Eataly Opens Nutella Bar, World Rocks Off Axis

This morning, Eataly announced it will replace its recently shuttered wine store with a Nutella bar, opening on Monday, May 12. Just one more thing: It's free. Take a moment and get your head around that.

On opening day, New York's new hotspot (because what could be hotter than Nutella?) will serve up free baguettes smeared with everyone's favorite chocolate-hazelnut spread, alongside the rest of the Nutella-based menu items — none of which will run you more than five bucks. How about them apples? FORGET APPLES, NUTELLA FOREVER!

Eataly Vino closed following a settlement with the State Liquor Authority, which prevents them from selling liquor for six months. In looking for something to fill the void, owners Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, in their culinary brilliance, came up with the only thing better than a good glass of wine. It's a fitting substitute since the product originated in the Piedmont region of Italy.

Chicago's Eataly has had its own Nutella bar since December — reporting wild popularity and 45-minute lines every weekend, obviously. Still, that's about one third of the wait time for an NYC Cronut, and frankly, we're a lot more excited about this. The market's artisanal reputation also gives us reason to hope that the shop will be serving Europe-imported Nutella, which Nutella snobs insist is different (read: better) from the product you find on American shelves. Either way, we're sold.