La Taverna

An entry on Hong Kong’s historic restaurants is long overdue.  This day I went to La Taverna, Hong Kong’s original Italian restaurant, for lunch.

Established in 1969, La Taverna was the first traditional Italian restaurant in Hong Kong.  The original owners of the restaurant were Guiseppe and Aldo Machetti of Milan.  They opened the first La Taverna at On Hing Terrace in Central, and then the restaurant moved to the current location in Tsim Sha Tsui in 1973. 

I liked La Taverna as soon as I arrived at the restaurant’s Ashley Road location in Tsim Sha Tsui. If we view it without the boisterous dining scene of Tsim Sha Tsui surrounding, it really does remind one of the countryside trattorias in Italy.  On its bright colored stucco wall are lit-up neon signs of the restaurant’s name.  Large windows with brick finish add a distinctly European vibe. 

The interior décor of the restaurant conveys a more traditional impression.  We walked down just a few steps into the restaurant’s semi-basement setting.  Husk-wrapped Chianti bottles line the ceiling.  The main dining hall with an arched entrance express a warm and homey welcome to diners.  The aged wooden interior reminds one of a cellar, perhaps signalling that it is time for some wine. It was clear that the owners designed this space to be a home-away-from-home for Italians.  Indeed, they have extended serious efforts in recreating Italy in Hong Kong in this space.  They sourced all the interiors from Italy.

The tables are large and spacious.  As my friend and I sat down, we were ready for a quiet conversation over a leisurely lunch. 

For lunch hour, the restaurant offers a set lunch menu and the a la carte menu.  My friend ordered mussels on the a la carte menu and I ordered a chicken main course from the set lunch menu.  We were both very happy with our meals. 

Here’s a description of La Taverna’s beginnings at the restaurant:

About eight months before the opening of the first La Taverna, it was during a party that the consul-general of Italy, Mr. Luigi Bolla mentioned to the brothers that since the Germans and the French had their Goethe Institute and Alliance Francoise, the Italians could do with a place where the community would meet, a sort of club where views could be exchanged and cultural matters entertained.  Premises were quickly found and Giuseppe and Aldo, in the free time they could snatch from their trading and industrial activities, were overseeing the works and decoration of the place. 

As the opening date got nearer, the “club idea” due to various reasons faded away and it was decided that a fully pledged restaurant would be opened.  The name “La Taverna” was taken from one of the three restaurants Giuseppe and Aldo’s grandmother had in Milano, Italy.  La Taverna was the one then located in Largo Richini right across the beautiful university.

The Macchetti brothers felt that even if many other Italian Restaurants have been opened in the East in recent years, La Taverna, by offering “the real thing” in establishments of defined character and tradition will maintain its “niche” of dedicated clients, people that have traveled and had the occasion of tasting real Italian food in Italy.  This is why many of our clients maintain that La Taverna establishments are “little Italian islets away from Italy!” 

At its height, the restaurant has developed a brand name consisting of six restaurants.  Now only the Ashley Road location remains.  The menu showcases mainly the flavours of Northern Italy.  But who can pass on pizzas in an Italian restaurant? They are made to order in a wood fire oven here.  In an interview with the South China Morning Post, the executive chef Marco Bajma recommends the Spaghetti Vongole as well.  But regular customers would know that they can just come, name a food category and be served with the chef’s creative interpretation.  This is a type of relationship formed only by decades of good will.  And having visited just once, I already understood all the great things that have been said about La Taverna.  The hospitality is time-tested and proven true.

Sources

The historical descriptions on-site.

The Restaurant Website of La Taverna.

A Blast from the Pasta, Janice Leung Hayes, 48 Hours, the South China Morning Post, October 10, 2013.

Hidden Hong Kong: 9 Historical Restaurants You Need to Visit, Ines Fung, December 20, 2019, Localiiz.com.