Felice Opens New Flagship Location in Flatiron Inside Historic Fifth Avenue Building Overlooking Madison Square Park

The Family-Run Italian Brand Expands Its Wine, Bar and Dining Program with Its Largest Bar to Date

NEW YORK, June 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Felice has opened its new flagship restaurant in the Flatiron District, bringing the family-run Italian brand to one of Manhattan's most design- and culture-driven neighborhoods with a space built around a simple idea: a restaurant designed to feel like part of daily life, not just a place for occasion.

Located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 26th Street, the space is designed to feel embedded in the neighborhood from the start, less like a new opening, more like a place that has always been there. Since 2007, the restaurant brand has grown to fourteen locations across New York, Connecticut, Florida, and beyond, building its identity around rooms that feel lived-in from the moment you walk in, shaped by wine, conversation, and a pace that encourages people to settle in and stay.

"Felice was conceived from the beginning as an extension of the New Yorker's living room, a place where you can have exceptional wine with friends, eat genuine Italian food, and simply feel at home. Flatiron is the most complete expression of that idea we've ever built. From the wine program to the materials to the way the room changes throughout the day, every detail was designed around how people actually want to spend time. "Four years between New York openings means you'd better get it right. We think we did."

Built in 1912, Felice Flatiron is set within 220 Fifth Avenue, a 21-story neo-Gothic building overlooking Madison Square Park. The setting brings strong natural light, park views, and a prominent Fifth Avenue presence just steps from the Flatiron Building. Inside, the restaurant features 18-foot ceilings that amplify the openness and light of the space throughout the day. Windows wrapping three sides of the dining room further distinguishes the space from previous Felice locations, reinforcing both the scale of the restaurant and its connection to Madison Square Park and Fifth Avenue below.

The design, led by Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture, balances warm minimalism with understated luxury. At the center of the room is the largest and most majestic bar Felice has created to date, conceived as both the visual and social anchor of the restaurant. Wrapped in Grigio Versilia marble inspired by traditional Tuscan enotecas and backed by Chianti terracotta sourced from Tuscany, the bar was designed to function as an all-day gathering place, equally suited for coffee, wine, cocktails, or a full meal. A 30-foot-wide illuminated wine wall further anchors the dining room, while custom Italian oak millwork crafted in Florence grounds the interiors in material authenticity while maintaining a distinctly New York sensibility. The project marks the first time the brand has worked at this scale architecturally, establishing Felice Flatiron as the brand's flagship location and introducing a new level of intentionality and refinement to the Felice experience.

Lighting and spatial transitions follow the cadence of the day, shifting the room from bright and open in the afternoon to warmer and more intimate by evening.

"We wanted the space to feel instantly familiar but elevated in every detail, Tuscany in its materials, New York in its energy," said Enrico Bonetti, co-founder of Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture.

New Additions to the Food, Wine and Bar Program at Felice Flatiron

The wine program builds on what Felice is known for, championing small, quality producers, with a curated by-the-glass selection of whites, reds, rosés, and sparkling wines, largely in the $16–$28 range. A broader bottle list introduces more international producers, many under $100, alongside a "Back to Natural" section focused on low-intervention wines. Drawing on nearly two decades of relationships with producers and winemakers, the program takes a more focused and highly curated approach, prioritizing fewer labels with stronger point-of-view selections from across Italy alongside standout international producers from regions including Spain and California. The philosophy became less but better; fewer labels, but stronger selections and more intention behind every bottle.

The cocktail program expands on Felice's longstanding bar culture with a menu centered around classic Italian drinking traditions alongside more contemporary additions. Newly introduced signature cocktails include a Dirty Martini Spritz and seasonal variations on Italian aperitivo staples, with aperitivo offered daily as a lingering part of the restaurant experience from late afternoon into evening.

A newly introduced Nightcap menu rounds out the offering, featuring post-dinner drinks designed to extend the evening, including Amaro Shakerato, Limoncello Martini, and Affogato Martini, to name a few.

The menu continues Felice's Tuscan approach, defined by seasonal ingredients, classic Italian pastas, regional recipes, and restraint, with additions tailored specifically to the Flatiron location. Alongside signature pastas and dishes designed for sharing, the restaurant will also feature, the Il Toscano Plate, with rotating selections of salumi, pecorino, olives, and crostini, further reinforces the restaurant's communal style of dining.

Experiential details, including a tableside tiramisu cart and interactive amaro bar station, add moments of familiarity and return throughout the meal.

Felice Flatiron is located at 220 Fifth Avenue and will be open for lunch, brunch, dinner, wine, and cocktails daily. Reservations will be available via Resy. For more information, visit www.felicerestaurants.com.

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SOURCE Felice Restaurants