In Rome, an experience that should be done at least once in a lifetime: the Spanish Steps, the 130-year allure of the Hotel Hassler, an incredible view of all the city’s monuments, and the cuisine of chef Andrea Antonini, whose art is such that it makes you forget everything else.

The restaurant on the sixth floor of the Hotel Hassler in Rome combines so many excellences that it is difficult to decide where to start. So, for politesse, we will start from the oldest, its “home”.

Founded in 1893, the Hassler is the historic 5-star luxury grand hotel of the capital, located at the top of the Spanish Steps, and managed since 1936 by the sixth generation of a famous dynasty of hoteliers, Roberto Jr. and Veruschka Wirth. The distinctive charm of the place just makes it an experience itself entering the revolving door of the hotel, welcomed by the porter doorman in white livery.

You have to be very serious to create something very amusing.

(Andrea Antonini, chef)

When you take the elevator up to the sixth floor, the view that opens up before you is nothing short of unique: enormous windows embrace Rome from the Vittoriano to Piazza di Spagna and the bell towers of the Church of Trinità dei Monti, which literally lean on them.

The name chosen for the restaurant is, in fact, Imàgo from Latin “image and vision”, to symbolize a place where sight and taste merge into a single experience.

Since 2019, at the helm of the restaurant brigade, a Michelin star since 2008, we find Andrea Antonini, elected Best Young Chef by the L’Espresso Guide 2024. Brilliant as well as passionate, his philosophy is to use only Made in Italy raw materials and create recipes from his hometown, Rome, using the technique and experimentation that he learned in some of the most important kitchens in the world: from El Celler de Can Roca to Quique Dacosta, up to Enrico Crippa in Alba.

Elegant (wearing a jacket is mandatory) as well as fun, the dining room service is headed by Marco Amato, a cornerstone of this magical place together with the sommelier Alessio Bricoli who takes care of the wine cellar. Here over 1500 labels are kept, among which exceptional verticals for the most demanding guests and single labels that have made the history of world winemaking stand out.

In the new Project menu, chef Antonini strips away, as true masters do, getting to the essential; eleven courses that take you on a journey where Rome and the world, the fine dining cuisine and the most ancestral tastes blend in with elegance, where surprise is the key to everything.

The Classic menu is also always available, a selection of the previous menus where the criterion is seasonality, as well as an à la carte choice.

The dishes are characterized by symmetrical contrasts of taste that are released in every bite, like in the appetizer, a true explosion of flavors, the “Sorrel, strawberries and almonds”, or the first course “Pasta, butter and parmesan”, whose Umami flavor is raised to the maximum intensity thanks to the use of ditalini pasta cooked in a broth of cheese rinds, creamed with butter and then finished with a 120-month-aged parmesan, or the “Sea bass in porchetta” which plays with the classic spices of the Roman preparation and uses them to give character to the fish.

And then so many surprises during dinner: from the pizza-shaped amuse-bouche that disappears as soon as you put it in your mouth (but not the taste!) to the delicious bread made with “honey” obtained from the leftover leavened products melt by amylase, from the spectacular cheese selections trolley to the elegance of the pastry chef Luca Villa’s desserts.

So many wonders that we wish the dinner would never end. Beauty is all around.

The Secret

The history of the restaurant on the sixth floor of the Hotel Hassler began in the 1950s when Oscar Wirth decided to transform the then terrace of the building into the first restaurant with a view in Italy, considering that at the time they were mostly all located on the ground floor. It was a success, and since then there has been no head of state or celebrity who has not treated themselves to a dinner here.

Useful Info

Imàgo Hassler Hotel
Piazza della Trinità dei Monti 6
00187 Roma
Tel. +39 06 69934726

Tasting menu: 210 euro, wine excluded