With its convivial atmosphere and eclectic decor, memories of the Bushwick original from its early days in 2008 filled my mind as I meandered into the Penn One complex, dubbed the Penn District — past Los Tacos No. 1 and a new ice cream shop — looking for the new Roberta’s, the first standalone building in Manhattan. Technically, its two-story building, the latest in an unusual series of projects by Carlo Mirarchi and Brandon Hoy, doesn’t have a proper street address.

Wander until you find it, off a narrow courtyard between 33rd and 34th streets. Around a corner, a barrage of Roberta’s signs promise a tiki bar, a rooftop restaurant and pizza by the slice, perhaps aimed at the travelers and sports fans who wander through this neighborhood like lost pilgrims. On the ground floor is what looks like a perfectly normal pizzeria, albeit one with a wood-fired oven. Walk past it and go up a spiral staircase. Painted with a bright red monster, this staircase is reminiscent of the murals of Bushwick.

In contrast, the second floor looks like a sports bar Blade Runnerwith flashing neon signs and jumbled architecture beaming in from all sides. A dining room seems to be made entirely of windows, while an outdoor area with picnic tables is dominated by a bar that lacks the promised tiki flourishes (though there are cocktails with names like Jungle Bird and Banana Hammock).

As soon as you open the menu, the evolved specialties of Roberta’s restaurants, including outliers Blanca and Foul Witch, emerge like smoke from a pile of firewood. After a few meals here, I’m convinced that despite the incongruous ambience, Roberta’s is one of the best Italian restaurants in the city, with a collection of classics and sophisticated new dishes.

The pizza

Start with a pizza from a modest selection of four to six slices, with a list of nearly 20 sides: honey, guanciale, jalapeños and red onion, among them. Fans know to go for the simple Margherita ($22), cut into six slices, airy around the edges, with simple tomato sauce and good cheese, perfectly sprinkled with toasted bits. After 16 years, these guys know how to make pizza, and I’d compare it to anything Una Pizza Napoletana makes.

The rest of the menu is divided into five categories, playing with the sequence of dishes common in Italy: antipasti, first, second, third course and dessert. Here are some highlights.

Bread with stracciatella and anchovies

Unsurprisingly, the bread service is one of the best things on the menu, although it seems quite expensive at $19. The centerpiece is a steaming flatbread, puffed up like a poori or a pita. It comes with a bowl of stracciatella, smothered in cream and bits of cheese, drizzled with a hint of fruity olive oil. Dip the bread in, but be careful not to burn your fingers on the steam. Spend $8 extra to have anchovies on top for a salty and fishy counterpoint, and $4 more for some house-made butter. This could be your complete meal.

Tuna carpaccio

Tired of tuna carpaccio? Try this one ($26). The pink fish is cut into thicker-than-usual slices and served at room temperature. It’s sprinkled with freshly grated horseradish and topped with fresh cherries, a seemingly illogical flavor combination but one that somehow works, with spiciness and light sweetness.

Salad made from traditional tomato varieties

In the same appetizer section, there’s an Heirloom Tomato Salad ($21), with delightfully sweet tomatoes, but what sets this salad apart is that the fruit is charred around the edges and mixed with tart sorrel and woody walnuts—flavors that evoke the end of summer and the coming of fall.

Pasta with braised veal and linguini with mussels

The pasta section is divided into classics and experiments. Classics include pappardelle (sometimes called lumache) in a light veal ragout ($29) dressed with celery leaves and Parmigiano Reggiano. It’s surprisingly understated and allows the wonderful wide noodles to shine. Among the pasta dishes there is also a wild version of linguini with clam sauce ($29) where clams have been put in the little necks and the white wine sauce has been enhanced with squid ink; looking into the black bowl while eating is a bit scary: but go on.

Herb-stuffed porchetta and piri-piri chicken

Mains include a skate wing with capers, a lamb shoulder steak with mint and a rolled and herb-stuffed porchetta ($36) that tastes exactly like it came off a road truck in Tuscany, with crispy skin and smoky flavor from the wood-fired oven. Did I mention the roast is tossed with golden cherry tomatoes? Consider them a side dish. A spice-seasoned piri piri chicken ($30 half, $56 whole), served with Jimmy Nardello peppers in shades of red and green, also benefits from the wood.

The wine list

Skip the cocktails and try the crazy wine list, with by-the-glass offerings for $13 to $20, that seems to partially answer the age-old question of what wine to drink with pizza. There’s the classic pizza wine, a zippy and off-dry Lambrusco, as well as a Virginia wine called Family Meal, a curious blend of Grüner Veltliner and Merlot that’s served cold. There’s also a Slovenian orange wine called Black Lamb, which has just the right amount of acidity to bring out the flavor of the tomatoes.

It’s nice to see the newest Roberta’s experimenting with both food and wine in a way that’s in keeping with its collection of restaurants, but still feels somehow new. This location gives New Yorkers a reason to venture into a neighborhood that — without tickets to the Knicks or Rangers — they might otherwise avoid.