After more than a year’s delay, Eataly has opened its first UK dining and food retail market at London’s Broadgate.

The 42,000 sq ft site has today opened its food retail, takeaway food and al fresco dining areas for customers, with its eat-in restaurant, bar and cookery schools scheduled to open later in the year as coronavirus restrictions lift. 

The outdoor dining area, called La Terrazza, offers Eataly’s Italian seasonal summer sharing menu and also hosts an Aperol bar serving customers cocktails, wine and beer outside. 

Its food market offers over 5,000 quality Italian and local food products, including fresh produce from their butcher, fishmonger, and cured meat and cheese counters.

Eataly also has a wine cellar with more than 2,000 wines for customers to purchase, while its Via del Dolce (the Sweet Spot) will sell freshly baked Italian cakes, pastries, cannoli and handmade gelato.

The concept also has a ‘cheese laboratory’, producing fresh mozzarella and Italian cheeses on site every day, while its bulk refill section will be the first Eataly packaging-free area in the world.

Both its wine and cheese offerings will also be made available to customers for takeaway from today, alongside freshly made pizzas, pastas, sandwiches and salads, ahead of its full hospitality offering being allowed to open. 

The site has two sit-down restaurants and bars, which are scheduled to open on May 20, with Terra, its fine dining option, scheduled to open in September. 

From May 20, the retailer’s La Scuola cookery school will open for customers to learn Italian culinary skills, with classes being offered from that date both on-site and online. 

The store had been due to open to the public in 2020 but was delayed for more than a year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Eataly has over 40 stores across the world in Italy, as well as in the USA, Japan, Germany and South Korea. 

Eataly chief executive Nicola Farinetti said: “We are delighted to finally open our Eataly London doors to bring our love of Italian gastronomy to the UK at a time when consumers and hospitality professionals appreciate and need it the most. 

“Eataly was founded with a vision to bring the biodiversity, craft and different layers of culinary experiences of Italy together under one roof, under our motto of ‘Eat, Shop, Learn’.

“Togetherness is at the heart of our brand and, while we will adhere to and implement all the necessary safety measures, we cannot wait to meet our new locals and celebrate passionate artisans and high-quality food in a dynamic and culturally diverse reality such as London.”