The original Carbone restaurant opened in New York’s Greenwich Village in 2013 and quickly became a sensation. Founded by chef Mario Carbone – a kid from Queens who trained under Mario Batali and Daniel Boulud – with his Major Food Group partners Jeff Zalaznick and Rich Torrisi, the restaurant was a fancy red-sauce joint serving elevated Italian-American staples.
The servers wore maroon tuxedos (designed by Zac Posen) and wove through the room hoisting giant trays. The playlist was Rat Pack era. The 1950s decor included embroidered café curtains, sconce chandeliers and a tiled floor inspired by a restaurant in The Godfather. “An enthralling period piece,” the founders called it. Carbone became a haven for celebrities and reservations were consistently hard to come by.
Jeff Zalaznick (left) and Mario Carbone at Carbone London © Sofi Adams
In the years since, Carbones have sprung up in Miami, Dallas, Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Doha and Riyadh, with Dubai to come this October. Major Food Group has also launched two dozen restaurant concepts in the US and around the world, including Dirty French (a take on the French brasserie), Contessa (a celebration of northern-Italian cuisine) and Sadelle’s (an all-day deli/restaurant).
