What Is Burrata? Burrata vs Mozzarella and NYC Prices

Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese: a pouch of mozzarella-style stretched curd filled with stracciatella, shreds of the same curd mixed with cream, so a fresh one spills when cut. On six New York menus, a burrata starter costs from $20 at Bacaro to $32 at Rezdôra, with a median of $27 across seven plates. The definition follows the Burrata di Andria consortium and the Italian agriculture ministry’s product specification; prices are the ones printed on each restaurant’s own menu page, checked in October 2026.

Is burrata cheese expensive at NYC restaurants?

It depends mostly on what is served with it. Of the seven restaurants in the table, six print a burrata starter, at $20 to $32, and the seventh, Pasquale Jones, sells burrata on pizza. All prices are as of October 2026, as printed on each menu page.

What the numbers say. The seven burrata starters (Rezdôra prints two) cost $20, $23, $25, $27, $27, $28 and $32. The median is $27 and the mean is $26 (182 divided by seven). In this sample the garnish sets the tier. The two starters without ham, Bacaro’s and Via Carota’s, are the cheapest; the four built around prosciutto run $25 to $28; and the one starter above that is Rezdôra’s burrata Reale, with maitake and black truffle, which costs $4 more than the same kitchen’s prosciutto version. Caprese salads made with burrata mozzarella are left out of the count because both menus that print one file it under Salads: Cafe Fiorello’s is $19 and Trattoria Dell’Arte’s is $20.

Bread is a separate line. Rezdôra’s menu prints fett’unta, toasted bread with extra virgin oil, at $10 and calls it “a perfect accompaniment to caseificio,” the dairy section that holds its burrata. Ordered together, the $28 burrata and the bread come to $38 before drinks, tax and tip. For what other menus charge for bread, see bread as a paid course at New York’s Italian restaurants.

Burrata does not top every starter list. Babbo’s Apericena section has five plates, and burrata is the second most expensive, behind a $32 grilled octopus. At Via Carota, of six antipasti, only the $28 prosciutto costs more than the $23 burrata. At Bacaro four of the other ten antipasti cost more, led by a $32 meat and cheese plate. For how that opening course is organized, see what antipasto means on an Italian menu.

What is burrata made of?

Burrata has three parts: a shell of pasta filata (stretched curd), similar to the pouch used for mozzarella; strips of the same curd; and cream. The Burrata di Andria consortium describes the curd going into water at 85 to 90°C (185 to 194°F), worked until soft and elastic, shaped into a pouch, filled with hand-shredded strips and cream, and sealed with boiling water or tied at the neck. That filling is the stracciatella.

Burrata di Andria IGP is the protected version. IGP stands for Indicazione Geografica Protetta, a protected geographical indication, which the consortium says the cheese received in 2016. The ministry’s specification calls for cow’s milk and a shell made only of pasta filata, sets a weight of 100 g to 1000 g and a casing about 2 mm thick or more, and confines production and packaging to the region of Puglia.

The consortium places the origin in Andria and credits the master cheesemaker Lorenzo Bianchino; in its telling, the invention dates to the early 1930s. It says the name probably points to the buttery taste of the center, not to butter added to the filling, and that the flavor stays intact only a few days after production.

Is burrata different from fresh mozzarella?

Yes, in the middle. The Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP consortium describes its curd being cut into strips, boiling water added, and the mass pulled until the mixture becomes a homogeneous whole: stretched curd all the way through. Burrata closes a pouch of similar curd around a soft filling, so the center runs. The Burrata di Andria consortium says a really fresh one sends its stracciatella across the plate when cut.

Menus sometimes treat the two words as one. Pasquale Jones keeps them apart: its margherita, at $25, lists Mozzarella di Bufala, while burrata appears as a named pie, a pizza add-on and a slice topping. Trattoria Dell’Arte and Cafe Fiorello use a single phrase, “burrata mozzarella,” for the cheese on their margheritas, chicken parmigiana and ravioli, and Cafe Fiorello also lists “Housemade Burrata Mozzarella” on a $42 charcuterie board.

Do you eat the hard part of burrata?

Yes. The firmer outside is the shell of stretched curd, and it is part of the cheese, eaten together with the filling. The consortium’s advice is to eat burrata as it is and to take it out of the refrigerator at least an hour before serving. The wrapper is another matter: the consortium says the leaf-like wrap used today is food-grade plastic, shaped to recall the asphodel leaves traditionally used, so it is packaging, not cheese.

What is burrata pizza, and where else do menus use it?

A burrata pizza is one built or finished with burrata. Pasquale Jones prints it three ways: a named pie, Burrata & Prosciutto, with pomodorini and 24 Month Prosciutto, at $29; burrata in its pizza add-ons line, priced $6; and an N’duja slice with Calabria pork salami and burrata on its Sicilian Slices by Bar Pasquale list, $8. Trattoria Dell’Arte and Cafe Fiorello put “burrata mozzarella” on the margherita itself, $28 at both, and on a Prosciutto Di Parma and arugula pizza, $30 at both.

Beyond the pizza list, burrata turns up as an ingredient. Ravioli stuffed with burrata mozzarella cost $29 at Trattoria Dell’Arte and $28 at Cafe Fiorello, and filled pasta belongs to the course covered in the primi explainer. Cafe Fiorello’s lasagna adds burrata to shortrib beef and meatball for $39, and both restaurants list their chicken parmigiana, $38 each, with burrata mozzarella.

The consortium’s typical pairing is a green or tomato salad, and it also suggests pasta, risotto and pizza. The two cheapest starters here are the closest to that pairing: Bacaro’s burrata with tomatoes and basil, and Via Carota’s with wilted bitter greens.

How these were chosen. Each restaurant is included because its own site prints a price for a burrata dish; reservation listings and press coverage were not used as sources. These are the restaurants checked, not a survey of every New York menu. Dishes and prices change with the season and can differ between a restaurant’s lunch, dinner and brunch menus, so confirm on the day. The range, median and mean come only from the seven burrata starters in the table, not from the salads, pizzas or cooked dishes.

Frequently asked questions

What is burrata cheese?

Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese made of a pouch of mozzarella-style stretched curd (pasta filata) filled with stracciatella, which is shredded curd mixed with cream. The protected Burrata di Andria IGP comes from Puglia and is made with cow’s milk, according to Italy’s agriculture ministry.

What is the difference between burrata and mozzarella?

Mozzarella is stretched curd throughout, while burrata is a mozzarella-style shell around a filling of shredded curd and cream. The Burrata di Andria consortium describes the shell as similar to the one used for mozzarella and says a fresh burrata releases its stracciatella over the plate when cut.

How much does burrata cost at an NYC restaurant?

As of October 2026, burrata starters on six NYC menus ran from $20 at Bacaro to $32 for Rezdôra’s burrata Reale, with a median of $27. Caprese salads made with burrata mozzarella list at $19 at Cafe Fiorello and $20 at Trattoria Dell’Arte, and whole pizzas made with burrata cost $28 to $30 at those two restaurants and $29 at Pasquale Jones.

Can you eat the outside of burrata?

Yes. The outer shell of a burrata is part of the cheese and is eaten with the cream-and-curd filling. The Burrata di Andria consortium’s advice is to eat it as it is and to take it out of the refrigerator at least an hour beforehand.