Marco Canora’s Brodo Goes Brick-and-Mortar

A long list of decidedly unsexy foodstuffs — from seaweed to quinoa to brussels sprouts —have been very much on trend in recent years.  But they’re positively sultry when compared to bone broth; largely associated with invalids and other intestinally distressed patients on liquid diets.

We have chef Marco Canora to thank for bone broth’s impressive PR turnaround, activated by the opening of Brodo (a dedicated takeout window) in his James Beard Award-nominated Hearth back in 2014.  He further buoyed the elixir’s upward trajectory the following winter, with the release of a devoted cookbook, and continued his role as bone broth flag bearer straight into 2016, with both a pop-up kiosk in Bryant Park, and most recently, a permanent brick-and-mortar spot, on tony Hudson Street in the West Village.

And while Canora’s previous Brodo ventures have been, well, as bare bones as his steaming, signature liquid, his newest establishment is surprisingly fleshed out. Though still diminutive at 350-square feet, the health-conscious eatery packs a serious punch; dominated by an entire wall of herbs designed by Atera/Olmsted horticulturist, Ian Rothman.

Running the gamut from cilantro to rosemary to peppermint, they’re plucked to order by Brodo staff, and incorporated into a surprisingly diverse array of combos.  Cups of organic chicken, grass-fed beef, or “Hearth”-style chicken, beef and turkey serve as bases, further augmented with a seemingly endless series of add-ins, structured under “Elixirs” (ginger juice, mushroom powder, chili oil), “Seaweeds” (kombu, sea flake, dulse), and “Quality Fats” (Moroccan-spiced butter, organic coconut milk, ghee).

Can’t stomach this level of picking and choosing when it comes to a bubbling beverage?  The menu includes 11 staff-selected potions labeled “Combinations We Love” as well, so there’s no shame in defaulting to the Oishi Oishi (chicken broth, shitake tea, garlic puree), The Sipping Beauty (Hearth broth, parsley, lemon wedge) or The Texas Two-Step; a stimulating mix of beef broth and spiced bone marrow.

Bone broth may have always been good for you, but thanks to the efforts of Marco Canora, it’s never actually tasted this good.

Brodo Broth Shop
496 Hudson St.
212-366-0600
brodo.com