I Cavallini
Italian restaurant · Williamsburg
284 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Highlights
Italian pasta, eel toast, cocktails, and an all-Italian wine list
Italian pasta, eel toast, cocktails, and an all-Italian wine list
"What if The Four Horseman were twice as big and had a thing for Italy? The answer is I Cavallini, the long-awaited follow-up just across the street. Unlike its famous wine bar sibling, this place sticks to one genre, and dresses it up with seasonal flair. Think whipped ricotta with ripe cherry tomatoes, vinegary seafood panzanella, and fatty lamb sausage on overlapping tiles of avocado squash. Tables are already hard to come by, but there’s room for walk-ins—mostly at the bar. A line starts forming around 4:15pm. I Cavallini releases reservations two weeks in advance at 8am. All of the bar and counter seats are saved for walk-ins, and, in our experience, you can also get a walk-in table during the first seating. The trick is, line up outside no later than 4:30pm. When the place opens at 5pm, you should be seated right away." - bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, will hartman, sonal shah, will hartman, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, willa moore, will hartman, bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, molly fitzpatrick, will hartman, molly fitzpatrick, will hartman, bryan kim, willa moore, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, willa moore, sonal shah, willa moore
"The long-awaited followup to iconic Williamsburg wine bar The Four Horsemen has finally arrived, right across the street. I Cavalini is significantly larger than its sibling and considerably more Italian. They’re serving things like fried eel toast, focaccia with whipped ricotta, and gnocchi sardi with shrimp and zolfini beans alongside a wine list that emphasizes low-intervention Italian producers. The place will also have something The Four Horsemen lacks: a cocktail list." - will hartman, willa moore, molly fitzpatrick, sonal shah, bryan kim
"The Four Horsemen has finally launched a sequel, and it’s right across the street. If you like wine and fun food, put I Cavallini on your list. The sister restaurant of the influential Williamsburg wine bar is roughly twice as large as its miniscule sibling, and it sticks to one genre: Italian, but nothing cliché. A vinegary panzanella gets a few plump mussels, gnocchi sardi swim in a broth with shrimp and zolfini beans, and fatty lamb sausage is served over sheets of al dente avocado squash. Try a house martini with vermouth made from purified seawater, and get here by 4:15pm if you want to walk in when they open at 5pm." - will hartman, willa moore, molly fitzpatrick, bryan kim, sonal shah
"Opened on a hotly anticipated opening night by the team behind the Four Horsemen, the Italian restaurant's name translates to “little horses,” and the space is anything but small: over 60 seats in a dining room with breathing room and a bigger kitchen that lets the team expand their culinary ambitions. The lineup includes the Four Horsemen executive chef and co-partner Nick Curtola and chef de cuisine Ben Zook; Jojo Colonna leads the bar program and Flo Barth oversees an all-Italian wine list. Reservations (the author snagged a 5 p.m. Resy seat) are competitive and there was a short walk-in line on arrival. Designed by Amy Butchko, the room is warm, bright, and elegant with whitewashed brick, blond wooden tables and chairs, a back bar and shelves full of sculptures and books, a framed photo of the Four Horsemen co-founder Justin Chearno (who died in 2024), a vibrant painting of an artist monkey across from the table, and bathroom murals including a big ol’ bucket of pasta next to a trippy rock band. Food highlights are specific and boldly composed: the nervetti and onion salad ($19) is described as a “beautiful, jiggly, wet pile (complimentary) of sliced and chunked beef tendons and onions, soaked in chive blossom vinegar,” more charcuterie than salad and nonetheless a meaty wonder; the gnocchi sardi ($32) features little Sardinian pasta, plump itty bitty shrimps, and small zolfini beans swimming in an herby buttery broth (so good the reviewer was spooning up the broth and wished they had held onto the focaccia $18 paired with whipped ricotta and roasted cherry tomatoes); a side of chilled cucumbers ($14) is doused in colatura di alici and felt like it belonged in the antipasti section. Desserts include a coffee-soaked tiramisu ($15) — noted as easily shareable, “in ladyfinger terms, it’s three pieces wide and two pieces tall, served on a plate” — and an olive oil cake ($18) improved by marinated strawberries from cult-beloved Harry’s Berries (tip: add some strawberries to the tiramisu). Cocktails are a new offering for the team: the Pomozoni ($19) is an Italian-gin drink made with Sungold tomatoes, Dola Dira (a rhubarb-ish Italian aperitivo), lemon, and a touch of salt and is described as a perfect summer cocktail; the Dolce Amaro Fizz ($21) is an egg-cream–like finish made with Amaro Noveis, coffee liqueur, shaken egg yolk, cream, hazelnut, and prosecco. From the wine list the server recommended the Tiberio Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo 2024 ($18), a rosé-ish wine served slightly chilled that paired well with pastas and seafood. The takeaway: the author spotted members of the team (including LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy) at the bar, heard the Four Horsemen next door was still packed, and concluded the project is “finally happening” — the team takes what they already know works and fleshes it out in a new restaurant brimming with friendly service, a warm atmosphere, and high-quality food and drink, without being gimmicky." - Nadia Chaudhury
"Opening in Williamsburg at 284 Grand Street (between Havemeyer and Roebling streets) on Wednesday, July 16, the new restaurant is larger than the team's older sibling across the street, with 64 seats (tables, bar, and counter) and a bigger kitchen. The dinner menu features in-house-made pastas, including the bucatini with tomatoes and ricotta salata ($30) and the gnocchi sardi with shrimp, beans, and herb butter ($32). Other dishes include the fried eel toast with pine nuts and golden raisins ($24); roasted golden chicken with garlic and grilled hearts ($49); and the olive oil cake with berries ($18). Drinks include an all-Italian wine list with more than 100 bottles and a new cocktail program for the team, many with amaro, such as the Shakerato Rickey with amaro, lime, and soda ($18); the Pomozoni with Italian gin, doladira, lemon, tomatoes, and salt ($19); the Safe Harbor with a dry gin, fino, coconut, cucumber, absinthe and soda ($18); and the after-dinner Dolce Amaro Fizz with amaro noveis, hazelnut, coffee liqueur, egg yolk, cream, and prosecco ($21), plus beers, nonalcoholic options, and coffee. Co-partners are executive chef Nick Curtola (who also oversees the kitchen of the team's older sibling across the street), managing director Amanda McMillan, James Murphy, Christina Topsoe, Randy Moon, and Stacy Fisher (who is the wife of the late partner Justin Chearno). The rest of the team includes wine director Flo Barth (who worked with Chearno at the team's older sibling), bar director Jojo Colona (who worked at Attaboy), general manager Kendra Busby, and sous chefs Jonathan Vogt and Max Baez. Reservations can be placed online, but there is room for walk-ins — good luck to anyone trying their luck at this on opening week!" - Nadia Chaudhury
