When Chanel threw their 2023 Met Gala after party on May 1, they did so not in a current hotspot or a historic haunt, but a place that wasn’t yet open at all: somewhere called Sartiano’s. “Where is Sartiano’s?” a colleague from Vogue asked this writer after receiving the invitation. “I’ve never heard of it.”
By May 2, that had already changed. It turned out Chanel had tapped Scott Sartiano, the impresario behind buzzy private member’s club Zero Bond, to throw the soireé at his upcoming restaurant at The Mercer Hotel in the former Mercer Kitchen space. Nearly every face in the room was a famous one: Margot Robbie and Cara Delevigne giggled in one corner, while Vittoria Ceretti held court in another. Gisele Bündchen danced with Penélope Cruz, who clutched a slice of pizza in one hand.
As an avalanche of party reports and paparazzi photos emerged the next morning, Sartiano’s was quickly catapulted to the most anticipated opening of the summer. The only question? Whether it could live up to the lofty expectations set not only by the party, but its location within a perennially cool hotel in the heart of downtown New York. “I’m at this iconic property on Prince and Mercer that’s been the epicenter of SoHo for the last 25 years,” admits Sartiano. “So to actually be able to do something inside of something I’ve aspired to be part of so long is almost surreal.”
On June 15, Sartiano’s finally opens its doors to the public. Its interiors by Studio Sofield—best known for their work with Tom Ford—evokes a moody Tuscan wine cellar with exposed brick walls, Carrara marble counters, and rich leather bar seats. The menu, which includes everything from housemate focaccia to lobster bucatini to Dover sole piccata, is helmed by James Beard Award-winning chef Alfred Portale. (Sartiano says that once he tried Portale’s food, he knew this place could be “something really special.”)
Yet it would be remiss to categorize this as a textbook Italian restaurant. Instead, it’s an amalgam that reflects Sartiano’s own journey: His parents were first-generation Italian Americans who met in Brooklyn, then raised their children in South Carolina. As an adult, Sartiano returned to New York, building a career in hospitality and starting a family of his own. Look at the menu and the surroundings, and you’ll see these subtle inspirations everywhere: there’s muted floral upholstery that feels Charleston-esque, as well as a drawing of a coastal Italian town on the menu. Meanwhile, the meatballs are Portale’s gourmet take on a recipe from Sartiano’s mother. (Which, by the way, are excellent. Portale—a pioneer of the New American cuisine moment whose Gotham Grill is forever associated with New York’s 1990s zeitgeist—proves his status as a culinary tour de force across nearly every dish at Sartiano’s.) “It’s my own New York story,” Sartiano says.
The food—and the prime location—are reasons enough to visit Sartiano’s. But, no doubt, a magnetic draw will also be the crowd. Sartiano’s Zero Bond has made a name for itself as one the top celebrity hangouts in the city: although it does not confirm members, famous names like Kim Kardashian, Tom Brady, and Elon Musk have all been spotted coming in and out of its guarded doors. Meanwhile, The Mercer Hotel has long attracted an equally glamorous clientele. (Leonardo DiCaprio, Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, and Jay Z are all said to have checked in at one point or another.) A recent preview night, which attracted a high-profile crowd of businessmen and socialites seemed to prove what one could easily deduce: here, a cool crowd is a fait accompli. Sartiano’s is a worthy steward of The Mercer—and SoHo’s—stylish reputation.
