Danny Meyer’s Maialino Will Return to Gramercy Park

67 Irving Place, a former printing factory and Beaux-Arts fixture of Gramercy since 1910, has been transformed into a residential building by Morris Adjmi Architects​ featuring 11 homes (each on its own floor). Its most alluring amenity, particularly for New York City’s culinary elite: restaurateur Danny Meyer’s Maialino will occupy the property’s street-level space. It’s a highly anticipated return to the neighborhood for the Roman-style trattoria that first opened in the Gramercy Park Hotel in 2009.

Meyer moved his family to Gramercy in 1998. He’s still a resident—and his daughter Hallie even opened Caffè Panna there. Meyer’s group, Union Square Hospitality, is full of gourmet treasures—including Union Square Cafe (which celebrated its 40th anniversary last October), Gramercy Tavern, Manhatta, Porchlight, Ci Siamo, The Modern, and Time Square’s revolving wonder, The View. Maialino, however, was uniquely personal.

Meyer got a call from hotelier Ian Schrager as he was developing the Gramercy Park Hotel. “The first time he came knocking I said ‘nope, I don’t want to do it.’ We’re not like Ian Schrager. He’s about who cannot get in and we’re like, ‘come on in, everybody.’” Meyer explained during a reception for 67 Irving Place at Union Square Cafe. Schrager went with another restaurateur who pulled out with four weeks to go. Schrager called him back—and Meyer refused again. After another chef fell through, Meyer said yes.

“That’s when I came up with the idea for Maialino,” Meyer continued. “I love Rome. I lived in Rome. I studied in Rome. I worked in Rome as a tour guide when I was much younger. I called Ian and I said I’ve got the idea. In Rome, there are thousands of trattorias. What’s interesting is that if you look at those, the menu overlap is about 90%. It’s almost the exact same menu—unlike New York, where it’s ‘what can I do that you’ve never heard of before?’ In Rome, it’s ‘can I do the best version of something you know really well? Can I be the trattoria that’s your home away from home?’ That’s how you distinguish them. The hospitality.”

Maialino amassed critical acclaim and commercial success—but the Gramercy Park Hotel closed in March 2020. The restaurant had a roughly year-long stint at the Redbury New York Hotel before that property transformed into a migrant shelter. “We have spent the last five years saying Maialino is coming back—and it’s got to be in this neighborhood,” Meyer said. “We looked at a lot of different buildings.”

Meyer can see 67 Irving Place from his windows at home. “I’m excited to be a part of a project where the building itself will be the center point of our community,” he said. “We are going to be able to offer amenities for the people who buy these homes.” Maialino will deliver food to residents in their homes, and offer reservation privileges in the restaurant. They’ll also waive corkage fees so that residents can enjoy their own bottles of wine. “We will be ourselves for the rest of the neighborhood,” he concluded, “which worked out pretty well for the 13 years we were open.”