Eataly's Huge Rooftop Beer Garden/Restaurant to Open Soon

Mario Batali's Eataly is already a huge hit, after just eight months: it's constantly slammed day and night, the critics love it, tourists think it's the coolest thing in the known universe, and sometimes random flash mobs break out in the pastry department. But the Italian megamart is about to get even crazier (if you can believe it), with the addition of La Birreria, a massive rooftop brewery and restaurant from Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, with breathtaking views of the Empire State Building, Madison Square Park and The Flatiron. It should open in about a month, and they're currently hiring kitchen staff.

The 8,000 square foot, 300-seat beer garden was originally slated to debut in November, but was delayed due to difficulties related to the large copper clad brewing system, which needed to be lifted on top of the building with a crane. The space will feature a retractable roof and ales from three different brewmasters — two from Italy, one from America — including Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. Calagione told a beer blog that "The idea is to create an artisanal, old world Italian craft brewery that just happens to be located on a rooftop in Manhattan." Naturally, there will be Eataly-branded ale on tap, and a menu of Italian fare to go along with it.

The only question is: can Eataly handle even more crowds? Also: will Michael White open another Italian beer garden to catch some of the spillover?
· All Coverage of Eataly [~ENY~]
[Krieger]