On an evening walk (ok, lets be honest - on my way home from Shake Shack) I happened past Eataly, which opened this afternoon. I decided to brave the line of roughly 30 waiting outside for a chance to look around. I can only imagine the crowds when the real attraction opens - the rooftop beergarden. I must say the place is generally speaking magnificent, with more colors and smells then my senses could take in. It was too overcrowded for any real grocery shopping and way too crowded to sit down for a meal of my taste, but I do plan to go back.
Upon entering I was immediately impressed by the variety of unusual vegetables, including bring orange habaneros and a host of mushroom types you don’t see in an average grocery store. The hardest question next was which direction to turn with interesting looking options in every direction. I picked left - to the wonderful world of imported Italian housewares, which may be my new go-to for housewarming gifts.
Through housewares took me to a fascinating beer selection, then on past some of the many Eataly restaurants. They were themed by food type - vegetables, pizza & pasta, fish, a steakhouse, a cafe, and more. While beautiful in design, I can’t say I particular wanted to sit down to eat. All of the restaurants are solidly mixed in with the shopping, meaning your steak dinner comes with a fair share of full shopping carts bumping past the table.
Between restaurants stand many excellent focused food sections, dedicated to artisan bread, cheese (including fresh made mozzarella that I’m excited to try), vegetables prepared in front of you, fish filleted to order - everything I might need for a gourmet feast.
In my opinion the layout of Eataly leaves something to be desired to the serious shopper - as it is quite a maze to find your way around - but that is part of the adventure. Wander. Enjoy the signs, many in Italian only making reading them more of a game than a guide. Taste what you can and embrace a touch of Italy in Chelsea.
Oh, and just for fun this was my favorite English language sign. Very Italian I think, and beautifully appropriate for the New York market. Best of luck to them in what I’m sure wil be a strong first year.
- Eataly Wire: The owners of Eataly, Mario Batali’s… (eater.com)
- EATALY OPENS: Batali, Bastianich & Co.’s Mega-Temple Of Italian Food, Revealed (huffingtonpost.com)
- 50,000 sq. ft. marketplace Eataly opens in Flatiron district (nydailynews.com)
