Dig Inn on 4th

Dig Debuts a Full-Service Restaurant In Union Square | Eater NY

"Near Union Square at 127 Fourth Avenue (East 13th Street), I watched Dig gut its former shop and convert it into Dig on 4th, a sunny, 40-seat sit-down restaurant that opens on May 18 and aims to be more than an office-lunch outpost. The bowl assembly line was ripped out to make room for a dining room with a self-serve drip coffee bar, wine and beer in a fridge, and squeeze bottles of Dig’s popular sauces for tables. Frank Montero (a Le Coucou alum) runs a split menu: the takeout/delivery offerings look virtually identical to other Dig locations, while the dine-in menu includes brown butter chocolate chip cookies and crispy, golden focaccia (both influenced by 232 Bleecker recipes), veggie smashburgers, meatball parms, and sheet-tray dinners for two, all served on real dishware, fry baskets, and trays. A cold fridge stocks cans of beer starting at $4 and bottles of wine around $40; the shop is aiming to complete any order — whether a smashburger to stay or a kale Caesar to go — in under five minutes. Kay Teo, Dig’s director of innovation, admits the chain has tried too many experiments but calls this one worth watching; the roll-out is deliberately structured (the beer and wine pilot is also being tested in a suburban location) and the coffee offering is intentionally simple (drip only). Dig on 4th is open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m." - Erika Adams