Where Is Barbuto Now? Best Thing I Ever Ate Update (New York, NY)

Part 1 — Season 5, Episode 4

The 'Better Than Mine' episode (S5E4) featured Barbuto, chef Jonathan Waxman's California-Italian restaurant known for roast chicken with salsa verde. The restaurant first opened in New York's West Village in February 2004, and Waxman won a James Beard Award for Best Chef: NYC in 2016 based on his work there. Robb Report noted the original Horatio and Washington Street-area location served its last night on 2019-05-31, after its lease ended and the building's new owner pursued other plans for the property. Gothamist reported that Waxman reopened Barbuto roughly a year later just down the block, ultimately settling into 113 Horatio Street in the fall of 2021 following a pandemic-related interruption. Barbuto's own website, checked 2026-09-07, lists the West Village location alongside a second Brooklyn Heights location, with live reservation booking through Resy and SevenRooms at each, indicating both remain in active service under the same ownership.

Part 2 — Season 9, Episode 4

The episode "Terrific Italian" featured Barbuto's signature roast chicken with salsa verde, the dish that built the West Village restaurant's reputation under chef-owner Jonathan Waxman. Barbuto opened in February 2004 on Washington Street and became known as an early farm-to-table Italian restaurant, according to New York Magazine. The original location closed in 2019 after losing its lease, according to The New York Times. Barbuto reopened in a new space at 113 Horatio Street in October 2021, according to Eater New York, bringing back the same roast chicken that earned Waxman a James Beard Award for Best Chef: New York City in 2016. Waxman built Barbuto's menu around Italian-inflected, ingredient-driven cooking, and the roast chicken remains the dish most identified with the restaurant across both its Washington Street and Horatio Street locations.