Giulietta: Bringing the Italian Beach Holiday' Vibe to New York City

Here we catch up with Barak and discuss Italian beach holidays, afternoon espressos, and an oasis in the middle of Manhattan. 

A Conversation with Mark Barak of Giulietta

You started your professional journey in corporate America. What lured you to the restaurant industry? 

I had a pretty non-traditional journey to becoming an entrepreneur in the restaurant industry. My first career was in business and finance, and then I moved into the music and sports industries. My last role was working for David Stern at the NBA. At some point in 2012, I just felt a bit burned out and took some time off to travel. I realized that all along I’ve had this calling to be my own boss and to start a business. The only business I thought I could wrap my head around was the restaurant industry. I thought that there was an opportunity to build a brand, a kind of next-generation neighborhood Italian restaurant brand in New York, and so I set out to do that. I worked for a couple of years with a small restaurant group in the West Village, learning the business. 

I read that you are very generous to employees, not only for their own good but also for the good of your business. 

My experience in those first couple of years working in the industry was really eye-opening. I saw things that were pretty surprising to someone who has spent 13 years in the corporate world—like the absence of medical insurance, security for oneself and one’s family through 401(k) retirement planning, and career growth coaching. It felt to me both wrong ethically, but also like a missed opportunity, because everyone I spoke to in the restaurant industry was complaining about turnover. But commitment is a two-way street, so if you’re not giving people this sense of security and long-term commitment from the company side, why should the team member commit? So that really informed my vision for the kind of restaurant company I wanted to build. I’d like to think that what we do for the team and the value we place on them directly translates into our business success. 

What was the inspiration and vision for Giulietta? How does it differ from other Italian establishments in NYC? 

We wanted to bring a kind of ease and buzz – an elevated everyday environment – to the MetLife building. This is a unique building – the Pan Am building is one of the most iconic buildings in all of Manhattan. I was really excited to create, in the middle of literally the center of New York City/Grand Central, this transporting oasis for everyone who passes through. The vision was to take people on a trip to this kind of fantasy Italian beach holiday for whatever time they happen to be in our space, whether it’s coming in and having an espresso in the afternoon, having lunch for an hour, or having a date in the evening on a Saturday night. 

You say it is a “day into night” experience. How is that accomplished? 

We’re going to open breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and then brunch on the weekends. The nice thing about Italian food is that it’s an amazing all-day cuisine. You can have a great frittata for breakfast, a caprese salad for lunch or dinner, or pizza all day long. One of the reasons why I’m passionate about opening Italian restaurants is because of the versatility of the food. 

What are some of the most popular dishes on the menu? 

I would say it’s a really broad menu. It’s a large restaurant – we’ve got over 200 seats inside and a large patio coming. Many different types of people go through Grand Central, so we wanted something that was broadly appealing. I think people have been really loving our larger format items—we have this one-pound Buffalo mozzarella with heirloom tomatoes and prosciutto—very impactful. Also, our lobster spaghetti—a two-pound whole lobster in the shell—all pasta is made in–house, so inevitably, pasta ends up being a best-selling item. The dessert program is something that is really fun. We’re doing tableside chocolate mousse, a lemon meringue torta that is almost a foot tall, and my personal favorite—our Baci Sundae with hazelnut and vanilla ice cream. 

What about for the thirsty crowd?

We’ve got a great cocktail program. We have a Spritz bar and a very summery-inspired cocktail program later this year, when we open the outside bar, including frozen cocktails and cocktails on tap. Our wine list has over 125 bottles, with a focus on France and Italy. 

Tell us about the magnificent outdoor expansion on the horizon. 

The outside is really, really special here, and it’s ultimately one of the things that most attracted me to the project. We’ve got a massive, dedicated outside space—part of that is for about 125 patio seats for the main restaurant and the Giardino, a cocktail-forward outdoor garden bar, with over 150 seats. So, all in, we’re going to have well over 250 seats outside, between the full-service restaurant dining and the Giardino bar area. We’re shooting for opening in mid-April. 

What’s next? 

We’ve got three other La Pecora Biancas under construction right now—two on the west side of Lincoln Center and the theater district —and the Miami project in Coral Gables, which is going to be the last opening later this year.