New Upper West Side Italian Spot Sempre Oggi Now Open

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A new, seasonally-focused Italian restaurant from a local restaurateur is now open on the Upper West Side.

Sempre Oggi — which means "always today" — opened on Wednesday at 164 West 74th St., near Amsterdam Avenue, the former home of longtime spot 'Cesca.

Operated by Simon Oren and Robert Guarino, the restaurant pitches itself as "all about embracing the very best of right now," and aims to center seasonal and local ingredients on their menu.

So much so that the restaurant's menu changes daily based on "the best of what's in season," according to their website.

And Sempre Oggi also aims to have an "always today" attitude towards the traditional aperitivi — typically a late afternoon snack or cocktail with friends before dinner — and will host its own aperitivi hour from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. when the restaurant is open from Tuesday through Saturday.

“I really hope to bring that Italian aperitivi culture to the Upper West Side," Guarino told the West Side Rag.

Guarino has also thoroughly documented a deeply considered renovation of the roughly 4,000 square-foot interior dining space on the restaurant's Instagram page.

Chef Phillip Basone will be running the kitchen. His prior restaurant tours include Barbuto — where he became executive chef at 23 — Upland, Le Crocodile and then back to Barbuto to help helm their new location.

For Guarino, this isn't his first venture in the neighborhood — he's also the restaurateur behind Playa Betty's and 5 Napkin Burger.

Playa Betty's is a longtime popular Mexican spot at West 75th Street and Amsterdam, just steps from where the new Italian eatery will be.

You can check out Sempre Oggi's current menu and more information at their website here.