Baita At La Birreria
“We were originally hoping to get there a little early so we could see, taste and perhaps purchase some of the delicious offerings downstairs at Eataly.”
“For my main course, I had the Strangolapreti con burro e salvia ($16), which is housemade bread and spinach dumplings with butter and sage.”
“Once you reach the rooftop, you transported into this super warm, inviting, and chic ski lodge in the middle of NYC.”
Baita At La Birreria
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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The winter pop-up Baita is a perfect place to spend a winter's night in New York. Baita is northern Italian dialect for mountain hut (Blockhütte) and sure enough the 14th floor in this Flatiron building is indeed done up to look like an Alpine Lodge. First check – atmosphere is a shining five stars. That was easy. Now drinks? There is an excellent and large drink menu – have fun choosing. I was happy on the beer menu to see Victory Brewery from just outside Philly as well as Dogfish from Delaware represented. On the wine carte, two different Lagreins from Südtirol were on offer. As this is a favorite wine of mine, you know what I ordered. Drinks = five stars. And finally the food. Okay now here is where a little disappointment comes in. Prices are high (at least by Philadelphia and Austrian standards – perhaps not by New York measurement) and the portions are small. The quality was just okay. Forget the raclette – it doesn't compare to the real deal you eat in Switzerland. Service was adequate but it was also super crowded and I thought the wait staff were trying as hard as they could. Food & service is three stars. So the overall rating is: ……drum roll…… Four Stars. The atmosphere and drinks make up for the food in this cool pop-up winter hangout in NYC!
When you enter the building you are transported in a foodie paradise, Eately!. As you make your way to the elevator to the rooftop, you are walking by all of these interesting looking international beers, pasta sauces, and unique oils all of which make you hungry and feel like you need to go home and throw down some Ina Garten in your gourmet NYC apartment kitchen. Way cool and will go back to Eately alone!
Once you reach the rooftop, you transported into this super warm, inviting, and chic ski lodge in the middle of NYC. The food looked delicious but we did not partake. We hung out at the bar which had a very good selection of beer (actually hard to find in NY). I had an American Pale Ale which was very good, citra hoppy!
I would definitely return to the entire establishment, to eat, to drink, and to browse/shop. Very cool atmosphere and I can't wait to go back and see what it looks like once the "pop up" is gone!
If you need a place to take your out-of-state friends, a little off the beaten path from the typical touristy attractions…this place does the trick. Explore their copious amounts of beers and enjoy the view.
Great spot. If you are lucky enough to get in…. It is NYC and crazy busy all the time. The melted cheese is something straight out of heaven. And the homemade sausages on their bed of kraut get you ready for a great nap! Awesome comfort food. The beer and wine selection is just as strong as the food list. They brew a few different kinds of beer on this roof top cloud of heaven! Service is a little slow. (That's why the 4 and not 5)
We didn't have reservations but they took our phone number and said they'd text us in 30 mins when a table opened up. Thankfully, it actually turned out to be only 10 mins!
Amazing decor! It felt like we were in the Swiss Alps and with the Christmas holiday season, it was even more gorgeous. I couldn't stop taking pictures of the decor in here. It was so pretty. A pure delight to the eyes.
The beer selection is great and every beer I had was amazing.
For an appetizer, we got the Sciatt, beer battered and fried piave cheese ($8). It was really deliciously naughty. Be careful, they come out HOT. Also, the cheese is super salty.
For my main course, I had the Strangolapreti con burro e salvia ($16), which is housemade bread and spinach dumplings with butter and sage. The word supposedly means "priest strangers" as priests enjoyed this dish so much that they would eat it until they choked.
And I completely agree! I would like to bath in a pool of this pasta with my jaw unhinged. The dumplings were soft balls of pure delight in an amazingly decadent sauce.
I would eat this every night if I could.
We also had amazing service. Our waitress was super friendly, super helpful, and just so much fun to talk to. I definitely really liked her. She also knew her beers, which is always a perk.
It is a little pricey but what can you expect? Also, the bathrooms are a little out of the way (back down the stairs you go) but at least they're clean and roomy, which is rare in NYC.
I cannot wait to return!
The average of 5 stars for food and 1 star for service is a 3.
The food — loved both pastas! They portions are small so don't hesitate to get both. Fresh and flavorful, and I'm not usually a gnocchi fan but this was soft and delicious.
The cheese sampler was also great, and with the side of honey.
The rice pilaf with tuna I enjoyed, though it might not be for everyone if you don't like salty foods. The octopus was meaty, but I wasn't a fan of the flavor of its accompaniments.
The service however was pretty nonexistent. It was a combination of our particular hostess and server clearly hating their jobs and a lack of enough staff to handle the diners. It was impossible to get our waters refilled without asking. I asked our server for silverware and then had to ask again to someone different. When I asked the server for some kind of implement to drizzle the honey on to the cheese, I was later handed a full on knife from someone's table.
When wrapping our leftovers, I got a box that had a mix of my leftover gnocchi, mashed potatoes, and octopus….yea that's appetizing to eat later…
The venue is pretty loud with music and people, but a great piece of real estate.
A friend of mine, who I use to work with, is studying at CUNY, and one of our friends who we worked with was making a stop in NYC. We had not eaten at Eataly yet, so we decided to meet up here! When you walk in, it's a little chaotic. Luckily, there's a main hostess/info stand in the middle and the friendly gentleman explained the various restaurants inside. We decide on Baita since it was on the rooftop.
We did have to go to two different hostess stands, one on the lower level, and then one at the top. The dining area is beautiful! I love the open air feel and the panels warmed the space up nicely. Our server, Jennifer, was so sweet and explained the menu since it was our first time. I had the pork shoulder which was tender and juicy and came with an apple slaw. Liz had the pasta with basil and an arugala sald, Daveed had the delicious veal and Bobby had the chicken. Everything came out in a timely manner and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day!
I would say that it is a little pricey, but it is something fun to try, and I would definitely come back when my travels bring me back to NYC!
Maybe it's because every tourist knows about Eataly and wants to go there. Maybe it's because there's not many good places in the Flatiron district for casual but good eats after dark. But whatever it is, Baita and Eataly are riding heavily on Batali's name rather than their own merits. The food is mediocre and overpriced. Sure you'll score high points with your out of towner friends for taking them to this place that they've heard about and read about in their airplane magazine. But really, turn the taxi around and take them somewhere else. They'll thank you later.