Yelp has rolled out its first Top 100 Pasta Places list for 2026, and the biggest surprise is where the top spot landed. Instead of New York City or another expected Italian dining hub, No. 1 went to The Pasta Shop in Denville, New Jersey, according to Yelp’s newly released ranking.
The list arrived on October 6, 2026, just ahead of National Pasta Day on October 17, and it reflects what Yelp describes as its inaugural national pasta ranking. According to coverage from Parade and other outlets citing Yelp’s report, the company used platform data and community reviews to rank trattorias, pasta shops, markets, and small local restaurants across the country.
What Yelp’s pasta list highlights
One of the clearest takeaways is that the list is not limited to major coastal food capitals. Parade reported that New York had nine spots in the Top 100, while California, Florida, and Washington also placed strongly. Even so, the highest-ranked business was The Pasta Shop in Morris County, New Jersey, a result that stands out because the ranking spans the entire country.
That broad mix appears to be part of the point. NJ Family, reporting on the state entries, said Yelp’s Top 100 Pasta Places of 2026 includes trattorias, pasta shops, local mom-and-pop restaurants, walk-up windows, and markets. In other words, Yelp was not just looking for white-tablecloth Italian dining rooms. It cast a wider net around where Americans are actually eating and buying pasta.
Yelp also reported a 52% increase in searches for “pasta shops” from September 2025 through August 2026 compared with the previous year, a detail noted by Time Out New York and Parade. That search jump helps explain why the company turned pasta into a standalone national list this year, rather than folding those businesses into broader restaurant roundups.
The top spots and the biggest surprises
The No. 1 ranking for The Pasta Shop in Denville is the headline result that got the most attention. New Jersey Monthly and NJ Family both reported that the Denville business led Yelp’s 2026 pasta ranking, with other New Jersey entries also making the Top 100. That gives New Jersey an outsized presence on a list many readers might have assumed would be dominated by Manhattan, Boston, or Los Angeles.
New York City still showed up near the top. Time Out New York reported that two city businesses made Yelp’s Top 10, including Borgatti’s Ravioli & Egg Noodles in the Bronx, a business it described as a 90-year-old throwback. That kind of placement suggests Yelp’s list rewarded long-running neighborhood specialists as much as high-profile destination restaurants.
Another surprise is the range of formats recognized. Based on outlet reports about Yelp’s methodology, the ranking includes places where diners sit down for a bowl of pasta, but also retail pasta shops and markets. For readers planning a food trip, that means the list may be as useful for a same-day fresh pasta pickup as it is for a full dinner reservation.
What the list means for diners and home cooks
For everyday readers, this ranking is most useful as a travel and shopping guide, not just a prestige contest. If a top-rated pasta place near you is a shop or market, it may be worth checking whether it sells fresh sheets, ravioli, sauces, or prepared dishes to take home. That makes the list relevant to home cooks who want a shortcut on busy nights.
The list also fits a wider Yelp pattern. Earlier in 2026, the company released its Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S., with Italian restaurant Ci Siamo in New York City taking the overall No. 1 spot on that separate ranking. The new pasta-focused list is narrower, but it points to the same idea: regional favorites and community-backed businesses can outrank splashier national names.
If you are using the list to plan a meal, one practical tip is to look beyond the headline city counts and focus on the category of business. A pasta shop, neighborhood trattoria, and specialty market all solve different dinner problems. Yelp’s new ranking suggests the country’s most talked-about pasta may be found as easily in suburban New Jersey as in a famous downtown dining room.