There's the cheese. Oh, the cheese.

The friendly folks at the cheese counter

As if the cheese counter isn't enough, you turn around and there's a nice gentleman hand pulling mozzarella. You must try the mozzarella. It's to die for. It's just a little bit salty, ultra creamy, and perfectly soft.

Mozzarella!

After you check out the cheese, there's meat to be had. From housemade prosciutto to perfectly cured salumi, this is a tough area to pass up. And this is obviously in Batali's genes.

The vast array of cured meats & the meat counter at Eataly

And then, of course, there's the pizza and foccaccia. You can see the gentleman on the top right there preparing the foccaccia dough and that's my little sister Zoe doing a taste-test. She approved. We both did.

Pizza and foccaccia at Eataly

Everywhere you turn, there are little nooks and communal tables for folks to sit down and enjoy their meals, snacks, or quick tastes. This was my favorite part of Eataly, actually. It's very non-committal in terms of actually having a meal. They encourage trying a little of this and a little of that and coming together and sharing them. You see families splitting up and getting samples of things and coming back to show off their finds. And then, of course, you see families just sitting down and having a traditional meal in one of the restaurants.

Sharing a post-thanksgiving Italian lunch

My mom and sisters and I ended up parking it by the cheese counter, sharing a plate of house-cured meats and a variety of cheeses and olives. It was the perfect little mid-afternoon pick-me up.

Our lunch at Eataly

After you do a little grazing, there's always dessert and coffee.

Beautiful espresso machine and sweet dessert options

I actually noticed many people pulling up to have a quick espresso before delving into the market. Smart. You're going to need the stamina. But if you're in the right head space (that it'll be crowded and you don't have the place to yourself), Eataly is not to be missed. It's a visual smorgasbord of the best Italian packaged goods and prepared foods I've ever seen under one roof. If you are in New York and you're even remotely interested in food, this is stop #1.

Eataly
200 Fifth Avenue
(at 23rd Street)
New York, NY 10010
(212) 229-2560
Hours: Market 10am- 11pm daily; for to-go and restaurant sections of Eataly, check the website for more detailed information

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Mario Batali's Eataly: A Visual Tour