Rocco DiSpirito is back. Not that he ever really left, but after a few years of pop-ups, books, and TV appearances, he’s once again helming a New York City restaurant. Bar Rocco opened earlier this month at Kimpton Era Midtown New York, a new hotel adjacent to Rockefeller Center.
The Italian-American brasserie is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and is one of four new concepts at the hotel from Apicii restaurant group. It joins the Parlor, an all-day bar and lounge that’s open now, and will be followed soon by Latin steakhouse Amasa and rooftop izakaya concept Jade Rabbit.
“New York is where I learned how to cook, how to compete, and how to matter,” DiSpirito said. “I wasn’t interested in coming back just to open another restaurant. I wanted something that felt personal and relevant right now. Bar Rocco is that.”
The menu features steaks, chops, seafood, and pastas, like this pappardelle with smoked short rib ragù.
The menu channels DiSpirito’s frequent visits to regional markets and long-standing relationships with local farmers and purveyors. He described it as a distillation of everything he’s learned, with great ingredients, bold flavors, and no unnecessary complexity.
“It’s designed for how people actually want to eat today — high-quality food, a little indulgence, but still approachable and fun,” he said.
He cites the colossal shrimp cocktail, featuring smoky cocktail sauce, celery hearts, and caper rémoulade, as the perfect example of this ethos.
“It’s familiar, but we push it with better sourcing and layered sauces that make it feel new without losing what people love about it,” DiSpirito said.
Another favorite is Mama’s Meatballs, which he calls the soul of the menu.
Rocco DiSpirito’s menu is inspired by local markets and ingredients.
“They’re deeply personal and rooted in tradition, but executed with the precision and consistency of a modern kitchen,” he said. “And something like the spicy tuna tartare with quail egg shows the other side of the restaurant — clean, bold, a little unexpected, but still very craveable.”
Additional menu items include oysters, salads, steaks and chops, chicken puttanesca with spicy tomato sauce, fish and chips, a burger featuring aged wagyu beef, and several pastas, like the pappardelle Genovese with 24-hour smoked short rib ragù.
Breakfast brings house-baked pastries, eggs, avocado toast, pancakes, and other crowd-pleasers.
Bar Rocco is pouring beers, wines, and classic cocktails such as a Manhattan and Negroni alongside a build-your-own Martini program. There are also original drinks and reimagined classics, like the Italian Margarita made with tequila, amaretto, and lime, and the Smoked Old Fashioned made with bourbon, sherry, fig syrup, and bitters.
The restaurant is 108 seats, with 90 in the dining room and 18 more at the scarlet ceramic bar, which serves as a focal point for the restaurant. The space was designed by SLCE Architects and INC Architecture & Design. There are floor-to-ceiling windows sporting a direct view of Rockefeller Center, plus mosaic floors, leather banquettes, marble tables, and warm lighting.