Michelin-Starred Rezdôra Has Opened a Sibling in Flatiron

After Rezdôra, which highlights the Italian cuisine of Emilia Romagna, earned a Michelin star and a three-star New York Times review, chef Stefano Secchi and his partner, David Switzer, have unveiled a sibling around the corner, at 913 Broadway at East 20th Street.

Secchi, who trained in Massimo Bottura’s famous three-Michelin-starred restaurant Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, opened Rezdôra in 2019, rolling out a regional pasta tasting that’s unique in the city. Five years later, he’s rolling out Massara — “head of the household” — which has more than twice as many seats as its sibling, yet maintains a rustic charm as it focuses on traditional dishes of Southern Italy, including places like Naples, Salerno, and Sorrento. There will also be live-fire cooking, with a wood-burning oven and grill that help illuminate the room.

Alex Staniloff/Massara.

The restaurant is “focused on elevating Southern Italian food in the U.S.,” according to a job listing, and says it will source “75 percent of its produce from the farmers market,” a tall order since it’s expensive in a time when prices are skyrocketing, and there’s only so much to go around for all the restaurants claiming to use it. A starting menu features items from the grill, including octopus with beans and mosto cotto, a reduced grape condiment. The restaurant also serves pizzettes ($15 to $17) like margherita, and marinara with anchovy and capers. As one would expect from a Rezdôra sibling, a section of the menu is devoted to pasta ($20 to $25), with choices like spaghettini classico with clams, parsley, and olives, and a simple paccheri pomodoro. The wood-fired mains range from large-format items like bistecca “New Yorkese,” whole fish, scallops, and prawns on a skewer (mazzancolle spiedino). The wine list will also focus on Southern Italy.

The addition of live-fire cooking and its clash with new regulations may have slowed the opening, but finally, Massara has quietly opened its doors. It is taking limited reservations for now until next week.

Update: This article has been updated on June 12 at 2:00 p.m. with current photos and to reflect that reservations are now live.

Alex Staniloff/Massara