A Guided Tour Through Eataly Downtown

If you thought it was impossible for Eataly to outdo their flagship Flatiron store, you’ll have to catch an eyeful of the newly opened Eataly Downtown.  Located on the third floor of World Trade Center Tower 4, this massive emporium offers all of the Italian eats and treats that visitors have come to love; including a dazzling marketplace selling over 10,000 hyper-regional products.  But there’s a whole lot more besides — we’re talking a mozzarella bar, a smoothie station, a breakfast café, a wood-fired bread bakery, a pastry parlor and a bevy of standalone restaurants — so before you go, best to get your bearings with our Eataly Downtown mini tour.

The Restaurants:

La Pizza & La Pasta: An Eataly empire regular, this casual restaurant is focused on two of Italy’s most beloved imports — slinging Neapolitan-style pizzas traditionally topped with San Marzano tomatoes and mozzarella di bufala, as well as Napoli-sourced dried and fresh, elastic pastas made daily at the adjacent counter; think Ravioli padded with local ricotta and spinach, Pappardelle tossed with wild mushrooms, and Tagliatelle mounded with brisket ragu.

La Piazza: Modeled after bustling Italian city squares, La Piazza is positioned, appropriately enough, right in the center of Eataly; luring in passerby with shareable bites like salumi, formaggi, crudo, antipasti and of course, plenty of wine and beer.

Il Pesce: Il Pesce serves as the ideal showcase for the pristine, sustainable seafood selections sold on the other side of the market, incorporating them into preparations such as Steamed Clams over spaghetti squash, Seared Scallops with purple potatoes and whole, char-grilled Fish.

Orto e Mare: Featuring floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Manhattan, this stylish restaurant offers Eataly‘s first extensive breakfast program — expect Frittatas with crab and leeks, Pancakes with seasonal fruit and lemon butter and Cornetti fashioned with extra virgin olive oil — as well as an appealing vegetable-focused menu well into the evening; including Heirloom Tomato and Watermelon Salad, Roasted Portobello Mushrooms teamed with stone fruit and watercress, and charred Verdure Miste over quinoa, in a red wine vinaigrette.

Osteria della Pace: Helmed by chef Riccardo Orfino, this new Eataly addition focuses on the cuisine of southern Italy, offering lacy chickpea Panelle crowned with braised escarole and ricotta salata, Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe moistened with caciocavallo sauce, spring onion puree and pepper, and Suckling Pig glazed in honey, and served with garlic marinated eggplant.

 

The Counters:

La Focacceria: Along with pizza alla pala (a thin-crusted Roman street snack, named after the wooden paddle on which its served), this spot specializes in sweet and savory Italian flatbreads, dotted with olives, tomatoes and sea salt or sugar, blueberries and peaches.

Le Insalate: Surprisingly enough, this is Eataly’s first salad bar, allowing patrons to dress made-to-order assortments of seasonal greens, produce and grains with a selection of regional extra virgin olive oils and aged vinegars.

La Piadina: Enjoy grilled flatbreads filled with porchetta, broccolini, beef bresaola and prosciutto crudo de parma, at a counter designed to evoke the blue and white striped beach tents lining the coastal towns of Emilia Romagna.

La Gastronomia: Grab meals to-go, based on recipes from co-founders Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich, such as Baked Lasagna and Grilled Shrimp with vegetables.

Il Gelato: No Italian feast would be complete without a scoop of this dreamy dairy dessert, crafted from New York-sourced milk, Sicilian pistachios, Torino chocolate and Piedmontese hazelnuts.

Eataly Downtown
101 Liberty St.
(212) 897-2895
www.eataly.com