Last summer’s blink-and-you-missed-it pop-up is coming back with beachfront staying power. Camp Rubirosa, the camp-themed spin-off of Mulberry Street’s Rubirosa, is shifting from one-off experiment to recurring Hamptons ritual and is slated to reopen for the season on May 15. The outpost trades Nolita’s sidewalk rush for communal tables, an outdoor piazza and Italian-American comfort food given a subtle seaside tilt.
Pop-up Becomes Seasonal Staple
After a debut run that sold out night after night, the team is making it official: Camp Rubirosa will “return every year” as a standing summer tradition on Race Lane, according to Time Out. Owner Maria Pappalardo told the outlet that “Camp is about coming back,” noting that families quickly started building their own rituals around the outpost. Time Out also reports that the East Hampton camp kicks back into gear for the season on May 15.
Where To Find It Out East
Camp Rubirosa is taking over the former Laundry/Buttero space by the East Hampton train station, at 31 Race Lane on the corner of Railroad Avenue, as detailed by Eater. Local coverage says the residency grew out of a collaboration between Pappalardo and restaurateur Brian Bedol, who helped steer the buzzy pop-up into a standing seasonal operation, according to The East Hampton Star. Last summer’s run drew consistent lines and frequent sellouts, a response the owners cite as the push to make Camp Rubirosa a recurring date on the Hamptons calendar.
Menu, Reservations And The Team
The food stays firmly in Rubirosa’s wheelhouse: Italian-American crowd-pleasers like the signature tie-dye pizza, house-made pastas and chicken parm, with seasonal seafood folded in to suit the East End setting. Reservation details are laid out on the restaurant’s location page, and parties of eight or more are directed to book via Resy, the site notes, according to Camp Rubirosa. That page also spells out summer hours, patio guidelines and group-dining policies. Forbes took a closer look at the pop-up’s design and credited co-founders Pappalardo and Bedol with the camp-style, fast-build setup that struck a chord with diners last year.
What To Expect This Summer
The East Hampton residency slides neatly into the trend of city restaurants chasing weekend regulars out east, and Camp Rubirosa’s bigger, outdoor-centric layout is built with peak-season crowds in mind, according to Eater. Local roundups and lifestyle writeups pegged last year’s run as one of the summer’s most talked-about openings, and editors are already warning that reservations will disappear fast. Anyone angling for a tie-dye pizza night or a prime Sunday Supper slot is advised to plan well ahead.
Camp Rubirosa opens May 15 and will take bookings on Resy as well as through its own site, with hours and large-party policies listed on the restaurant’s location page. For more detail, see Time Out and the restaurant’s website.
