My spouse and I visited Lupa Osteria for lunch on a Sunday
afternoon in mid-October 2017. We booked a spot online using the Open Table
reservation system. Lupa offers lunch and dinner daily.
Lupa opened in fall 1999 on Thompson Street (between
Bleeker and Houston) in Greenwich Village. Lupa occupies the street level of a
building row that contains other retail on the ground floor and living spaces
above. The restaurant is jointly owned by celebrity chef Mario Batali and his
business partner. The group also operates Del Posto, Casa Mono, Babbo, and
Esca. (We have dined at all except Esca; see our separate reviews.) The
name “Lupa” references the she-wolf from the Romulus and Remus tale in Roman
mythology, although we couldn’t make a clear connection between that myth and
the restaurant.
The long, narrow restaurant features a drinks bar and salumi
counter on one side of the main dining room, with tables occupying the center
area and along the opposite wall. Brick walls and arches lend a rustic feel. Tables
are positioned closely together, creating a busy and energetic atmosphere. A
small rear dining room provides additional dining space. The front wall of the
restaurant can be opened to allow indoor-outdoor dining in appropriate weather,
and two or three tiny tables on the adjacent front terrace offer true al fresco
dining.
Lupa serves Roman trattoria cuisine, and it offers the same menu for lunch and dinner. (Note that
Lupa does not offer any weekend brunch options that include eggs or pancakes.) As
we perused the menu, our server delivered assaggi (house-made focaccia bread
with olive oil for dipping). The restaurant offers an extensive wine
list with hundreds of bottles from many regions of Italy. You can also order
Italian liqueurs, bitters (amaro), and grappa, as well as beer and cocktails.
We enjoyed the cleverly named “Just Beet It” cocktail. As appetizers, we shared
the chicken liver mousse spread atop crostini
(called fett’unta) with a pear sauce, and the squash with ricotta and garlic. As
our main dishes, we ordered the cacio e pepe bavette (similar to a spaghetti
noodle but with a slightly convex shape), and the short rib ragu casarecce
(short rolled pasta noodles). For dessert, we shared the butterscotch and goat
cheese panna cotta.
We enjoyed our lunch
at Lupa Osteria – the environment was comfortable, the food was tasty, and the
service was good.
