Ciao Wine Bar, which opens in Yorkville on Friday, is an Italian restaurant and the latest offering from the Liberty Entertainment Group, creators of venues the Liberty Grand, Rosewater Supper Club, and C Lounge. The space, formerly occupied by Flow Restaurant & Lounge, covers 8,000 square feet over three levels.
"I wanted to draw people downstairs, so we created a grotto," said designer Nadia Di Donato, the Liberty Group's creative director. The lower level space has arched brick walls, vaulted ceilings with wood beams, and vintage wine racks. An alabaster bar—equipped with two stone ovens—runs the length of the room, and local cured meats are encased in glass refrigerators.
Stone and glass walls and custom butcher block tables fill the mezzanine level, which has a floor-to-ceiling glass wine bar equipped with an Enomatic wine serving system. The system, which uses inert gas preservation and allows for an open bottle of wine to be stored for more than three weeks, will enable the restaurant to offer an extensive wine list by the glass, Di Donato said.
A street-level bar and lounge area opens onto Yorkville Avenue. Two outdoor patios, one on Yorkville and another in the adjacent lane way, will hold 60 in the warmer months. The restaurant seats 250, including 110 on the lower level. Two private dining rooms hold groups of as many as 18.
The menu, created by executive chef Roberto Punzo, features stone-oven pizzas and traditional Italian dishes like ravioli, gnocchi, and lasagna. "We've taken all of the more popular dishes from the different regions throughout Italy and that's how we've structured the menu," Di Donato said. Ciao staff will be outfitted by Diesel, the restaurant's official clothing partner.
Ciao Wine Bar is open for lunch and dinner daily.
