When you’re looking for fine dining in Rome, Italy, you should look no further than Il Ristorante Niko Romito. Located on the fifth floor of the Bvlgari Hotel, it boasts a stunning view over the monumental tomb of Emperor Augustus and the city. The restaurant opens up with a sleek bar area, a long indoor dining area with mahogany walls, and a large outdoor terrace.
I visited the restaurant with my mother, who joined me in Rome for a mother-daughter trip, and we enjoyed a long night of food and wine under the stars. As a wine blogger, I’m always enjoying different restaurants and dining experiences, so it was nice to be able to share the moment, and special treatment, with her.
About Il Ristorante Niko Romito
As created by Chef Niko, the menu reinvents contemporary Italian cuisine in a fine dining concept that was developed exclusively for Bvlgari Hotels and Resorts. The most iconic traditional recipes have been re-written to emphasize their essential nature, purity, and lightness. Chef Emilio Di Cristo is at the helm of Il Ristorante Niko Romito, who was sous chef of the Bvlgari Resort Dubai for years. The experience was fine dining in Rome at its best.
Fine Dining in Rome with Wine Pairings
Sommelier Fabrizio Gismondi guided us through our wine-paired meal, which was such a treat. We enjoyed a seven-course meal with wines carefully curated for each dish. I was pleasantly surprised by Fabrizio’s wine list—he likes to play around with the offerings and not stick to what’s expected for a fine dining experience. I’d like to think of him as my wine soulmate, as we both love the tried and true staples but also dabble within the realm of the experimental and different.
We started with tomato gazpacho and glazed escarole, pine nut cream, cherry tomatoes, and mesclun salad. It was paired with a skin contact Marabino Soleggiato. The wine comes from Sicily and is made with Muscat grapes. Winemaker Pierpaolo Messina follows a strict biodynamic approach. The Moscato Bianco Soleggiato is fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged on the lees in stainless steel, emphasizing purity and freshness. The wine has notes of aromas of jasmine, orange blossom, and ripe tropical fruits like apricot and peach.
The next dish with a chilled langoustine, pink pepper, parsley, and lemon pasta paired with Federico Curtaz “Kudos” Etna Bianco Superiore 2020. This wine is crafted from the indigenous Carricante grape, grown on the mineral-rich volcanic soils of Mount Etna (and I love Etna wines). Curtaz, who gained invaluable experience working alongside Angelo Gaja, applies the same meticulous care to his Etna vineyards, allowing the unique terroir to shine through.
The “Kudos” reflects the high-altitude vineyards’ ability to produce whites with incredible precision, minerality, and complexity. This delicious wine is mineral-driven with vibrant acidity, complexity, and a refreshing finish.
The next dish was glazed mushroom ravioli with black pepper and parsley oil paired with Lazio Rosé Ramatico IGT 2020. This wine by Antonella Pacchiarotti Winery is made with controlled fermentation and a short stay on the skin. The refinement is made in steel barrels to highlight the aromatic characteristic of the vineyard. This wine has notes of florals and red fruit with delicious acidity.
Then we enjoyed egg pasta rings stuffed with chards and ricotta with goat cheese sauce, paired with Montauto Estate Enos I Sauvignon Blanc 2022. Montauto Estate has been in the family for more than 60 years. The wines showcase the strength and intensity of Tuscan Maremma and the vineyards benefit from the sea breeze of Capalbio, which brings coolness and humidity, influencing the microclimate, and giving the highest quality fruit. The wine has notes of passion fruit, citrus, and minerality.
The next wine pairing made me so happy because I visited the winery in Germany. We ate gazpacho of zucchini with spring onions and zucchini flowers paired with Von Winning Riesling Kalkofen Grosses Gewachs 2022.
Von Winning has vines in some of the most revered terroir in the Pfalz, including eight different GG sites. From Pfalz, Germany, this Kalkofen GG is located on a plateau above Deidesheim and the vines have an age of 65 years. This wine has the perfect balance of acidity, minerality, and concentrated fruit.
One of the major food highlights of the evening was the Marango beef fillet with green pepper paired with iconic Marchesi Antinori Tignanello 2021. The 2021 vintage marks the 50th anniversary of this iconic super Tuscan, the brainchild of Piero Antinori with the help of the late Giacomo Tachis and Bordeaux enologist Émile Peynaud.
This wine is a blend of 79% Sangiovese, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc. It has notes of cherry, strawberry, graphite, vanilla, toasty oak, and tobacco with vibrant acidity and refined tannins. It will be a beautifully aged wine—such a perfect treat for fine dining in Rome.
At the very end of this beautiful feast, our sweet tooth was satisfied with a white chocolate mousse and peach sorbet with rosé wine foam, as well as mini donuts paired with Tasca D’Almerita Tenuta Capofaro 2022.
Capofaro is a white wine produced at the Tenuta Capofaro from Malvasia grapes, Salina IGT vineyards. This sweet wine is full of orange blossom, candied fruit, and honey with a hint of salinity. I’m always a fan of dessert wine (instead of actual dessert), so I’ll always end a fine dining experience that way.
Overall, the ambiance, food, attentive staff, and great wines truly made the night. I enjoyed my time bonding with fellow wino Fabrizio and my mother even fell in love with our sweet server Lorenzo. Il Ristorante Niko Romito is a must-visit if you’re looking for fine dining in Rome.
