Roscioli Offers a Taste of Rome in New York City
Whenever Giada goes home to Rome, she makes a stop at Antico Forno Roscioli, a 50-year-old bakery and local institution run by the Roscioli family. With multiple restaurants and shops, the Roscioli name has become synonymous with classic Roman food. Now, for the first time ever, you can get their unique taste of Rome on this side of the Atlantic—they’ve just opened a Roscioli location in New York City.
In Rome, the Roscioli empire stretches around a block near the Campo De’ Fiori, encompassing Antico Forno Roscioli, where Giada gets her favorite pizza bianco with mortadella; Salumeria Roscioli, a full-service restaurant fronted by a well-stocked shop with salumi, cheeses, and deli goods; Roscioli Caffè, for pastries and coffee; and Rimessa Roscioli, a boite that offers wine tastings and prix fixe menus with wine pairings in a convivial atmosphere that’s like a dinner party with friends.
It's the latter of these that the Roscioli family has brought to New York, led by Rimessa Roscioli manager Mattia Moliterni. While the brand has never before expanded beyond their little corner of Rome, finding the New York space, which sits in a landmarked red-brick townhouse built in 1846 in Greenwich Village, seemed like the stars aligning.
In 2019, the Rimessa Roscioli team were holding events in the U.S. for the members of their subscription wine club, which sources interesting, hard-to-find organic Italian wines and ships throughout the E.U. and in the U.S. In New York, they were hosted at the supper club Niche Niche, where they felt an instant connection over the informal, party-with-friends vibe and flexibility of the space to host specialty events. Fast-forward a few years (and a pandemic) later, and Niche Niche’s owner was ready to partner with the Roscioli team to transform the space into a little taste of Rome.
It's the first Roscioli location outside of their block near the Campo De’ Fiori, and while it might have been simpler for the business to expand within Italy before going international, that’s not the way they do things. “Once you decide to do something not in Rome, the effort is big,” says Moliterni. “If we decide to do it, we have to do it in the place that we think is best. New York is in our hearts.” Driven by a love for the city and the exciting challenge of meeting New York diners’ high standards, they made the leap.
While there’s no way to fully export the Rome experience, Roscioli NYC combines elements of a few of their properties to give a taste of Rome. On the ground floor, a deli counter and shop sit next to seating where an à la carte menu will present a selection of Salumeria favorites like carbonara and cacio e pepe. The heart of the venture is downstairs in the cozy, inviting space that once held a jazz club, where a Rimessa-like experience offers prix fixe tasting menus and one-off events hosting winemakers, cheesemakers, and other artisans. Curated pairings with special Italian wines will, of course, be at the heart of the experience. For those living in or visiting the NYC area, Roscioli NYC is a trip to Rome that doesn’t require a passport—but it will require a reservation. In its first weeks, demand for the nightly tasting menu and evening events has snatched up reservations as soon as they’ve been released. Afternoon expert-led wine classes are a great opportunity to learn about underrepresented Italian varieties. Rome is clearly in New Yorkers’ hearts, too.
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