Borgo

Borgo: Andrew Tarlow’s Wood-Fired NoMad Trattoria, With a Daily Aperitivo Hour

Borgo is Andrew Tarlow’s first Manhattan restaurant — the Brooklyn restaurateur behind Diner, Marlow & Sons, and Roman’s — in the former I Trulli space on East 27th. It’s a seasonal, pasta-forward Italian trattoria built around a wood-burning hearth, and while there’s no discount happy hour, there is a daily aperitivo service from 2:30 to 5:15pm and a bar that takes walk-ins.

This is a grown-up, special-occasion room with generously spaced tables, taper candles, and a martini cart that rolls to you — not a cheap-drinks spot. The accessible move is the bar: ten seats and a few tables, walk-in from the afternoon, where you can have a martini and the famous Focaccia Borgo without landing a hard reservation. Just don’t expect posted happy-hour pricing; the aperitivo is a window and a mood, and you should confirm any deal when you’re there.

What to Expect

There’s no traditional happy hour with a discount menu. What Borgo has instead is a daily aperitivo from 2:30 to 5:15pm — the Italian between-meals hour — plus a full bar (ten seats, a few bar tables, walk-ins from 5pm) and a roving martini cart. We couldn’t confirm a fixed aperitivo price list, so treat it as a time window and an easy way into an otherwise hard-to-book room, not a verified deal. Order a martini and the focaccia, and confirm current pricing when you go.

The Room

Borgo takes up two grand rooms joined by a working wood-burning hearth on East 27th, half a block from the 6 at 28th St, with a lush back courtyard in season. There’s an open kitchen with a wood oven, white tablecloths, taper candles, and tables spaced far enough apart that you can actually hear your date. The crowd skews grown-up and celebratory — order-a-whole-bottle energy — and the wine list leans toward southern France.

Who Borgo Is For

More NYC Happy Hours

Borgo FAQ