Leading Italian restaurants in HK

You don’t have to be dining in Rome or Milan to enjoy the delights of Italian cuisine. There are some outstanding restaurants on the streets of Hong Kong. Eliot Ip takes a look at the best.

Hong Kong’s Otto e Mezzo has three Michelin stars and 2,000 wines

From the formality of the Grand Hyatt’s Grissini to the more relaxed feeling of Doppio Zero, we have picked places which stand out for the quality and authenticity of their cooking.

However, decor and atmosphere are also important, with Gaia in particular making the list not just for its Roman-style pizzas but also its inviting garden terrace – a much sought-after rarity on the island.

And with the growing interest in top-flight Italian food comes an emerging enthusiasm for Italian wines.

For those in love with the latter, Otto e Mezzo must be sampled, as the restaurant boasts a cellar containing over 2,000 bottles of Italy’s finest wines to complement its Michelin-starred cooking.

Meanwhile, if price is an issue, The Drawing Room in the Jia Boutique Hotel serves Italian-inspired food alongside wines from the Mediterranean nation which haven’t been marked-up massively.

View the following pages to see Hong Kong’s top ten Italian restaurants.

1. SABATINI

Originally opened in Rome in 1954, Sabatini Ristorante Italiano at The Royal Garden Hotel celebrates authentic Roman cuisine served in a romantic, countryside- inspired setting (complete with live music performances in the evenings).

The menu is old-school with dishes such as herb- roasted lamb rack and traditional spaghetti carbonara. The house specialty tiramisu and other homemade cakes and custards are another important highlight here, especially since they’re all served from a dessert trolley, which lends extra dramatic effect to the whole affair.

3/F, The Royal Garden, 69 Mody Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2733 2000

2. BISTECCA

Bistecca is credited as the first Italian-style steakhouse to open in Hong Kong. The interiors are modeled after a traditional Tuscan butchery with refrigerators displaying hand-selected cuts of premium meat.

Try the namesake bistecca alla Fiorentina, which is served in a hefty 32oz portion. The staff will recommend serving this cut at a juice-dripping rare but the chefs can also char the steak to any preference.

For lunch, Bistecca also offers a generous antipasti buffet, which can be enjoyed on its own or with a second course of steak, wagyu burger, pasta or house-spun pizza.

2/F, Grand Progress Bldg, 15-16 Lan Kwai Fong, 2525 1308

3. DOMANI

This beautiful, glasshouse restaurant remains one of the most celebrated Italian restaurants in town. Designed with the help of Pier Bussetti (chef-owner of Ristorante Pier Bussetti al Castello di Govone in Italy) and executed by head chef Andrea Spagoni, the menu here blends traditional and contemporary ideals.

The results are stunning and include dishes such as caramelised duck with cherry tea, fruits and mint lime pineapple, and Earl Grey tea risotto with calamari and lime.

4/F, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, 2111 1197; www.domani.hk

4. DOPPIO ZERO

Don’t come here if you’re looking for a flashy dining experience; Doppio Zero is all about casual and comforting nonna’s fare done with plenty of heart.

But aside from paying tribute to traditional Italian cooking, executive chef Jake Addeo also perks up the menu with innovative, Asian-inspired twists.

Try the spaghetti neri, for example, which has Thai chillies, scallion and baby cuttlefish decorating strands of homemade pasta. There’s also the “yin yang” affogato, which contains milk tea gelato, espresso and peanut butter cookie.

G/F, The Pemberton, 22 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan, 2851 0682; www.doppiozero.com.hk

5. GAIA

This beautiful ristorante remains one of the most popular dining spots with the city’s Italian community. Most people come for the beautiful al fresco garden terrace (a rarity on the island) and stay for the contemporary regional cuisine.

House favourites include beef carpaccio with aged black truffle cheese, arugula and polenta, and chittara pasta tossed with bottarga and clams. Gaia is also known for its Roman-style pizzas with toppings such as the classic margherita and smoked ham with gorgonzola.

For the lunchtime crowd, Gaia’s lavish antipasti buffet features some of the finest Italian ingredients, including sliced Parma ham and delicious aged cheeses.

The Piazza, Grand Millennium Plaza, 181 Queen’s Rd Central, Sheung Wan, 2167 8200; www.gaiagroup.com.hk/gaia

6. GRISSINI RESTAURANT

A meal at Grissini always starts with its namesake breadsticks, which are served warm from the oven. The rest of the menu stays loyal to traditional Italian flavours and the chefs let fresh ingredients shine in dishes such as stuffed zucchini flowers with buffalo mozzarella cream and chestnut flour pasta with Genova-style basil pesto potatoes.

The stunning, harbourside restaurant also offers more than a dozen Italian wines by the glass as well as an extensive list of reds, white and bubblies by the bottle.

2/F, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Rd, Wan Chai, 2584 7722

7. OSTERIA RISTORANTE ITALIANO

Perhaps due to its hidden location within the Holiday Inn hotel, Osteria is one of the best, yet most underrated, Italian restaurants in town.

The antipasti selection impresses, whether it’s fresh beef carpaccio with arugula or the Ligurian-style octopus salad served with potatoes, green beans and pesto.

The restaurant also prides itself on its pastas, which are prepared with chef-dictated toppings or a choice of traditional Italian sauces.

If you’re looking for another type of carb, Osteria’s home-baked pizzas are also worth a try.

M/F, Holiday Inn Golden Mile, 50 Nathan Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2315 1010

8. OTTO E MEZZO

There’s a reason why Otto e Mezzo deserves three Michelin stars. Chef Umberto Bombana (popularly known as “the king of white truffles”) combines the comforting rusticity of traditional Italian cuisine with the freshest ingredients and modern aesthetics.

The handcrafted pastas are flawless with al dente bite and delicious, eggy aromas. Order the silky ravioli that are stuffed with burrata cheese then decorated with tomatoes and olives.

The restaurant is also equipped with an ageing room that stores some of the finest cheeses and hams, as well as a wine cellar filled with more than 2,000 bottles. If you really want to spoil yourself, plan your visit to the restaurant in October and try Bombana’s famous white truffle menu.

Shop 202, 2/F, Alexandra House, 18 Chater Rd, Central, 2537 8859; www.ottoemezzobombana.com

9. THE DRAWING ROOM

This restaurant on the ground floor of the JIA boutique hotel offers an inspired culinary experience. The space is designed to look like an artist’s studio and indeed, the chefs working in the kitchen are true craftsmen.

Under the guidance of executive chef Roland Schuller, the tasting menus boast expertly prepared dishes such as pan-fried quail and foie gras and a delicious wagyu beef trio (short rib, tenderloin and ox tongue).

Oenophiles will also appreciate the wine list here, which has one of the most reasonable mark-up prices in the city.

1/F, JIA Boutique Hotel, 1-5 Irving St, Causeway Bay, 2915 6628; www.thedrawingroom.com.hk