🚕 Smorgasburg’s Summer Spread Arrives

Good morning, NY.

This edition spotlights a clandestine apartment-turned-trattoria that’s changing the way uptown diners think about “cozy.”

We bid bittersweet farewells to an uptown food hall and a beloved Bed-Stuy beer bar, tracing what their closings say about the city’s shifting tastes.

Prospect Park’s open-air mega-market is back, and we’ve mapped the new vendors you’ll want to hit before the lines snake around Breeze Hill.

Danny Meyer is quietly engineering a members-only clubhouse where dinner comes with Turkish baths and rooftop pickleball.

Dive in for the hidden rooms, heartfelt goodbyes, and fresh launches reshaping your eating calendar this week.

Caffe Buon Gusto’s Secret Apartment Dining

Upper East Side stalwart Caffe Buon Gusto has been moonlighting as a pop-up speakeasy inside the apartment next door.

When the dining room fills up, staff guide overflow guests through the kitchen and up a back stairwell into the former one-bedroom rental.

There, tables replace nightstands, beer cases chill in the bathtub, and pasta arrives under the glow of bedside lamps.

The restaurant has leased the unit since 2021, turning it into an unofficial second dining room without a public announcement.

City health rules prohibit residential spaces from operating as eateries, but the building’s owners insist no formal complaints have landed.

Caffe Buon Gusto declined comment, yet TikTok sleuths and surprised ex-tenants have already made the clandestine setup an internet phenomenon.

Northend Food Hall Bids Uptown Adieu

Washington Heights’ pioneering Northend Food Hall is packing up its stalls for good after just four years of service.

Operators confirmed via Instagram that the Broadway complex poured its last craft beer and fried its last empanada on May 31.

The project originally debuted in 2019 following what its founders described as a “hellish” four-year construction slog.

As the neighborhood’s first communal market, Northend corralled vendors ranging from Harlem Public burgers to El Barcito tacos under one roof.

The closure notice did not cite a reason, instead thanking neighbors for championing the experiment.

Once the roller door drops, Washington Heights will be without a dedicated food hall until another concept steps in.

Bed-Vyne Brew’s Last Call

Bed-Stuy’s beloved Bed-Vyne Brew just tapped its last keg this past Saturday, drawing a bittersweet line under a 12-year run.

The beer haven briefly shuttered from January to April, citing “unprecedented pressure and targeting” from the 79th Precinct.

Its April goodbye post insisted that “Brew has always been more than a bar but a conscious movement to bring folks together.”

The team says a new location is already in the works, though timelines, like perfect pours, take patience.

Regulars are organizing send-off playlists and snagging the bar’s mason-jar growlers as keepsakes.

Now with their doors closed, Bed-Stuy will lose a gathering point, but the Bed-Vyne ethos promises to pop back up elsewhere.

Smorgasburg’s Summer Spread Arrives

Smorgasburg’s 15th season is in full swing as of yesterday.

Breeze Hill transforms into a picnic of more than 70 vendors every week, open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. through late October.

Twenty first-time vendors join the roster this year, hawking everything from Northern Chinese meat pies to French madeleines and Jamaican coco breads.

Expect mash-ups, too, like birria-stuffed bao and ube soft-serve sandwiched in churros, the kind of novelties that fill Instagram reels before plates.

The market remains free to enter, but pro tip: arrive early or risk queuing for the most viral dishes.

If you miss opening day, worry not—Smorg returns every Sunday, plus sister events in Williamsburg on Saturdays and the World Trade Center on Fridays.

Babette: Danny Meyer’s Next Members-Only Move

Danny Meyer's Union Square Events is helping with the hospitality for Moss, a new private club opening soon near Bryant Park.

This fall, when the doors open, members can eat at Babette, the main restaurant in the 52-story building.

Beyond the dining room, Moss promises a “vitality pool,” Turkish baths, yoga and Pilates studios, and even a rooftop pickleball court.

Developers Colleen and Hailey Brooks have spent the past year hosting pop-ups to court a younger downtown crowd before the full launch.

Menu details are still under wraps, but Meyer’s involvement signals the polished comfort that runs through Gramercy Tavern and Ci Siamo.

While Midtown teems with invitation-only clubs, Babette’s union of wellness frills and a marquee restaurant could raise the bar for the genre.

Thanks

Thanks for reading NYC Bites today! If you found something useful, please share it with someone who loves food and NYC.

Want to advertise in our newsletter? Fill out this form here and we will be in touch shortly!

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign-up to get it.

Have a question or need support? Contact us.