Torrisi – New York Served Inside the Puck Building

Torrisi occupies a corner of the landmarked Puck Building on Mulberry Street, in the heart of Nolita, within a few hundred feet of the deli where Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone first cooked together in 2009. It holds one MICHELIN Star. The pair, now partners with Jeff Zalaznick in Major Food Group, reopened under the Torrisi name in December 2022, effectively returning to the block that made their names before Carbone and Parm carried them across the city and beyond. The restaurant trades the original deli's narrow counter for vaulted ceilings and a grand double dining room, but keeps its founding idea intact: that the flavours of New York's immigrant kitchens, Italian, Jewish, Chinese, Caribbean, belong on the same plate as classical technique. It has since been named among the New York Times's 100 Best Restaurants in New York City and North America's 50 Best Restaurants list.

01The room and the setting

The restaurant sits inside one of downtown Manhattan's grandest addresses. Torrisi is housed within the iconic Puck Building on Mulberry Street, and the interior design is by Garrett Singer Architecture, with vaulted ceilings and artwork that turn the space into what the restaurant itself calls a grand New York stage. The landmarked Puck Building is one of NYC's grandest locations, and the design leans into that scale rather than away from it.

Inside, the restaurant features a bustling bar, two dining rooms, and a menu inspired by the Little Italy neighbourhood and the city's culinary traditions. High ceilings, decorative floors and an open kitchen give the main room a formal, flower-filled character, while a separate bar counter keeps things looser for walk-ins and solo diners. For private hire, the Main Dining Room seats 53, the Private Dining Room up to 30 seated or 20 standing, and there is a ten-seat Chef's Table.

02The chef

Rich Torrisi grew up in Westchester, New York, where he began working in local restaurants at just 13 years of age. After the Culinary Institute of America he trained under Marcus Samuelsson at Aquavit and Andrew Carmellini at Café Boulud, then went to France to work at Guy Savoy and Maison Troisgros before returning to New York to join Carmellini again at A Voce.

Insider tip

Book 30 days ahead on Resy; walk-ins welcome at the Bar Counter; adults-only dining room.

In 2009, he and his old culinary-school friend Mario Carbone opened Torrisi Italian Specialties on Mulberry Street, an Italian deli by day and an ambitious tasting-menu restaurant by night that became the seed of Major Food Group, the company Torrisi, Carbone and Jeff Zalaznick built together. Torrisi now runs the kitchen at the Puck Building restaurant with Executive Chef Charlie England, who formerly served as Carbone's Chef de Cuisine for five years.

03The cooking

The à la carte menu reflects a singular approach to Italian cuisine, pairing precise technique and carefully sourced ingredients with a reading of New York's layered culinary history, and nightly specials are written up fresh in each dining room. The nuanced Italian dishes carry an alluring insistence from Southeast Asia and the Caribbean, a direct nod to the immigrant communities that have shaped Little Italy and its surrounding blocks for more than a century.

Much of the theatre happens at the table itself: many of the restaurant's most popular dishes are prepared or finished tableside, from carving to saucing, which keeps the dining rooms animated through service.

04What to order

Early signatures have held their place on the menu since opening: Hand-Pulled Mozzarella, San Gennaro Bao, Linguine with Manhattan Clams, Tortellini Pomodoro, Short Rib Scottadito and Cucumbers New Yorkese. Pasta remains the backbone of the kitchen's storytelling, nowhere more so than in the Cavatelli with Jamaican Beef Ragu, a direct homage to the West Indian communities around Mulberry Street.

Elsewhere, Dover Sole Francese, Duck alla Mulberry and the Black Bass Dogana show the kitchen's more classical register, while Lamb alla Judea nods to the Jewish delis once scattered through the neighbourhood. To finish, the Sicilian Date Cake and a rotation of house-made Italian ices close the meal on a lighter note.

05Wine and drinks

The wine list is curated by Major Food Group's wine director John Slover and beverage director Brad Nugent, and embraces Italy, as well as Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhône and Napa Valley, with a particular focus on Piedmont and Tuscany. The cocktail programme pairs Italian aperitivo staples, Negronis and Garibaldis, with American icons: Martini variations, Manhattans and Old Fashioneds.

06When to go and booking

In October 2026, Torrisi serves lunch Wednesday to Saturday from 11:30am to 2pm and dinner Monday to Saturday from 5pm to 11pm. Dining-room tables open thirty days ahead for parties of up to six guests exclusively through Resy, or through the members-only platform Dorsia; walk-ins are taken first come, first served at the Bar Counter.

The restaurant maintains an adults-only dining room, with children under three, strollers and high chairs not accommodated, and asks guests to dress for the occasion, with athletic wear not permitted. Guests may bring their own wine for a corkage fee of $110 per 750ml bottle, or $190 for a magnum.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.