro and the butcher shops of Arthur Avenue. In Italy the dish is at its best in Naples and Palermo, where it is grilled over charcoal rather than stewed. Larry keeps a guide to 22 cities on four continents.
Each guide answers the same three questions: where the locals actually go, what to say when you order, and when in the year the dish is at its peak. The venue lists come straight from Larry’s Top 100.
Every city at a glance
| City | Country | Ask for it as | Top 100 spots | Best time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | USA | sausage and peppers | 7 | Mid-September, during the Feast of San Gennaro. Second-best is any Italian-American street feast in the outer boroughs from June through September. |
| Philadelphia | USA | sausage and peppers | 2 | Year-round at the Italian Market. Best in autumn, when local long hots are in season and cheap. |
| Chicago | USA | sausage and peppers | 2 | Year-round indoors, and every summer street festival from June to September. |
| Boston | USA | sausage and peppers | 2 | August, during the Fisherman's Feast and Saint Anthony's Feast weekends. |
| Providence | USA | sausage and peppers | 1 | Year-round, and best in winter when the trattorias are full. |
| Cleveland | USA | sausage and peppers | 2 | Mid-August, during the Feast of the Assumption on Murray Hill. |
| Syracuse | USA | sausage and peppers | 2 | Late August through Labor Day, at the State Fair. |
| Newark | USA | sausage and peppers | 3 | Year-round, with street feasts through the summer. |
| Rome | Italy | salsiccia e peperoni Roma | 2 | Autumn, when peppers are still good and the grills move back indoors. Sunday lunch is the weekly peak. |
| Naples | Italy | salsiccia e friarielli Napoli | 2 | November through February, when friarielli are in season and every fry shop has them. |
| Palermo | Italy | salsiccia arrostita Palermo | 2 | Late spring through early autumn, when the night markets run properly. |
| Florence | Italy | salsiccia toscana con peperoni Firenze | 1 | Autumn, alongside the grape and olive harvest. |
| Milan | Italy | luganega con peperoni Milano | 1 | October through March, polenta season. |
| London | UK | sausage and peppers London | 2 | Mid-July for the Clerkenwell procession; otherwise any Saturday morning at Borough. |
| Toronto | Canada | sausage and peppers Toronto | 1 | June through September, when the Little Italy and Woodbridge street festivals run. |
| Montreal | Canada | saucisse italienne et poivrons Montréal | 1 | May through October, while Jean-Talon's outdoor stalls and the city's park grills are open. |
| Melbourne | Australia | sausage and capsicum Melbourne | 2 | November through March, grilling weather, plus the Lygon Street festival in autumn. |
| Sydney | Australia | sausage and capsicum Sydney | 1 | October through April, barbecue season. |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | chorizo con morrones Buenos Aires | 1 | Year-round. Sunday asado is the weekly occasion and the best time to be invited to one. |
| São Paulo | Brazil | linguiça italiana com pimentões São Paulo | 1 | Year-round. The Festa de San Gennaro in Bixiga each September is the big one. |
| Paris | France | saucisse italienne aux poivrons Paris | 1 | September and October, when French peppers are at their best and cheapest. |
| Barcelona | Spain | salchicha con pimientos Barcelona | 1 | May through September, padrón season. Outside that they are imported and milder. |
Guides by country
USA
Italy
Questions people ask
What is the best city in the world for sausage and peppers?
New York City, because of the Feast of San Gennaro and the butcher shops of Arthur Avenue. Naples and Palermo are the best in Italy, and Philadelphia has the strongest regional version in America with its long hots.
What is sausage and peppers called in Italy?
Salsiccia e peperoni. Regional names differ: salsiccia e friarielli in Naples, salsiccia arrostita in Palermo, luganega con peperoni in Milan. In Argentina it becomes chorizo con morrones and in Brazil linguiça italiana com pimentões.
Is sausage and peppers Italian or Italian-American?
The pairing is southern Italian home and festival cooking. The sandwich on a hero roll, eaten walking around a street feast, is Italian-American and was made famous by New York's saint's-day feasts.
When is the best time of year to eat sausage and peppers?
Late summer into autumn almost everywhere: peppers are at their peak and the Italian-American street feasts and Italian sagre run from June through October.
Cook it instead of chasing it
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