Bvlgari Hotel Milan Turns Italian Gastronomy Into An Art Of Seduction with Da Niko

Antoine had barely placed his suitcase inside his suite at Bvlgari Hotel Milano when Milan began to perform its familiar magic. Outside, the city shimmered between afternoon sunlight and impending Fashion Week frenzy; inside, the Parisian fashion journalist, 40, a self-confessed gourmand, found himself thinking less about the season’s collections than dinner.

For years, he had heard stories of Niko Romito’s almost alchemical command of Italian cooking, from Abu Dhabi to Tokyo. Now, with a new chapter unfolding in Milan, his instinct was irresistible: book a table at Da Niko, the newly unveiled restaurant at Bvlgari Hotel Milano, and surrender to the pleasures of the table.

The name itself is disarmingly intimate. Da Niko — literally, to Niko’s — suggests being invited into someone’s home rather than summoned into a temple of haute gastronomy. 

Yet this apparent simplicity conceals considerable sophistication. Created by Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts and Chef Niko Romito, the concept retains the precision, discipline and ingredient-led philosophy that have distinguished Romito’s cooking, while liberating it from excessive ceremony.

Romito describes the idea beautifully: “With ‘Da Niko’, I wanted to find a more immediate language to express my culinary vision: the same philosophy, but with a warmer and more direct tone. The research and rigor—both in selecting the finest ingredients and in transforming them—remain exactly the same, but are now expressed through a more convivial dimension.” 

The menu, he adds, moves from raw dishes to tableside preparations, encouraging sharing and the pleasure of gathering, with technical mastery deliberately kept discreet in favour of “relaxed elegance and immediate enjoyment.”

That philosophy is deliciously apparent. Crudi arrive in their most lucid form: Amberjack Carpaccio with lemon and chilli, Tuna Carpaccio with basil-scented tomato, Langoustine Cocktail with lettuce, and Herb-Marinated Beef with mixed greens.

Italian classics are given similarly deft treatment — Vitello Tonnato, Veal Meatballs with Green Sauce and Brioche with Lobster, Celery and Marinated Lettuce.

Then come Romito’s more recognisable signatures: Spaghetti al Pomodoro and Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe, alongside Paccheri with Langoustines, Lemon and Tarragon, Fusilloni with Lobster, and Plin Agnolotti with Beef Jus, Orange and Marjoram. 

Among the main courses, the theatrical pleasure of trolley service introduces Catch of the Day, Milanese Veal Cutlet and Traditional Piedmontese Fried Chicken with potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Dover Sole Meunière, Beef Fillet with Green Peppercorn Sauce and Eggplant Parmigiana provide equally seductive alternatives.

Dessert refuses to overcomplicate matters: Tiramisù, or Warm Brioche with Zabaione and Pistachio Gelato. It is precisely this restraint that makes Da Niko intriguing. 

Here, simplicity is not the absence of sophistication; it is sophistication after everything unnecessary has been removed.

The surroundings follow the same philosophy. Reimagined by ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, the restaurant resembles an exceptionally elegant Milanese home, softened by teak, terracotta tones, varied table arrangements, armchairs and banquettes. 

Patricia Viel explains: “The ‘Da Niko’ project was born from the desire to give the dining concept a more informal and playful character, deeply connected to the pleasure of gathering around the table and perfectly aligned with contemporary lifestyles. We worked with warm materials, such as teak, and reconfigured the proportions of the spaces to create a more intimate environment that naturally encourages connection, conversation, and conviviality.”

A Milan-dedicated library establishes the domestic mood, while an oval black-resin cocktail bar becomes a sculptural focal point against the luminous glass wall overlooking the hotel’s garden. 

Six large willow-framed mirrors by artist Emy Petrini introduce a tactile artistic note, while La Venatoria, a rare late-1920s Richard Ginori vase created during Gio Ponti’s artistic direction, quietly anchors the room’s cultural pedigree. Even the exclusive Ginori 1735 Diva tableware and tailored shirts and aprons reinforce the choreography of relaxed refinement.

Viel continues: “We introduced terracotta tones to create a warmer, more tactile atmosphere. The idea was to strike a balance between the extraordinary sophistication of the setting and an environment where guests feel completely at ease, free from the rigidity of formal conventions. It is precisely this tension between refinement and naturalness that makes the project unique.”

Therein lies Da Niko’s larger significance. Romito has long helped define the culinary identity of Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts, translating the Roman jeweller’s sensibility into food through clarity, craftsmanship, restraint and sensuality. 

His cuisine does not merely accompany Bvlgari’s hospitality; it extends its aesthetic language from precious objects into flavour, texture, temperature and memory.

And this is perhaps where Bvlgari’s hotel story becomes most compelling. Jewellery, watches, fragrances, leather goods and accessories have long constituted the House’s glamorous universe. Hospitality makes that universe inhabitable. 

At its finest, a Bvlgari hotel does not simply sell luxury; it creates a world in which luxury can be tasted, touched, inhabited and remembered.

Da Niko is therefore more than another restaurant opening. It is Bvlgari’s idea of contemporary Italian elegance served at the table: generous rather than ceremonial, sophisticated without stiffness, opulent without ostentation. 

For Antoine, and presumably anyone who believes a great meal should seduce before it satisfies, that is invitation enough.

*Photos courtesy of Bvlgari.