Imagine a shop with over 500 types of cheese and sausage, 1,200 Italian wines and over 100 types of olive oil. Welcome to Eataly, where you can find over 10,000 products imported from Italy as well as local products.
Eataly is part supermarket, part restaurant, part department store. In addition, courses and other events are held throughout the store. It is an experience!
Founder Oscar Farinetti wanted to create a place where real local food could be shared without chemicals. In 2007 the first store opened in Turin, Italy. Today there are 40 stores worldwide; eight are in North America, with more in preparation.
I’ve been to Eataly in Bologna, Los Angeles and Dallas … Each store is a little different in layout and number of restaurants. All are a full sensory experience!
Farinetti has clearly found a formula for success – but what makes Eataly so successful? Farinetti explains, “Eataly’s success is linked to our philosophy because people can eat, shop and learn all about quality food – three activities that don’t coexist anywhere else. In addition, our informal communication style shows how direct and approachable we are, the way people like it. ”
Farinetti comes from Turin, the birthplace of the slow food movement. He wanted to create a place that not only feeds people but also teaches them about food and culture … the Italian way of life.
Before opening in 2007, Farinetti traveled to all regions of Italy for five years, meeting with smallholders and forging relationships. All products in the store are the result of cultivating these relationships. Everything is of the highest quality and most of the products are biodynamic, organic and chemical free. In fact, these partnerships are part of what Eataly is all about.
The market at Eataly (Photo: Penny Sadler)
Eataly is a complete market where you can buy meat, cheese, produce, butter, yogurt, fresh fish, and meat. All prepared items are made in-house, with the same ingredients available in the store. There’s even a selection of gift items and housewares such as the perennial moka.
You can also find unusual or hard-to-find items like romanesco cauliflower, fresh anchovies, anchovy juice (not available anywhere else), truffles, guanciale, over two dozen pasta shapes, porcini mushrooms and venchi chocolates.
Wine tasting (Photo: Penny Sadler)
A stroll through Eataly is an education in Italian cuisine. Olive oil, for example, is not a single product. I’ve learned that oils can be used for many different purposes: cooking, dipping, or serving as a salad dressing. The taste also differs depending on the region, just like wine.
Woman makes fresh mozzarella (Photo: Penny Sadler)
Eataly isn’t just educational, it’s fun too! At the top of the pasta bar there is a mirror so that you can easily watch the pastaio stretching and shaping the dough. Apart from the dry noodles, all of the noodles in the store are made with imported ingredients. You can also watch the mozzarella being processed into bocconcini, the small egg-shaped balls.
Customer service is a big part of the Eataly culture. If this is your first time in business, ask customer service for help. You can even book a tour of the store. I found this helpful despite having been to several stores in different locations prior to my tour. Now I feel a lot safer shopping, although I still often ask for help.
Restaurant La Pizza and La Pasta (Photo: Penny Sadler)
While Eataly is fun shopping, be sure to try one of the restaurants, which vary by store. All stores in North America have a La Pizza and La Pasta restaurant where you can try authentic pasta and Neapolitan pizza. The ovens for the pizza are imported from Naples. Most of the pizzaioli are Italian and all are prepared to the strictest standards of traditional Neapolitan pizza.
I’ve compiled a list of foods that I think a first-time Eataly visitor must try. At least it’s a starting point. I am sure you will find many other things that you simply cannot live without.
1. Traditional balsamic vinegar
Traditional balsamic vinegar comes from the Emilia Romagna region. There are two types, the traditional DOP balsamic vinegar and the Modena IGP balsamic vinegar. DOP and IGP are Italian designations of authenticity and quality. DOP is the finest and of course the most expensive. It is at least 12 years old. Modena balsamic vinegar ages from 60 days to 3 years.
You will see other products that look the same, but it can be glazes that are used in cooking. If you are not sure, you can check the labels as they are clearly marked. Drizzle some Parmigiano Reggiano with balsamic vinegar. Yum. It actually goes well with a lot of foods.
Penny Sadler
2. Forge Amarena cherries
The blue and white container is so pretty that you’ll want to buy it just to keep the container. You will love the cherries however! Sweet and tart in thick syrup, combine them with ice cream, on breakfast pancakes or waffles or garnish your favorite cocktail.
3. Pane Carasau crispbread
This is a crispy, wafer-thin bread that goes great with soft cheese and balsamic vinegar. I had this bread for the first time in a Sardinian restaurant in Dallas. I’m all about the crunch so I love this bread.
4. Pecorino Toscano PDO
Pecorino Toscano (PDO stands for Protected Designation of Origin) is available in two varieties: fresh and matured. The cream cheese is a soft cheese with a minimum ripening time of 20 days. It is a white or light yellow cheese with a delicate flavor. The taste is clean and slightly sweet. Aged Pecorino is semi-hard with a minimum ripening time of 120 days, but can age up to 1 year. It is more complex than the fresh style due to the aging. Try this with the traditional balsamic vinegar.
5. Grana Padano PDO
This cheese has a rich history and is made according to very strict regulations. The cows made from raw milk are fed a very special diet and reared in certain areas of the regions of Emilia Romagna, Piedmont, Lombardy, Trentino or Veneto. It is the most popular cheese in Italy and is best eaten straight – or perhaps with a little honey and nuts or grated over a salad or pasta. The DOP Riserva is 20 months old.
Penny Sadler
6. Spaghetti Al Pomodoro
You can’t go shopping at Eataly and not get all of the ingredients for a fantastic pasta dish! Spaghetti al Pomodoro is their most popular dish, served in the house, and any ingredients they use can be purchased and made at home. Pomodoro means tomato in Italian, which is simply spaghetti with tomato sauce. Use one of their Pasta di Gragnano for this. It’s a dry pasta with a rough texture to help it absorb and hold the sauce better. The other ingredients are olive oil, of course tomatoes and sea salt. Buonissimo!
Penny Sadler
7. Ready meals
When it comes to ready meals, be sure to try the arancini. You are divine. Arancini are small rice balls, filled, usually with a hearty filling, coated with breadcrumbs and deep-fried. Doesn’t sound healthy, but it’s very light and not oily. I had this for the first time in Rome. It’s been a long time, but I never forgot that first bite.
No meal is complete without dessert. Did I mention that all of Eataly’s desserts are made on site? In fact, desserts are the top selling item in the Dallas store. Cannoli, tiramisu, ricotta with berries – the list of sugary delicacies is long. There is also an ice bar. Round it off with an espresso or American coffee.
One of the joys of traveling is eating new foods that are unique to the destination. How often have you eaten a dish while on vacation and then wanted to cook it at home? If you’re like me, almost every trip is like this. If you need an Italian fix, now you know where to get one.
I honestly didn’t expect to like Eataly. I felt like it was too much show and too little tradition … but I got the experience and admire the dedication to only offering the best food. Eataly really offers something that no one else can. Hopefully, with so many locations to choose from, there is an Eataly in your future. Go for the show but stay for the food. It’s Italian!
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