RIVER NORTH — The excruciating wait to devour a haul of food from Eataly is about to get a lot shorter with the debut of the Italian marketplace’s latest restaurant, which will allow guests to pick their own raw ingredients from Eataly’s various market counters for their meal.
Eataly Chicago will open the “market-to-table” concept, Osteria del Mercato, on Nov. 1. Diners will have two options: selecting dishes from the osteria menu, or visiting Eataly’s fresh market counters to pick their own seafood and Italian meats. Chefs will then sauté the counter picks in extra-virgin olive oil and sea salt.
“It will be the only place in the city where the market truly is your menu,” says Chicago store director Malory Scordato.
Eataly executive chef Will Serafini has crafted a menu that also highlights the marketplace’s offerings, including a 48-ounce porterhouse; thinly-sliced, herb-crusted carpaccio with shaved mushrooms and arugula; and a Milanese breaded pork cutlet doused in lemon juice and served with olive oil-cured cherry tomatoes.
Diners can also select from Eataly’s extensive, 1,000-plus collection of Italian wines and pop a bottle with their dinner.
The two-story marketplace will roll out a storewide celebration to mark the osteria’s opening from Nov. 1-17. Two-course prix fixe menus will be offered for $20, along with special wine pairing options. Osteria del Mercato will also host a monthly Supper Club series, launching Nov. 3, during which Eataly butchers, cheesemongers and other curators will highlight the best Italian ingredients and dishes.
The 96-seat restaurant, Eataly’s first new permanent restaurant in six years, will open on the second floor of Eataly, 43 E. Ohio St., replacing Il Pesce, Le Verdure and La Piazza. It will also feature a bar with an abbreviated menu, akin to the offerings at La Piazza.
Osteria del Mercato will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays.