Mario Batali’s Otto Briefly Shut Down Again by Health Department for Mice

The Department of Health shut down Greenwich Village Italian restaurant Otto Enoteca e Pizzeria yet again last week. The big pasta and pizza spot from B&B Hospitality Group — the company still owned in part by disgraced celebrity chef Mario Batali, though he’s no longer part of operations — is set to reopen today after shuttering for sanitary violations including presence of roaches and mice.

On the January 3rd inspection, Otto was docked a total of 38 points for violations such as evidence of mice or live mice, presence of live roaches, a facility that’s not vermin-proof, and improperly installed plumbing. The restaurant, located at 1 Fifth Ave. at East 8th Street, closed temporarily last July for similar issues.

A B&B spokesperson blamed the issues on “construction-related work in the area” in a statement. Over the weekend, the restaurant posted to Instagram saying it was closed “for maintenance and repairs.” It’s expected to reopen today.

Otto is one of the more casual restaurants in the Batali and partner Joe Bastianich’s NYC Italian restaurant empire. Opened near the New York University campus in 2003, it has long been popular for group dinners and accessible Italian fare.

But in December 2017, Batali stepped away from operations at this and other restaurants following accusations of sexual misconduct. Though he’s supposed to divest from B&B Hospitality Group, he remains a financial partner. And besides the health department shutter, the restaurant also announced a security issue last year. Otto’s credit card systems had a security breach in March 2017 and March of 2018, potentially exposing customers to malware.

• Mario Batali’s Otto Briefly Shuttered by Health Department for Mice Infestation [ENY]