Zibetto Transports You From 6th Ave. to Rome
I’m kind of embarrassed that it took me this long to post about Zibetto Espresso Bar. Every time coffee gets mentioned on the site, somebody posts about it in the comments. And it was nominated for Best Coffee in the 2009 Readers’ Choice Poll. It would be forgivable if Zibetto was just about good coffee, since this is a lunch site. But Zibetto is not your average Midtown coffee spot. It’s a nod to the coffee culture in Italy, where your morning pick me up is enjoyed standing up at a bar (ideally) alongside a cornetto (think croissant, but better because it’s Italian.) And most importantly for our purposes, they serve sandwiches.
While Zibetto is mostly about the coffee, their sandwiches all looked pretty damn good. They had 6 different kinds in a glass case at the end of the bar.
We tried the proscuitto with mozarella ($7.50).
And the frittata ($7.50).
Both were pressed in a panini machine to be warmed up, and both were really tasty. Small for the price, and once you add a coffee you’re over the ML price limit… but it’s a super fun place for lunch standing up. And if you’ve ever been to Italy, and have fond memories of it (how could you not), just being in Zibetto will put a smile on your face.
Not interested in an $8 sandwich? There’s always breakfast, for a cappuccino and cornetto. Delicious! (Admittedly, though, I had this at 1pm. Don’t judge me…)
THE + (What somebody who likes this place will say)
- This place is just like being in Italy!
- I like to eat standing up
- I don’t mind pricey sandwiches, when the ingredients are high quality and the atmosphere is interesting
THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place will say)
- Italy shmitaly. I’m not paying $8 for a tiny sandwich. That’s not what ML is all about…
- I need to sit while I’m eating.
Zibetto Espresso Bar, 1385 Sixth Ave. (btw. 56+57th)
Posted by Zach Brooks at 10:15 am, January 5th, 2010 under Coffee, Review, Zibetto Espresso Bar.
5 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
5 Comments
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Never have tried the food but their espresso is excellent! I just don’t go there as much because it’s $3/shot.
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One thing I’ve always wondered is if they only sell coffee and a handful of sandwiches, how do they afford rent in that area? And even open a 2nd location downtown?
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If your specialty is liquid based food like coffee, tea, alcohol, etc, your profit margin is HUGE.
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To be *just* like Rome they’d need two greasy guys dressed in man-capris and mesh shirts, both sitting on the same Vespa, and shouting “Bella, Bella!” at overweight American girls.
I’ve gone to the one at the south street seaport (admittedly out of ML-territory). It really, really is just like Italy – even judging from the Italian businessmen in their swank suits. Delish.