Lower Manhattan’s transformation from culinary desert into a foodie Shangri-La is taking a giant step forward with the opening this week of Eataly, the high-end Mediterranean market that gained fame on West 23rd Street as a culinary version of Disney World. The company is debuting a 40,000-square foot outpost (also containing multiple sit-down restaurants) on the third floor of Four World Trade Center, with the entrance on Church Street, between Liberty and Cortland Streets.
While the exact day has not yet been confirmed, the new outpost will differ from its uptown predecessors by serving breakfast (hours will be 7:00 am through 11:00 pm), and offering a full juice bar. Two sit-down restaurants Osteria della Pace (southern Italian) and Orto e Mare (seafood) will also be housed within the facility.
More glad tidings for gourmands: Whole Foods has announced plans to open a second Lower Manhattan location, at the corner of Broadway and Exchange Place. But the satiety offered by the renowned organic grocer will be a tad delayed: The new, two-level, 44,000-square foot store (with entrances on Broadway, Exchange Place, and New Street) is slated to open sometime in 2018. The new Whole Foods will be one component of a larger, 155,000-square-foot retail complex within a residential conversion of the landmarked One Wall Street building.
Among the happy customers will be Jessica Lappin, president of the Downtown Alliance, who said, “the announcement of Whole Foods coming to One Wall Street is one of many recent signs that Lower Manhattan has matured into a welcoming, full-service neighborhood that can meet the needs of both its residents and its workforce. Between the thriving restaurant scene, the tremendous growth of new retail stores, and now a centrally located grocery store, Lower Manhattan residents no longer have a reason to leave Downtown. Whole Foods will be a great addition to this location.”