The opening of Eataly Chicago has generated considerable buzz. When I visited on a recent weekend, the cavernous store was filled with curious shoppers checking it out.
Located near the Bloomingdale’s Home Store just off Michigan Avenue, Eataly is an 18,000 square-foot emporium devoted to Italian fare.
Its two-story space has the feel of an indoor market. It offers 8 different dining options and stocks a wide variety of Italian housewares, groceries, wines, beer, and other specialty items.
Eataly is the brainchild of maverick retailer Oscar Farinetti, who, in partnership with celebrity chefs Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich, has so far succeeded in establishing 26 Eatalies globally. Besides the one in Chicago, there is one other Eataly in the US, in New York City. (The rest of the stores are mainly in Italy and Japan, with one in Dubai and one in Turkey.) Perhaps this accounts for Chicago’s palpable excitement and pride.
The scale of the store and its ambitious concept are perhaps Eataly’s most distinctive features. It has the sleek warehouse-type feel of an upscale Ikea, complete with groovy modern light-fixtures and eye-catching signs.
The signs preach a sermon about the excellence of the Italian approach to cuisine, which seems kind of misplaced, since Chicagoans are no strangers to Italian cooking and pretty sophisticated when it comes to drinking and food.
The wares for sale are beautifully displayed. This is one of the beverage aisles. At the end are the honeys and the teas.
The breadth of the offerings is pretty impressive.
One of the stations, serving cured meats and cheeses.
Some of the Italian cheeses for sale.
A huge assortment of cheese on both sides of the aisle. Fresh mozzarella is made in-house each day.
The pastries are complex and lovely; the prices high.
Stopping to eat and drink while grocery-shopping is an irresistible idea. Eataly’s restaurants were crowded that day.
I stopped by on another occasion to sample the food and wasn’t impressed. There are already so many wonderful smaller establishments in Chicago devoted to Italian food! I worry that Eataly will put them out of business, but, then, Eataly’s location and its condescending tenor suggest that it is geared mainly toward neophytes and tourists.
On Yelp, Eataly is garnering decidedly mixed reviews. Still, it’s a new hot spot. If you’re in the vicinity, why not stop by and judge for yourself?
harley says
I went there about three weeks ago or so and found it be simply way, way too overwhelming. It was very noisy and crowded. I did not eat there but only picked up a few cheeses. However, their selections of foods is quite impressive. Wonder how much it cost to get it built and started. . . . . By the by, nice photos and captions.
Celia says
Good question about how much it all cost; if I find any figures, I will let you know.
The question in my mind is whether it will continue to attract enough visitors once the newness has worn off. The place is very high overhead, with lots of perishable goods that need to be moved. . . . It’s really a glorified food court. But the choice of location is very shrewd. Wait and see, Harley.
Lori D says
Oh Celia, how I miss those Italian stores from back home. That Imperial Eataly place looks phenomenal. I think I’ll put that on my list to hit on my next visit to Mom’s. Thanks for blogging about it.
I grew up in the burbs, and there was always a corner mom & pop Italian store at some close-by corner (and I’m Italian). We had one here in the city where I live, and I had to drive 15 miles to get there. I blogged about it last May when I drove up there and found it had closed down. Sigh. Well, at least I can enjoy the three things I like about it here right now, January, February & March.
Here’s the post from last May.
http://loreezlane.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/food-home/
Celia says
Lori–I was thinking of you while writing this post. You must visit Eataly! I will be curious to hear what you think of it. It’s a huge place, and I think that I would have needed a few hours just to look carefully at all the grocery sections. A lot of the stuff is imperishable and you could take it home with you to Florida!
Hoping all is well with you.
Celia