NYC Has Its Very Own Gnocchi Boutique, Because Sometimes Dreams Do Come True

The wares at Midtown’s newest boutique are lovingly displayed behind glass, showcasing a dazzling range of color from deep ruby to pale cream to matte black. No, it’s not fine jewelry or imported chocolates—it’s gnocchi.

Meet Patavini, a hyper-focused shop and café specializing in the doughy potato dumplings. Reminiscent of a high-end boutique (fancy shopping bags with cloth handles, a signature scent reminiscent of an upscale hotel lobby), the sleek space offers gnocchi in flavors like pink peppercorn, Pecorino and pumpkin spice (yep—more on that later).

A gnocchi concierge behind the glass-encased counter helps shoppers pick the perfect gnocchi for each taste and occasion, be it saffron for a hostess gift or truffle for an at-home date night. And while the concept may sound a little gimmicky, the gnocchi is legit—take it from a pasta enthusiast. Choose from 25 flavors, including the traditional (potato, spinach, ricotta-lemon), the gourmet (truffle, squid ink) and the trendy (turmeric, chickpeas and chia), each of which can be boxed up to cook at home or served hot at oneof the shop’s slim communal tables.

There are also stuffed options, oozing with fillings like melted mozzarella and cacio e pepe, and an array of sauces (basil pesto, butter and sage) to top everything off. And then there’s the dessert gnocchi—yes, you heard us—like a chocolate-mint variety tossed in chocolate sauce. It manages to be not overly sweet but decadent in all the right ways. (See also: salty caramel, pumpkin and amaretti.)

All the varieties are made from organic potatoes, imported from Italy’s Abruzzo region, and prices start at $16 per pound (or $13 for a chef-prepared portion). Best of all, the shop delivers via Seamless and other platforms, so you can stay lazy and still whip up an impressive meal, if that’s your M.O. (It takes a whopping one minute to boil, plus another 90 seconds to sauté the sauce.)

While we imagine it won’t be long before the carb-loving masses descend, there’s plenty of gnocchi to go around, thanks in part to in-house machines that churn out 55,000 pieces of gnocchi each week. As for some of the nontraditional items on the menu, Patavini co-owner Luca Giraldin says, “We are reinterpreting gnocchi with an American, New York influence.” He’s very open to what New Yorkers want to eat and how they want to eat it, so a liquor license for a gnocchi happy hour is on the way, as is e-commerce and a new batch of seasonal flavors come March. We hope it won’t be long before we see everything-bagel gnocchi.