IL MATTO

A large, elegant restaurant that evokes a sense of celebration, featuring a panoramic Italian menu created by two Italian chefs.

The Marseille tarot card "IL MATTO," depicting a jester with a rose in his hand, a knapsack on his back, and a playful dog at his feet, initially inspired Italian chef Gianmaria Sapi (Mollusca, Rouge) to get a tattoo representing freedom, a chance in life, and liberation from internal barriers. It later gave its name to a new Italian restaurant from the Mollusca Group, located in the heart of Moscow at 9s1 Bolshaya Dmitrovka Street.

Like the tarot card, IL MATTO embodies the joy of life, lightness, and freedom from prejudice. The restaurant's interior was designed by Sasha Wiener in collaboration with architects from the DBA Group, who based their design on the idea of recreating a classic, elegant Italian restaurant while incorporating a touch of modern boldness. The two-story space features various types of Italian marble, velvet panels with original paintings, and panels made from poplar burl veneer. The artwork by artist TONY in the style of abstract expressionism serves as accents.

Gianmaria Sapi collaborated with his longtime friend, Giuseppe Rikkebuono, chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant Il Vescovado, to create the menu. Rikkebuono's portfolio also includes other notable projects, such as managing the Michelin-starred restaurant Bino in the Savona ceramics museum, developing his own pasta format with the artisanal pasta factory Casa Fiorini, designing the Chef's Table glass table for the Italian company Atmosphere for Retail, and providing restaurant consulting services worldwide. Together, the chefs created a menu that is free of unnecessary embellishments, offering classic Italian cuisine as it is known in Italy.

The menu paints a panoramic picture of Italy, from Naples to Liguria, from Piedmont to Emilia-Romagna, largely inspired by Sapi's nostalgic memories. His family moved from southern Italy to Liguria, where they opened the first Neapolitan pizzeria in the town of Savona, between Genoa and San Remo, 75 years ago. In the back rooms, near the oven and in the kitchen, Gianmaria learned what the perfect pizza dough should be like, what tomato sauce should smell like, and how to achieve the fluffy tenderness of prime-grade beef meatballs. The IL MATTO menu features regional and specialty dishes, traditional family recipes, and flavors crafted from simple, high-quality ingredients.

Italian cuisine from Gianmaria Sapi is about embracing the new, trusting your instincts, accumulating experience through play, and wanting to experience everything firsthand. A classic Piedmontese vitello tonnato (1350 rubles) cannot be boring in this concept; it must be adorned with flowers and juicy drops of green oil infused with garden herbs. The Calabrian tuna, served in a wreath of tapenade (capers, Taggiasca olives, sun-dried tomatoes), is traditionally seasoned with spicy peperoncino oil (2100 rubles). The elegant grissini sticks (served as a complimentary appetizer) offer a satisfying crunch with a polenta coating. The impressive-sized cotoletta alla milanese – known as "orecchio di elefante" (elephant's ear) in Milan – is made from ribeye steak on the bone, coated in grissini crumbs (2500 rubles). The meatballs (1050 rubles), made according to Anna's mother's recipe with milk-soaked breadcrumbs and generously sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, are unforgettable – you'll definitely want to come back for more!

The lasagna recipe (1050 rubles) is also inspired by the chef's childhood memories, as he always loved the soft part of the baked pasta, not the crispy edges. Therefore, in the IL MATTO kitchen, a rich Bolognese sauce is wrapped in thin sheets of green, spinach-infused pasta, cooked in a steamer, and the chips of Parmesan cheese add a crispy element. Even more unusual are the tiny, bite-sized ravioli del plin, filled with a ragu of braised duck and vegetables (1100 rubles): in Piedmont, caring mothers pack them in napkins for their schoolchildren's lunches. The excellent minestrone soup is generously topped with fragrant Ligurian pesto (900 rubles).

IL MATTO is the first restaurant in Moscow to offer one of the treasures of Ligurian cuisine: cappon magro (2300 rubles). This is a mixture of blanched vegetables and seafood, where you unexpectedly find octopus and beetroot, shrimp and zucchini, sea bass and cauliflower with broccoli. Another special dish is the "Scaparella" pizza (650 rubles), created at the Scampi family restaurant in honor of a shoemaker neighbor: tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and black pepper – a true hymn to the nameless craftsman. The pizza with mortadella, stracciatella cheese, and pistachio cream (1500 rubles) offers a more delicate and refined flavor.

The desserts are a particular highlight of the restaurant. The tiramisu, without alcohol and excessive sweetness, but with a crispy chocolate layer (650 rubles), profiteroles with ice cream and hot chocolate (550 rubles), Sicilian pistachio cannoli (450 rubles) and mango/coconut (550 rubles) with an impeccable texture, the IL MATTO cake with cherries and Italian meringue (750 rubles) – all of these are not only delicious on their own but can also be the basis for a sweet Italian-style party.

The wine list, curated by sommelier Sofia Makanova (Champ, Touche), represents the entire spectrum of Italian winemaking styles, with noble, mature Barolo from the misty Piedmont region, traditional Emilia-Romagna peasant sparkling wines, fresh and mineral sparkling wines produced using the traditional method in the foothills of the Alps, super-Tuscan legends, and completely new stars of the Italian wine scene. The wine list also reflects the current state of the wine world, so you'll find iconic Burgundies, rare champagnes from récoltants, and wines that have become beloved by guests, as well as prestigious Bordeaux châteaux, quiet Champagnes, and much more. The wine list features 150 labels and 20 wines by the glass.

The bar at IL MATTO is managed by head bartender Ilya Netsvetaev (Sempre, Buro.Tsum, Cococo). The best way to appreciate the lightness and elegance of his Italian Riviera-inspired cocktails is in the leopard-print armchairs of the second-floor lounge. The delicate, creamy peach Bellini, the icy Sgroppino, the spicy Il Matto Negroni with mandarin gin and pepper vermouth, all demonstrate a true Italian character – lively, spontaneous, and joyful. The fresh and light bar mixes at IL MATTO are enjoyable on their own and as a complement to your meal.