New York City — Felice has opened its new flagship restaurant in the Flatiron District, bringing the family-run Italian brand to one of Manhattan’s most design- and culture-driven neighborhoods.
Located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 26th Street, the space is designed to feel embedded in the neighborhood from the start, less like a new opening, more like a place that has always been there. Since 2007, the restaurant brand has grown to 14 locations across New York, Connecticut, Florida and beyond, building its identity around rooms that feel lived-in from the moment you walk in, shaped by wine, conversation and a pace that encourages people to settle in and stay.
Built in 1912, Felice Flatiron is set within 220 Fifth Ave., a 21-story neo-Gothic building overlooking Madison Square Park. The setting brings strong natural light, park views and a prominent Fifth Avenue presence just steps from the Flatiron Building. Inside, the restaurant features 18-foot ceilings that amplify the openness and light of the space throughout the day. Windows wrapping three sides of the dining room further distinguishes the space from previous Felice locations, reinforcing both the scale of the restaurant and its connection to Madison Square Park and Fifth Avenue.
The design, led by Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture, balances warm minimalism with understated luxury. At the center of the room is the largest and most majestic bar Felice has created to date, conceived as both the visual and social anchor of the restaurant. Wrapped in Grigio Versilia marble inspired by traditional Tuscan enotecas and backed by Chianti terracotta sourced from Tuscany, the bar was designed to function as an all-day gathering place, equally suited for coffee, wine, cocktails or a full meal. A 30-foot-wide illuminated wine wall further anchors the dining room, while custom Italian oak millwork crafted in Florence grounds the interiors in material authenticity while maintaining a distinctly New York sensibility. The project marks the first time the brand has worked at this scale architecturally, establishing Felice Flatiron as the brand’s flagship location and introducing a new level of intentionality and refinement to the Felice experience.
“We wanted the space to feel instantly familiar but elevated in every detail, Tuscany in its materials, New York in its energy,” says Enrico Bonetti, co-founder of Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture.
Experiential details, including a tableside tiramisu cart and interactive amaro bar station, add moments of familiarity and return throughout the meal.
For more information, visit www.felicerestaurants.com.
SOURCE: Felice Restaurants