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Everyone on Instagram is in Italy, and you too can pretend to be, thanks to this highly anticipated restaurant opening.
Roscioli just opened its first space outside of Italy, at 42 Macdougal St. offering Roman pasta dishes, Greenmarket produce, imported cheese, meats, wine and more.
The Roscioli family business dates back to 1972, with Antico Forno Roscioli, a 19th -century bakery on Rome’s Via dei Chiavari. From there, the brand expanded to include Salumeria Roscioli, Roscioli Caffè Pasticceria, and Rimessa Roscioli, a multi-experience wine bar and restaurant featuring nightly food and wine tastings recognized in the Rome episode of No Reservations.
Now, a similar concept has opened in New York, offering distinct experiences upstairs and downstairs. Reservations are now open for the pre-fixe dinner party downstairs, where a seasonal $105 four-course menu with wine pairings is offered twice nightly, at 6 pm and 8:30 pm. Dinner items may include a summery panzanella made with fresh Calabrian and semi-dried cherry tomatoes in oil sent from Puglia, plus a nightly surprise pop-in from visiting producers and artisans. A cheesemaker opening a new wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano, a salumi-maker slicing prosciutto tableside or a wine producer uncorking a special magnum may stop by the table.
Roscioli's upstairs is slated to open at the end of summer, offering a delicatessen and wine bar. The bright space will offer cheeses, meats, smoked fish, caviar, vegetables in oil, and conservi in the cases, plus a menu of Roman specialties like supplì alla Romana (mozzarella-filled rice balls) or polpette al sugo con ricotta stagionata (meatballs with tomato sauce and aged ricotta) and pastas like carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana and gricia, to be enjoyed with wines by the glass or bottle. Beers, collaborative amaros, and a spritz program developed by Rome’s celebrated Bar Salotto 42 will also be served.
Roscioli may be familiar to some New Yorkers: In December 2021, Roscioli hosted a week-long pop up at chic West Village Champagne bar Niche Niche. Thanks to the popularity of the event, Niche Niche's owner, Ariel Arce, partnered with the Roscioli family to create their first space outside of Italy.
“The thing I’ve been obsessed with is people who spend a lifetime dedicated to really high-quality experiences and products: My whole background is based on the region of Champagne and following a region for 15 years and seeing how it’s grown and evolved,” said Arce. “The Rosciolis do it on a major level when it comes to Italian specialty goods. I thought I’d tasted things of high quality before, but when you go to the Salumeria, you actually taste burrata for the first time. It is a dream and an honor to work with them in the U.S. market to apply their ethos to sourcing and bring their beloved institution to our audience.”