Some New York restaurants are carefully planned. Others happen in a flash of instinct.
Gnocchi on 9th started on a train.
Co-founders Mike Salzano and Ariel Strizower weren’t longtime friends plotting a food empire. “We knew each other through the industry,” Ariel says. “I worked in restaurants and he was in real estate, so we had crossed paths helping other businesses find spaces.”
One day, they were on the subway scouting locations for a completely different concept. In between stops, the conversation shifted. “We started talking about pasta and how there wasn’t really a fast, affordable grab-and-go option,” Ariel says. “We pivoted that same day.”
They found the East 9th Street space. Signed a lease within two weeks. Opened about a month later.
“It was meant to be a side project,” Ariel shares. “We both planned to keep our full-time jobs.”
Two weeks in, everything changed.
“A TikTok blew up and suddenly we had lines out the door and had to hire a full team. That was the moment we realized this might actually be something.”
They landed on gnocchi with intention.
“We both love it and felt it was slightly underrepresented, especially in a fast-casual format,” Ariel explains. “It cooks in about two minutes, holds sauce well, and is easy to eat with a fork while walking. You don’t want to be eating spaghetti out of a box on the street. Gnocchi just made sense.”
The takeout box idea? Immediate.
“It feels very New York,” he says. “Most of us grew up eating takeout from those boxes. It felt familiar and portable. It holds heat well and the handle makes it easy to carry.”
If there was doubt in the beginning, it wasn’t about the packaging. It was about simplicity.
“Any early confusion wasn’t about the box. It was more about whether a whole business could revolve around just gnocchi.”
Now, that simplicity is their strength.
Their top seller is the gnocchi alla vodka with burrata — creamy, indulgent, comforting. But lately, something else has taken the lead.
“Our seasonal gnocchi alla bolognese has been just as popular and we’re strongly considering making it permanent,” Ariel says. “My personal favorite used to be the vodka, but since adding the bolognese that’s become my number one. Mike would say the same and honestly most of our team has shifted to that as well.”
Across the board, he believes the appeal is straightforward.
“I think what people love is the simplicity. It’s familiar comfort food that’s hot, fast, and easy to enjoy anywhere.”
And somehow, it’s still $10.
“In New York, keeping things affordable is one of the biggest challenges,” Ariel shares. “We’re very proud of still being able to offer a ten dollar bowl in a city where costs keep rising.”
They operate out of small spaces most concepts wouldn’t consider. They run lean. They work closely with purveyors to keep pricing consistent. In the early days, they even built locations themselves.
“Many of the early locations were built by us because we didn’t have the budget for contractors,” Ariel says. “Mike handled most of the construction and deserves the credit there.”
The brand’s playful tone is deliberate.
“We’re serving pasta out of a takeout box and it’s meant to be fun,” he says. “At the same time we take a lot of pride in making sure the food is great and can rival what you’d get at a sit-down spot for twice the price.”
The best part? Watching someone open their box for the first time.
“When someone opens the box, we want them to feel excitement and comfort,” Ariel says. “There’s usually also a bit of surprise when they taste it and realize how good it actually is. That reaction is always fun to see.”
What began as a side hustle now includes eight locations across NYC, two seasonal market locations running October through January, and a ninth location opening soon in New Jersey — their first outside of New York.
They didn’t set out to dominate the fast-casual Italian space. They just followed a gut instinct on a train.
“We don’t have a set number in mind for growth,” Ariel says. “We just plan to keep spreading the gnocchi love as long as people keep asking for it.”
And New Yorkers keep asking.
Because sometimes the formula isn’t complicated. It’s hot gnocchi. Rich sauce. A white takeout box in your hand. Ten dollars in a city that rarely gives you a break.
Open the box. Take a bite. You’ll understand why the lines formed so fast.
