Foul Witch
Italian restaurant · East Village ·
Natural wine bar with creative Italian small plates
Natural wine bar with creative Italian small plates
"Roberta’s wood-fired Italian sister held its last dinner service on Sunday, November 30, after just under three years in business; opened in early 2023, it showcased pasta, meats, and a dynamic natural wine list in a long, narrow room with an open kitchen." - Tierney Plumb
"An East Village Italian restaurant and wine bar from Roberta’s co-founders Brandon Hoy and chef Carlo Mirarchi, this spot opened in January 2023 and served its last dinner on Sunday, November 30, closing after just under three years at 15 Avenue A. In a long, narrow room with an open kitchen and a wood-fired oven, it pushed a more experimental, “spooky Italian” idea—seasonal pastas, charcuterie, and large-format meats instead of pizza—backed by a dynamic natural wine list. Critics jumped on it early: Robert Sietsema framed it as a restaurant built on pasta, pork, and wine and singled out potatoes with paddlefish roe, testa, goat garganelli, and pork neck; a few months in, it remained “seriously weird,” serving “modern Italian with discordant notes that zap you out of comfort.” Pete Wells wrote “Foul Witch Summons the Ghost of Blanca,” noting how Mirarchi carried some of Blanca’s tasting-menu sensibility into a looser à la carte format. Accolades followed, including a spot on the New York Times list of the 12 best new restaurants of 2023, a No. 53 ranking on its 2024 list of the 100 best restaurants in the city, and a semifinalist nod for the 2024 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. The team says the address will now serve as a private dining room for Roberta’s." - Melissa McCart
"When I saw “testa” — Italian for “head” — on the menu at the warm and glowy Foul Witch in Alphabet City, my first question was: “Whose testa is it?” After learning that the terrine was from a pig’s head, I couldn’t resist. While the only head cheese I’ve ever had before was served as a cold slice speckled with pink-hued meat and had a gelatinous texture (not complaining), Foul Witch’s version ($14) was served quite warm, making the gooey, unctuous meat extremely spreadable — the texture more like that of a comforting, melt-in-your-mouth meat stew. It went extremely well spread over the house-made sesame focaccia with cultured butter ($6), another can’t-miss dish." - Bettina Makalintal
"This offshoot restaurant from Roberta’s owners Carlo Mirarchi and Brandon Hoy is Foul Witch, self-described itself as “spooky Italian.” It turns out that meant lots of good and sometimes surprising dishes, particularly amongst its pastas (a current menu lists: honeynut squash cappelletti with pine nut.) This is one restaurant that will never bore you." - Robert Sietsema
"If you’re hunting for good free bread, eat at places with a track record for baking. This East Village wine bar is run by the people behind Roberta’s, who have historically excelled at using ovens. Their exceptional table bread comes in two forms: fluffy focaccia, and crusty baguette." - sonal shah, bryan kim, willa moore, will hartman