Eataly, the Italian marketplace, says it will open in King of Prussia

Eataly, the vast Italian food hall with four dozen locations around the world, announced Thursday that it would open a location at King of Prussia Mall in 2025 — a decade since word began circulating that it was considering the Philadelphia market.

In a statement, Eataly said it had signed “a multiyear lease” with mall operator Simon Property Group, but representatives declined to specify the location at the mall or provide additional information.

Eataly locations have at least one full-scale restaurant, as well as various specialty-food stations set up around a supermarket-size selection of Italian grocery items, truffles, pastas, cured meats, cheese, caviar, oils, prepared foods, and wines and spirits. By “specialty-food stations,” for example: Many locations have a cannoli bar offering two types of shells, 10 fillings, 17 toppings, and several add-ons.

Eataly has nine flagship North American destinations and more than 40 stores in Italy, the United States, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Sweden, and Brazil.

Italian businessman Oscar Farinetti, owner of the consumer electronics chain UniEuro, opened the first location of Eataly in 2007 in a shuttered vermouth factory in Turin.

He picked up celebrity backers, including Mario Batali (who left the company amid allegations of sexual misconduct) and Joe Bastianich. Last year, the investment firm Investindustrial VII LP became Eataly’s majority owner.

The news is a long time coming. In 2013 — three years after the first U.S. Eataly opened, in New York City — the Philadelphia real estate market buzzed about an impending signing downtown. Signs then pointed to the ground floor of the former Strawbridge & Clothier store at 801 Market St. City officials made a pitch, but no deal was signed. The site was long vacant until Giant Heirloom Market opened in 2022.

The timing seems to be right now for food halls backed by out-of-town operators. In 2024, the Urbanspace food hall is planned for Brandywine Realty Trust’s Schuylkill Yards development at the former Bulletin Building, across from 30th Street Station.

The King of Prussia location, amid one of the East Coast’s largest shopping districts, further confirms the rise of the suburbs for high-end food as local restaurateurs such as Marc Vetri (Fiore Rosso) and Jose Garces (Amada) have opened posh destinations in the last two years.