The iconic Italian food hall and restaurant is currently gearing up for its next New York expansion.
Eataly is well known in the city as one of New York’s premier Italian market and dining spots. The brand began in (you guessed it) Italy in 2002, when founder Oscar Farinetti sketched out an idea for a new Italian market concept on a piece of paper. His plan was to gather under one roof high-quality food at sustainable and reasonable prices for all, that would celebrate Italian biodiversity and create an informal, natural, and simple place to eat, shop, and learn. In 2007, Oscar’s vision finally became reality when he was able to open the first Eataly in Torino after five years of research and hard work, launching the world’s first multifunctional marketplace dedicated explicitly to Italian excellence.
Today, Eataly now operates over 44 locations throughout Italy and the world. As Oscar puts it, “Eataly’s success is linked to our philosophy, because people can eat, shop, and learn all about high-quality food, three activities that don’t coexist anywhere else.” In 2010, Eataly opened up their first American location at 200 Fifth Avenue, located right across Madison Square Park. Operated by partners Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, and Lidia Bastianich, Eataly inaugurated a new renaissance of Italian dining in New York and quickly established itself as one of the neighborhood’s go-to spots.
Last month though, the owners sold a 52 percent stake of Eataly to private equity firm Investindustrial with plans to retire debts and open new flagship stores across the globe. On the heels of this recent acquisition, Eataly has now acquired the lease for a brand new grocery store and food hall at 200 Lafayette Street, their third location to open in New York since 2010. The space was formerly home to a luxury appliance showroom called Pirch, and will offer Eataly a total 18,353 square feet of space on the ground floor and and lower level.
The new space isn’t expected to open until mid-2023, as the team needs time to properly build it out. While you wait, you can visit their flagship store on Fifth Avenue, or their Downtown location at 101 Liberty Street, which opened up back in 2016. For more information, you can follow Eataly on Instagram for regular updates as the story progresses.
