New York is a haven for quick bites, from world-class pizza slices to hot dogs with all the trimmings, but a really good pasta dish is usually reserved for a nice night out at an Italian restaurant.
However, with the cost of dining out higher than ever, big eaters in the Big Apple no longer need to reserve a table.
These days, you can find some of the best gnocchi in a takeout-only place in the East Village — not a white tablecloth in sight. In fact, there are no tables at all.
“Everything is going this way right now because of the economy,” Michele Iuliano, executive chef of Gnoccheria by Luzzo’s, told The Post. “People don’t want to spend the money.”
Gnocchi on 9th has a sea of hungry people lining up for the $10 pasta — which became an overnight TikTok sensation thanks to its often sold-out star attraction, served in a Chinese-style container.
Co-owner Ariel Strizower didn’t originally plan to open a takeout-only location, but he and co-owner Michael Salzano bonded over the city’s “total lack” of takeout pasta options.
“You want Italian on the go, it’s pretty much just pizza, and if you want pasta, you have to sit down and have a full meal and pay whatever they’re going to charge you at a restaurant,” Strizover told The Post.
Their solution? Discover a quick and affordable way to get pasta on the go – especially, hearty gnocchi like grandma used to make.
“Gnocchi is more about portability than eating spaghetti or fettuccine out of a box. It’s a small, bite-sized pasta,” Strizower explained.
Gnocchi on 9th is now one of several fast-casual options in Manhattan — like Bigoi Venezia on the Upper East Side, or Pasta de Pasta, also in the East Village.
After opening the grab-and-go joint at 319 E. 9th St. in April, they’ve since expanded to two more Manhattan locations — Orchard Street on the Lower East Side and Columbus Avenue on the Upper West Side.
Gaga for gnocchi
Walk down 9th Street around dinner time and you’re likely to see someone eating one of four gnocchi options — Al Pomodoro ($10), Alla Vodka ($10), Al Pesto ($11) and Black Truffle Cacio e Pepe ($14) – from a container on the street.
“It’s just an easy decision. [Customers are] it’s not time-consuming and it’s not taking a lot of money out of your pocket,” Strizower said. “You’ll get a good meal, you’ll be able to walk with it and you can go about your day.”
Recently, high schoolers Toni Hill and Elizabeth Chi had finished class for the day and were looking for a cheap and quick bite.
“This is our first time here,” Hill, 18, told The Post as she and Chi, 17, smiled at their to-go gnocchi. “It was close,” she said, and Chi added that they “found it through an Instagram reel.”
“After about two or three weeks, one of our regular customers came in and asked if she could make a video of us making our food, which then blew up on TikTok, unbeknownst to us,” Strizower said.
“The next day we sold them, the next day we sold them. We just had no idea what was going on and it hasn’t stopped since,” Strizower added.
Strizower believes the appeal is a combination of the “cute” container, the burrata option (an extra $3) and the price for a filling plate — especially in Manhattan where the cost of living is “out of control.”
“That we’re only charging $10 is remarkable,” he said. “That’s what helped us get our foot in the door with people, and then they were able to see that above the $10 price point, we were making a really tasty product.”
Nora, Maria and Dima – a group of girls who happened upon the place by chance – saw that there was a line outside and noticed that it smelled good, so they wanted to try it.
“That tastes homemade,” they agreed, as they all shared the large portion. “I’m a picky eater and I don’t even like Italian food, but this is delicious.”
“People are just happy to have something different,” Strizower said, sharing that he has encountered many people who have never had gnocchi before. “It’s something new.”
Gnoc show
Restaurants are paying attention — just a few blocks away at Gnoccheria, best known for its $42 pasta trio, Anisa Moloney-Iuliano and her husband Michele said they were responding to the trend when they decided to open a new location only for taking food. , Gnoccheria on the move, on Wall Street.
“There was a huge demand because not so many people can go to Gnoccheria. We’re not open for lunch and we were getting so many requests, so we decided to do a drive-thru station and it became extremely popular,” Anisa told The Post.
“Gnocchi puts a smile on your face,” he added.
As for whether the foodie pasta trend is here to stay, Strizower thinks it might actually be a “new mainstream.”
“Maybe it will just be a new form of acceptance and expected shopping in the city, because until now, it just wasn’t available. It wasn’t thought of as an option,” he said. “Now we’ve shown it can be done … and it can be done for a great price.”
Michele agrees, adding that it could eventually become the new part of the dollar.
“If I want pasta, I go to a restaurant and it costs $30. I go to Gnoccheria on the go, I pay $9-10.”
“And you’re still getting the same quality gnocchi that we have at the restaurant,” added Anisa.
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Image Source : nypost.com