New York City: Eataly Downtown (August 2017)

Eataly Downtown – Shop, Dine, Learn, and Cook
My spouse and I visited Eataly Downtown twice on the same weekend in mid-August 2017. (We were staying across the street [diagonally] at the Millennium Hilton; see our separate review.) On our first visit, we dined at the excellent Osteria della Pace (see our separate review), and the next day, we returned to buy some takeaway pastries at the La Pasticceria e Venchi counter. Previously, we have visited Eataly locations in NYC’s Flatiron neighborhood and in Boston. Additional US locations include Chicago and soon-to-be-open Los Angeles, in addition to international locations in Italy, Monaco, Korea, Japan, Turkey, Brazil, and the UAE. Eataly Downtown is open daily from 7:00 am until 11:00 pm.
The Downtown location of Eataly covers 40,000+ square feet of on the third floor of World Trade Center Tower Four. (It is easiest to access Eataly from Liberty Street, but you can also make your way there from the Oculus mall/transportation hub.) The Eataly space includes places to shop and eat, and the Downtown location seems more spacious, uncluttered, and uncrowded than its Flatiron sibling. In fact, the Downtown location is so large that it offers a guest relations desk at the door where you can pick up a map! You can keep yourself busy at Eataly in many ways: drinking an espresso, buying some hand-crafted mozzarella cheese or pasta, taking a class at the Foodiversita, or eating at one of the five restaurants and six take-away counters. Restaurants include Vino e Grano (“Wine and Grain”), Le Stagioni (“The Seasons"), Osteria della Pace (“Tavern of Peace”), and La Pizza & La Pasta. The first two restaurants accept reservations online using the Reserve website, whereas Osteria uses Open Table; The Pizza & Pasta area offers first-come, first-seated dining. Tip: If you only want to eat but not shop at Eataly, take the “sensory shortcut” near the entrance that leads to the rear dining areas by bypassing the shop shelves and counters . Takeaway areas include I Ravioli, La Focacceria, La Gastronomia, Il Gelato, La Pasticceria e Venchi (pastries), La Rosticceria (roasted food), I Panini & Le Ciabatte (panini and ciabatta), and Caffe Lavazza (coffee and snacks).
Although the Flatiron location holds a special position as NYC’s first Eataly, we love the expansive atmosphere of the Downtown location.








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