Is New York’s Hudson Yards enough of a neighbourhood for a neighbourhood taverna with restrained, down-to-earth warmth? The mega-development has matured since the dark days of the pandemic, so Locanda Verde, the Tribeca dining room co-owned by chef Andrew Carmellini and Robert De Niro with Luke Ostrom and Josh Pickard, should be able to entice a local crowd for a weeknight bite – not to mention employees of anchor tenants like Meta, HBO and L’Oréal.

Designers at Roman and Williams have brought oaky tones and earthy limewash to the glassy high-rise environs, adding a coffered-wood ceiling and vintage-style seating. Their nod to the restaurant’s not-so-silent celebrity partner is a veritable gallery of artwork by Robert De Niro Sr, an abstract expressionist painter. The project took four years to complete.

The 6,000 sq ft space opens into an airy, high-ceilinged dining room with midcentury accents and tiled floors; this is reached past an outdoor terrace with views to the Hudson River. Seating becomes gradually more private toward the rear of the space, with its down-lit bar, and up on the mezzanine.
The new location offers many favourite menu items from the original, including ‘grandmother’s ravioli’ and a ‘fire-roasted garlic chicken’.

De Niro has spoken of imagining a ground-level space ‘for the neighbourhood’ and his partners insist Locanda Verde Hudson Yards is ‘less clubby’ and more welcoming than other restaurants in the development. The hope is that the neighbourhood will welcome it back.

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