Café Ginori at Bergdorf Goodman, a unique restaurant concept giving a rich Italian experience, from the menu to the table setting and decor, debuts Thursday inside Bergdorf’s women’s store.
The restaurant, done in collaboration with centuries-old Italian design firm Ginori 1735, is located on the lower level of Bergdorf’s women’s flagship, on Fifth Avenue and 57th Street. BG’s lower level also houses the beauty, skin care and fragrance areas. Café Ginori at Bergdorf Goodman replaces the former Palette restaurant.
“Café Ginori at Bergdorf Goodman is a bigger, grander, space, an experience that connects to the buzz of the Ginori 1735 brand,” said Melissa Xides, chief retail officer at Bergdorf Goodman. “Between the new café, and the Ginori 1735 shop on our seventh floor, we are bringing the brand concept full circle for the customer,” linking a culinary, hospitality and retail experience under one roof.
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The café has been designed in the signature aesthetic of Ginori 1735 from the “Oriente Italiano” lunch table settings and wallpaper to the embroidered textiles on cushions, pillows and chairs from the brand’s “Domus” home collection. Moreover, the design and colors of the porcelain choreographs with the food, so one accentuates the other. For example, as Xides indicated, the cream-colored beet root risotto, once mixed at the table, transforms into a vivid pink hue coordinating with a rose-colored print plate.
Teas, coffee and sweet Italian treats and savory bites are offered. They’re served on Ginori’s “Labirinto” and “Il Viaggio di Nettuno” patterns.
From 4 to 6:30 p.m., there’s a very Italian aperitivo, when the tablescape and the menu changes. “Americans would call it a happy hour,” Xides noted. Among the offerings, a tartelette with Ossetra caviar and lemon butter, and the Ginori 1735 cocktail made with a mix of China liqueur, Vin Santo wine, gin and lemon juice. The servings arrive on a mix of two collections by Ginori 1735, the graphic Labirinto and the whimsical, colorful Il Viaggio di Nettuno.
Café Ginori at Bergdorf Goodman has 50 seats and is open from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
“Everything related to the dining space is shoppable,” Xides said.
“Ginori 1735 stands for art and beauty. We wanted to create Café Ginori to bring our spirit into the lifestyle world and conceive a new dining experience paying homage to the uniqueness of the Italian culinary tradition and that surprises at every visit,” Alain Prost, chief executive officer of Ginori 1735, said in a statement.
Headquartered in Sesto Fiorentino near Florence, Ginori 1735 is well known for its exquisite porcelain, and has undergone some big changes in recent years. In 2020, the company changed its name from “Richard Ginori” to “Ginori 1735″ to highlight its history and tradition. In 2023, introduced its “Domus” collection of fabrics and home furnishings including lamps, tables and chairs.
Aside from Café Ginori at Bergdorf Goodman, the luxury retailer’s other food and beverage operations are the BG Restaurant on the seventh floor, and Goodman’s Bar, in the Bergdorf’s men’s store across the street.
