The new Eataly location opened up in the Summer of 2015. I waited for a while before I visited, since I assumed it will be crazy crowded with everyone checking it out. I finally went for a visit during the Winter, on a weekday. It was cold and a bit rainy, so the Eataly was almost empty (also the fact that we got there in the morning hours). It is located on the third floor of World Trade Center Tower 4, all the way down town, in a brand-new, beautiful glass building.
It was very clean, well lit, and festive for the holiday season. They had lots of Italian cakes in a box for holiday gifts. We got to sample a small piece, it was more like sponge cake and pretty nice. We did not buy any, as we didn’t need a large sponge cake, but it is a good option to have for a future gifts or party.
The set up was similar to the first Eataly, with grocery section and all the other sections, all separated into small areas. I felt like this Eataly was brighter with windows from floor to ceiling. The produce looked nice and fresh, vibrant color and lots of selections. Yes they could be a bit pricey, but that is Eataly. Right next to the produce section was wine section, where you can have a sip right there, while you shop.
And they have refrigerated section for all kinds of cheese of course, and aisles and aisles of interesting products. I have seen some elderly Italian ladies shopping at Eataly, so I believe they have lots of authentic Italian groceries.
I always like checking out their fish section, as I love seafood. They always seems to have really fresh seafood, including ready-to-bake fishes, with herbs and lemons inside the fish. Again, they are not cheap, but they do come with quality.
If you have never been to Eataly, it is really fascinating. They have bread section, pasta section, cheese section, meat section, etc. At each section, you can eat or drink something right there, buy ingredients, or buy already-made items to take home.
If you want a full dining experience, they do have a large dining area. This is different from the other Eataly. I like this setting much better. They have lots of seating, and with walls being all windows, it was really bright. As it was before lunch time, there was no customer there eating, other than few staffs having their late breakfast or early lunch.
They had two golden pizza ovens, I believe the other Eataly have only one. They are ready to accommodate large crowds for sure. Since they are closed to Financial District, maybe they do get lots of lunch crowds from nearby offices.
One thing I must mention is their incredible view. From the window by the dining area, there is a perfect view of the 9/11 memorial site. Really breath taking. Even if you are not going to dine here, it is worth the extra few steps to see it. Another really interesting item is an olive tree. Yes, an actual olive tree, right in the middle of the dining area! They have olive oils around it on the soil, with photos of all kinds of olives around it. So cool!
And who can forget the really tasty section, also known as desserts??? They have coffee, gelato, and all kinds of sweet goodness towards the back. They do have some seating here also, for the ones who just want to relax over coffee and desserts. We had a cappuccino here, and even though ordering process was fast enough, but getting the coffee took a while. There were two staffs preparing all the coffee orders, and since the coffee are made to order with those espresso machine. Needless to say it takes long time to get them made…unless there is no one in front of you. In my case, I had maybe 5-6 people in font of me, and one of them ordered 4 coffee! They need to make a better way to make all the coffee orders…
The amount of desserts they have are ridiculous, and they all looked sooooo yummy!!! How can anyone decide on which one to buy??? I have had few of their desserts, and each one has been really tasty. If I could, I would have ordered one of everything… But then again, I can’t afford to gain any more weight, and also have to keep my wallet from getting too thin…
They do have many more cute little items that does not add any weights, such as books, games, tote bags, and T-shirts. They are pretty cute too, really nice selections of gifts for your loved ones, or for yourself, of course.
I especially like the Italian language book, “Italian Slanguage” and all sorts of recipe books in a shape of the recipe topics. Super adorable. I definitely want to have the Italian Slanguage book, I must get it the next time I visit!
It is such a fun place to visit, and a good spot to relax over a good cup of cappuccino. And even if you are not buying anything, it is still pretty interesting to look around and see all of their offerings. They do have several bathrooms too, so that is a plus. So next time you are in the area, head over to Eataly and check them out, especially the dessert section!
Eataly NYC Downtown – 101 Liberty St, New York, NY 10006