Chef Pasquale Cozzolino, the owner of Ribalta, has quietly slipped an all-day spot into the Ray-Ban House in SoHo, and the whole thing revolves around Japanese milk-bread sandwiches, or sandos. The shop is in a soft-opening phase with a trimmed-down menu, and the full lineup is scheduled to roll out on May 7. Instead of pizza, Cozzolino is working with pillowy shokupan stacked with Italian ingredients and backed by a compact raw-bar program. Early dishes lean indulgent and are clearly built for quick counter service and easy sharing.
What’s on the menu
Beyond the sando lineup, the kitchen stretches into raw-bar territory with plates like bluefin tuna dressed with avocado and Sicilian olive oil, plus a range of carpaccios and tartares. Think red shrimp with ricotta or a rich beef-and-truffle carpaccio. There are also small plates that nod to Cozzolino’s Italian roots, including wagyu meatballs, according to Time Out.
From Naples to SoHo
Cozzolino, who was born and trained in Naples, brings a technique-driven, ingredient-forward style that helps the Italian-Japanese crossover feel intentional rather than gimmicky, per Wikipedia. He runs Ribalta and is listed as its executive chef, according to OpenTable.
Inside Ray-Ban House
The counter operates inside the temporary Ray-Ban House at 62 Prince Street, a retail-and-event townhouse hosting limited-run cultural programming this month. Event listings flag Ribalta as the food partner for the SoHo installation, per Average Socialite.
When to go
For now, the team is serving a pared-back selection while they fine-tune the full menu, which is set to debut on May 7. The operation is designed for all-day ordering rather than a formal dinner setup, so it is positioned as a grab-and-go option for lunch, late-afternoon bites or a quick stop between errands. Early offerings point to visually striking, generously filled sandos that pair Japanese bread technique with Italian fillings, as reported by Time Out.
Practical details
The temporary restaurant is located at 62 Prince Street in SoHo, according to event listings for the Ray-Ban House from Average Socialite.
Ribalta’s flagship remains at 48 E 12th Street in Greenwich Village, where Pasquale Cozzolino is listed as executive chef and reservations are available via OpenTable.
