Thursday, May 21, 2026

Openings: Sono on 1st Avenue

Photos by William Klayer

Sono, a Korean-Italian trattoria, debuted this past week at 176 First Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street. 

The restaurant comes from Chef Sechul Yang, whose résumé includes stints at Gramercy Tavern, Oiji Mi,  and DDOBAR. 

According to published reports (Time Out, Eater), Yang aims to create a modern trattoria that blends Italian technique with Korean flavors without leaning into gimmicks. The menu features handmade pasta alongside fermented sauces, pickled vegetables and other Korean-inspired ingredients drawn from Yang's upbringing. 

Hours are 5:30-11 p.m. on weekdays and until midnight on weekends. 

Sono takes over this space from Black Seed Bagels, which departed in April 2025 after 10-plus years here. 

The storefront was previously DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffè, which had operated for 110 years until December 2014. 

Black Seed kept as many of the former business's interior architectural elements as possible, including the tiled floors and ceiling... though those elements seem to be gone now...
at

4 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 21, 2026 at 9:54 AM

    What a shame to lose that beautiful tile floor :(

    ReplyDelete
  2. TrixieMay 21, 2026 at 11:10 AM

    Foolish move to lose those original Italian design elements, very foolish.

    ReplyDelete
  3. EPAMay 21, 2026 at 11:12 AM

    gimmicky asf

    ReplyDelete
  4. jMay 21, 2026 at 12:34 PM

    Amazing how so many truly iconic spaces in the city have been destroyed. Basic is as basic does.

    ReplyDelete

Your remarks and lively debates are welcome, whether supportive or critical of the views herein. Your articulate, well-informed remarks that are relevant to an article are welcome.

However, commentary that is intended to "flame" or attack, that contains violence, racist comments and potential libel will not be published. Facts are helpful.

If you'd like to make personal attacks and libelous claims against people and businesses, then you may do so on your own social media accounts. Also, comments predicting when a new business will close ("I give it six weeks") will not be approved.