After a successful run as a local pop-up, Macchina is officially a Bedford Avenue staple.
The team behind Williamsburg restaurants Roebling Sporting Club and The Bedford announces is opening of the second outpost of Macchina, an Italian-American restaurant and pizzeria located at North 11th and Bedford. Macchina’s original location opened in Midtown East but is temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s been a challenging 18 months for everyone and we are beyond happy that we can continue to do what we love—open restaurants and create a menu that we think the neighborhood will really enjoy,” says co-founder Danno. “We started out making pizzas out of the back room of The Bedford during the pandemic to hopefully spread a little joy in the best way we knew how. Pizza was the perfect take-out option for people to enjoy in their homes and arguably the best comfort food of all time. We are humbled by the support we received for the pop-up and that we can now turn that operation into a permanent place for people to come and relax with a pie or stop by to take with them.”
Macchina’s succinct menu is focused on shareable plates and pizzas that will rotate seasonally. Fired out of a stone oven from Tuscany, the majority of the dishes include ingredients that are either sourced locally or made in-house like their popular burrata, bread, and pizza dough.
For starters, dishes include Tutto Everything Knots with garlic herbed butter; Chicken Parm Sliders served on a house-made garlic knot with mozzarella marinara, and smoked paprika aioli; and lighter options like a Farro Salad with spinach, shaved vegetables, mint, and white balsamic vinaigrette.
Macchina’s pizza is a take on the classic Neapolitan pie with American influences. The team uses a proprietary dough—made in house every day—which took countless hours of research and development before finally coming up with their ideal recipe: medium thickness and a soft texture but sturdy enough to hold toppings without losing the integrity of the crust. The pizzas can be ordered to share or as a personal pie with vegan and gluten-free options available. Pizzas include Chicken Parm Pizza, topped with a chicken cutlet, mozzarella, parmesan and marinara, Shrimp Scampi pizza with mozzarella, garlic flakes and lemon zest, and more.
Macchina’s new cocktail menu is exclusive to the Williamsburg location. Dianne Lowry (The Aviary, Sweet Liberty) created a beverage menu emphasizing flavors found in Italian Aperitifs, featuring Italian spirits and ingredients along with fresh herbs.
Dianne, who trained under the late and great Sasha Petraske, worked for The Bedford team over a decade ago before venturing on her own to work and create beverage menus for some of the best restaurants and brand’s in the country. Now, Dianne rejoins the team to elevate Macchina’s cocktail list with herbaceous drinks, plus wines by the glass and local beers.
Macchina is housed in an old fan factory and contains many of the original interior and design elements like the flooring, tin ceiling, and pulley track beams. The 12-seat bar features a custom-made bar top with a massive 50 foot beam spanning the entire bar, custom milled shelving and a vintage library ladder. The restaurant also has plans to project classic, black & white Italian films—think Fellini’s greatest hits like La Dolce Vita and Nights of Cabiria.
Starting November 10, Macchina will be open for dinner seven days a week from 5-11 p.m. for dine-in, delivery, and pick-up with plans to expand hours. For more information and to order online, visit www.macchina.nyc.