Iris Ristorante

Not far from the 12C Basilica di San Fermo, this restaurant is housed in the Palazzo Soave (formerly Palazzo Malaspina Bottagisio). This historic address boasts highly elegant rooms with the “fishbone”-style stonework typical of Roman buildings and vaulted ceilings that provide a pleasant contrast to the restaurant’s contemporary furnishings. Your meal begins a journey back through the city’s history, as appetisers are served in their own special setting in the palazzo’s 14C wine cellar which has Roman origins, after which you return to the dining room to enjoy the rest of your meal. The talented chef here creates regionally influenced, balanced and imaginative dishes with a “green” focus. The menu also features fish, especially from the Adriatic, while the wine list boasts over 800 labels with a particular emphasis on France and the Veneto.

Distinctive details

• A cellar-first opening: the meal begins downstairs in the palazzo’s historic cellar, then moves back to the dining rooms for the main courses.
• Two clear narratives: one menu anchored in Veneto and Verona, one built around seafood and the Adriatic.
• A la carte built from tasting dishes: the kitchen will serve tasting-menu plates as a three or four course à la carte format.

Signature ingredients

• Adriatic seafood: a through-line from mazzancolla and squid to sole, dentex, oysters, and grilled blue lobster.
• Canocchie (mantis shrimp): paired with spaghetto turanico, asparagus, and liquorice for a salty-sweet, marine pasta centrepiece.
• Royal caviar: used as a finishing accent, notably with scallop and Verona celery.
• Verjus and citrus: recurring acidity, used to keep richer sauces and shellfish dishes bright.
• Game and autumnal fruit: deer and wild duck appear in the Raccontami track with apple mostarda, sea buckthorn, and chestnut.

What to expect

• Contemporary Italian fine dining inside Palazzo Soave, with the opening bites served in the historic cellar before returning upstairs for the meal.
• Two core tasting tracks, plus an à la carte option that draws from the tasting menus.

Tasting menus (sample)

• Raccontami: 140, wine pairing 65. Option to extend with surprise courses, 170, pairing 95.
• Adriatico e dintorni: 160, wine pairing 80.

Notable dishes on the current pages

• Spaghetto turanico with canocchie, asparagus, liquorice.
• Blue lobster grilled, spring onion oil, corn, elderflower lettuce heart.
• Scallop with Verona celery, Royal caviar, passion fruit.