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Downtown Brooklyn is getting a major new dining destination next year, and it's right next door to one of the borough’s busiest entertainment hubs.
Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment announced a new partnership with Casa Tua to open Cucina by Casa Tua inside One Hanson Place, the historic tower just steps from Barclays Center that the company recently acquired. The restaurant is slated to debut in 2027 as part of a broader transformation of the landmark building into a hospitality and cultural hub.
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“Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment has built its business as an entertainment platform committed to creating elevated, innovative, and unforgettable experiences inspired by Brooklyn,” said Sam Zussman, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment's chief executive officer, in an official statement. “Through our venues, sports franchises, and growing portfolio of businesses, we’ve consistently delivered dynamic experiences for our fans. The acquisition of One Hanson Place represents a strategic opportunity to expand beyond Barclays Center, apply that expertise in a new setting, and partner with best-in-class brands like Casa Tua to bring this vision to life as part of our long-term commitment to the borough and beyond.”
The headliner will be Cucina, a more expansive, neighborhood-driven concept from Casa Tua, the hospitality group known for its polished, high-design Italian restaurants in Miami, Aspen and Paris. While the brand already has a foothold in New York, this Brooklyn outpost is expected to lean more casual and communal, with an emphasis on everyday dining rather than special-occasion splurges. (Diners probably already did that with tickets to Barclays Center.)
Still, don’t expect anything low-key. Cucina’s calling card includes theatrical open kitchens, lively aperitivo bars and a curated market of Italian goods. Plans for the space include lounges, private dining rooms and event areas, suggesting the venue could double as a go-to for everything from date nights to parties.
Casa Tua, founded in Miami Beach in 2001 by Miky and Leticia Grendene, has steadily built a reputation for intimate, design-forward spaces that blend dining with a sense of community. Cucina represents a slightly different approach, bigger, more flexible and more embedded in the neighborhood.
There’s still plenty to be announced—an opening timeline beyond “2027,” design details and what else will fill out the building—but if Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment can translate even a fraction of Barclays Center’s energy into a dining setting, Downtown Brooklyn’s after-hours scene could look very different in the next few years.