Eataly is perhaps one of the most interesting foodie spots in New York.  Part market and part restaurant, this 50,000 square foot space, it is the American location of a space of the same name located in Torino, Italy. The New York location has several sit down dining spaces, each specializing in a different type of food, including meats, fish, vegetables and of course, pizza and pasta.  There is also a restaurant with a retractable roof.  In fact, one of the partners of this location, celebrity chef, Mario Batali, has described Eataly as a “grocery store with tasting rooms.”

The Fru Fru pizza from Eataly

One can’t possibly try all of the restaurants at Eataly in one day.  At most, you’d only be able to try two or three – one per course.  With the exception of the lunch counter and roof top beer hall, reservations cannot be made.  My husband and I arrived at the pizza and pasta space a little after 7 pm.  Luckily, the wait was only about 20 minutes, so we had a chance to explore the market.  Because of its connection to a specific culture, the entire space reminded me of an Italian T&T with service restaurants, with its abundance of meats, grains, produce, cheese and more, but with more of a St. Lawrence or Kensington Market feel to it (if you want to look at it from a Toronto perspective).

Exterior of Eataly

We arrived back at the restaurant just in time to be seated – if we were open to a bar seat, that was.  Since we were starving, we agreed.  We ordered a pizza each – my husband ordered the Verace TSG (buffalo mozzarella, parmagiano reggiano, tomato sauce, olive oil and basil) and I, the “Fru Fru” (an oval shaped “three season pizza” sectioned into ricotta and ham, mozzarella and tomato sauce and parma ham, arugula and pamagiano reggiano shavings).  The pizzas were thin crust and cooked in brick ovens (similar to those found at Pizzeria Libretto) and had that perfect, slightly browned look to it. Taste-wise, the cheese had that perfect texture to it and the tomato sauce tangy and fresh.  My pizza was accompanied with a bottle of Baladin Ginger, a sparkling, non-alcoholic drink made with ginger and orange peel.  Not too bad, but a little sweet for my tastes.

For dessert, we headed over to the gelato bar, which was different from any gelateria I’ve ever seen. And not in a good way.  First of all, the gelati were all hidden under tin lids, rather than in glass for buyers to see.  It was like buying ice cream at a fall fair.  Then there was the taste.  The texture was and taste (hazelnut in my case) were both just average. I could have had the exact same thing at Loblaws Maple Leaf Gardens, which also has a gelato bar.  At least there, I could see what I’m getting!

We will definitely be re-exploring Eataly when we go to New York again.  Next time? The beer hall and pastry shops!

Eataly is located at 200 Fifth Avenue, between 22nd and 23rd streets.  They are open daily until 11 pm.  There are also Eataly locations in Italy and Japan.

First image by author

Second image via Sylvie’s Epicure Blog