- Really delicious food: an inspired selection of Italian dishes that isn't on every menu in town.
- Low-key, no rush atmosphere - a great place to go with friends and enjoy a long stretched-out meal.
- Staff who know their stuff.
- Great lounge for cocktails before or after dinner.
- Issimo is the latest Shanghai project from fab Italian celebrity chef Salvatore Cuomo.
- As with all deservedly popular restaurants in Shanghai: reserve, reserve!
- Issimo at JIA Shanghai
- Address: 931 West Nanjing Road, Shanghai
- Telephone: (86-21) 6287 9009 (reservations essential)
- Lounge Opening Hours: Sun-Thurs, noon to midnight, Fri-Sat, noon to late. Live dj performance from 8pm every Thurs-Sat.
- Restaurant Opening Hours: Lunch daily 11:30am - 2:30pm. Dinner daily 5:30-midnight (last order 10:30pm).
Our experience at Issimo combined these two little loves of mine over a meal that was the best Italian we've had the pleasure to eat thus far in Shanghai. And as I said above, it was also about the overall laid back, no rush have-another-cocktail-before-you-sit-down-and-no-we-won't-give-your-table-away experience that made the whole thing so enjoyable. But first, to basics...
Issimo is housed in the spectacularly hip JIA hotel. So hip, it too, must be. The lounge is dark and sexy with funky over-sized chairs and a long bar that faces the open kitchen. The bright but cozy restaurant wraps around the kitchen and the crowd moves from cool and subdued in the lounge to noisy and excited over the food inside.
And then, yes, the food. Our group spent a few minutes perusing the menu when our server kindly took over the ordering suggesting what to start with, what to move on to and what to end up with. This was Italian waitering at its best. We began with a melange of different starters of which the calamari was the favorite. Next came a large rustic platter of seafood risotto that smelled heavenly and tasted better. Finally, we shared a sirloin steak, cooked to perfection and lamb chops. The meal was leisurely and enjoyable and when it came time for dessert, we opted for a digestiv in the lounge rather than a sweet. (Reason to go back, of course!)
