Eataly, the global Italian marketplace and retail superstore — just don’t call it a food hall, because they don’t — debuted this month at West Palm Beach’s CityPlace, and mamma mia, you’ll be up to your eyeballs in glorious excess.
The West Palm Beach mega-mercato, which opened on Dec. 6, becomes the Torino, Italy-founded brand’s second South Florida location, following the summer opening of Eataly in Aventura. The market has a mighty U.S. presence, with 16 stores from New York and Chicago to Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
Eataly / Courtesy
Tristan Eaton’s mural “The Italian Art of Living” hangs inside Eataly West Palm Beach, which debuted in early December. (Eataly / Courtesy)
“Eataly West Palm Beach is not only a continuation of our presence in South Florida, but an emblem of our brand’s mission to showcase the Italian Art of Living,” Tommaso Brusò, CEO of Eataly North America, said in a statement.
Across 23,000 square feet of shopping space inside the former Harriet Himmel Theater, there’s imported cut-to-order salumi, bright boxes of panettone, Roman-style pizza (more on that later), fresh truffles and caviar, olive oils and wine varietals of every hue. There’s also a cooking school and a performance stage for demonstrations.
And the fresh pasta! A kaleidoscope of carbohydrates in every shape awaits, but perusers may want to stymie the urge to possess them all on their first visit. For one, they’re fragile (or fra-gee-lay, which is Italian), and two — oh, look, one counter over, there’s mortadella studded with pistachios. And fresh burrata! Better save some trunk space for those.
You get the point: It’s a mesmerizing circus of endless choices, and it can overwhelm, especially with hundreds of similarly awestruck shoppers milling around. So here’s a breakdown of the restaurants, the market and the grab-and-go-counters, just in time for New Year’s Day parties.
Eataly / Courtesy
Full-service restaurant La Pizza & La Pasta features 15 styles of Napoli-style pizza, plus antipasti, aperitivos and a smaller menu of artisanal pastas. (Eataly / Courtesy)
The restaurants
La Pizza & La Pasta: It’s 15 styles of Napoli-style pizza at this sit-down, including the Related Pizza (so named after Eataly developer Related Ross), with San Marzano tomato sauce, Napoli mozzarella, 18-month prosciutto, fresh burrata, basil and olive oil. There are also rustic breads, antipasti, aperitivos and an abbreviated menu of artisanal pastas also served at Il Pastaio.
Il Pastaio: This full-service restaurant serves housemade pasta by the bowlful, prepared daily by Eataly’s own pastai, who knead, roll, cut and form each shape from scratch, yielding dishes from tagliatelle alla bolognese to tonnarelli cacio e pepe. There are also salads, cured meats and cheeses.
Eataly / Courtesy
La Pizza alla Pala is a grab-and-go stall devoted to oval-shaped, Roman-style pies. (Eataly / Courtesy)
The Counters
La Salumeria: The stuff from which decadent charcuterie boards are made, customers can order cured meats and cheeses by the pound, such as prosciutto di parma and Parmigiano-Reggiano and even jars of fig jam.
La Pizza alla Pala: A grab-and-go devoted to pizza alla pala, so named because the dough is stretched over an oval paddle. These Roman-style pies with airy, focaccia-like crust, are sold by the slice.
La Pasta Fresca: Fresh, hand-formed pastas of every color and shape can be ordered here, from orecchiette to linguine.
La Pasticceria: Indulge in chocolate-filled cakes, chantilly-filled bignès (cream puffs), fruit tarts, baba al rum. Or have a tray of tiramisu portioned for four or more, so you can tell your family you made it or accidentally-on-purpose forget to tell anyone you bought it, then feast on it yourself. We won’t judge.
Il Gelato: Picture rich chocolate, hazelnut, pistachio and other fruit flavors in sorbetto and gelato form, sold by the scoop.
Caffè Lavazza: As the name implies, find espressos, after-dinner drinks, traditional colazione Italiana (Italian breakfast), including custard-filled cornetti and biscotti.
Eataly / Courtesy
Aisles of wines are broken down by varietals at Eataly West Palm Beach. (Eataly / Courtesy)
The Markets
Lining the market aisles are must-haves for any New Year’s Day celebration, including candies, chocolates, House-branded panettones in colorful boxes and bottles of Franciacorta, a sparkling wine from Lombardi. There’s also a curated produce section stocked with endive, radicchio, fennel, limes and beefsteak tomatoes
If you go
What: Eataly West Palm Beach
When: Now open
Where: 580 Hibiscus St., West Palm Beach, inside CityPlace
Info: Call 728-728-8440 or go to Eataly.com
Eataly / Courtesy
Eataly West Palm Beach opened on Dec. 6 inside the former Harriet Himmel Theater at CityPlace in downtown West Palm Beach. (Eataly / Courtesy)
Dining and Cooking