While visiting the Amalfi Coast, I was lucky enough to visit the beautiful island of Ischia, a volcanic island in the Gulf of Naples located near Capri. Ischia has many gorgeous beaches, restaurants and hotels but one of my most memorable experiences was dining at Dani Maison.
Dani Maison is a two-star Michelin restaurant located in the hills of Ischia, Italy serving elevated Italian cuisine with a fun flair. If you’re planning a trip to the Amalfi coast, definitely don’t skip visiting Ischia or dining at Dani Maison.
Here’s everything you need to know about dining at Dani Maison!
About Dani Maison
Chef Nino Di Costanzo has created a beautiful restaurant inside of his former family home… how cool is that?! Set in a lush, enchanting garden, the restaurant is comprised of an intimate dining room and kitchen with several dining tables where you can watch the chef work.
And for the food: expect an incredible experience from start to finish! Aiming to evoke memories and emotions, the food is not just exceptional and delicious but each course seems to surprise and delight even more than the last.
Guests can choose from à la carte options or opt for one of the three tasting menus plus a vegetarian option, along with an extensive wine list with a wide selection of Dom Pérignon of which Nino di Costanzo is Dèpositaire.
Chef Nino Di Costanzo received his two Michelin stars just shortly after opening the restaurant — an unusual but very well-deserved accomplishment!
Dining Experience at Dani Maison
Upon arriving at Dani Maison, our group was given a tour of the beautiful garden complete with sculptures and tables to enjoy drinks and aperitifs. Once seated, we were presented with a gorgeous menu made up of loose pages adorned with artwork in a pretty lucite box.
From the menu to the dish-ware and dining sets, the presentation was unique, amusing (at times!), and overall spectacular.
Our group decided to try several of the tasting menus so that we could get to try a bit of everything… and we were certainly not disappointed! From the first course to the last, we had so much fun getting to experience all of the one-of-a-kind, elaborate and creative courses chef Nino created.
While there definitely wasn’t a single dish that we didn’t love, I’ll share a couple of the highlights:
- Passeggiata Napoletana, which featured small bites with Neapolitan ingredients
- Gran Cru…Do, featuring an assortment of seafood plates
- Bufalo e Bufala, which was presented on a large sparkly disc-sized plate (where can I find these for my kitchen?! ha!)
- Risotto al Latte di Bufala with bruschetta e ricci, or buffalo milk risotto and bruschetta and sea urchin
- Branzino with cavolfiori, alici e verdure, or sea bass with cauliflower, anchovies and vegetables
- Pomodoro, which was served in a hand shaped dish and looked like a tomato but was actually a refreshing palate cleanser. Mind blown!
- Andiamo al Sodo…l’Uovo! It looked like a giant egg… but it’s a dessert. Chef Nino continually surprises and delights!
- Cioccolati in Tavola, if you love chocolate then this dessert is for you
- Il Circo, this circus themed dessert is so elaborate and bedazzling that it blew me away. A hot dog that is made of ice cream and brioche?! I was astonished!
With a beautiful ambience and an incredible culinary experience, you can probably already guess that the service was exceptional as well. From the moment we arrived, we were taken on a journey with the staff recommending wine pairings, whisking away plates, presenting new dishes and describing each plate to perfection.
Dani Maison was such a memorable and dazzling experience and I highly recommend a visit if you’re planning a trip to the Amalfi coast!
Tips for Visiting Dani Maison
- Make a reservation in advance as Dani Maison can book up quickly!
- Plan to spend a few hours dining here as you’ll want to experience the garden before being seated and allow enough time for all of the fabulous courses to follow.
- Come hungry; I wasn’t sure if it would be one of those dining experiences with a ton of small bites but you end up leaving sort of hungry…. it wasn’t!
- Try requesting to be seated in the kitchen dining area if you’re interested in seeing the the dishes being prepared.
- The restaurant is small and intimate so if you have a large party, let them know in advance but also be prepared to be seated across multiple tables. Our group of six were seated at a table of 4 and a table of 2 next to each other. Since the restaurant is small, it still felt like we were dining together and wasn’t a problem… but just a heads up!
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