Il Presidente: Hong Kong Travel Guide

Why go

You walk in expecting another sleek, minimalist Hong Kong dining room, and instead you get amber light bouncing off leather banquettes and warm timber panelling. Il Presidente doesn’t do cool detachment. It does warmth, gloss, and a wink at 1980s Italian glamour — the kind of room where the lighting alone makes you sit up straighter.

This is the new project from the people behind Trattoria Felino, one of the city’s dependable Italian names. That pedigree matters. It means Il Presidente isn’t a style exercise dressed up as a restaurant — there’s a real kitchen discipline behind the mood lighting.

The room and the concept

The palette is sunset: burnt orange, rust, and toasted browns running through the banquettes and bar stools. Wooden accents warm up what could otherwise feel like a slick, corporate space.

It reads less like a modern Italian restaurant and more like a private members’ room from a Roman social club, circa 1985. That’s clearly the point. Every surface — leather, brass fixtures, warm wood — pushes the same nostalgic, moneyed-Europe fantasy.

What’s on the plate

Chef Marcello Scognamiglio describes his cooking as a “new classic” take on regional Italian dishes — familiar reference points, reworked rather than reinvented beyond recognition. Expect the kitchen to lean on technique and produce rather than gimmick plating.

Because this is a recently opened, fast-evolving menu, specific dishes and prices aren’t something to lock in from afar. Check the current menu and any seasonal specials directly with the restaurant before you go.

Getting there and setting expectations

Il Presidente sits within Hong Kong’s competitive Italian dining scene, arriving with real buzz as one of the city’s most-talked-about new openings. That means demand will likely outpace tables, especially on weekend evenings.

Confirm the address, current opening hours, and reservation policy directly with the restaurant before heading over — details on brand-new venues shift in the first months as service beds in. Treat this as essential, not optional, since walking over on a guess wastes an evening in a city where good tables move fast.

How to visit like a local

Book ahead. A buzzy new opening from an established restaurant group fills up on word of mouth alone, often before wider reviews even land.

• Reserve online or by phone rather than walking in, especially Thursday through Saturday nights
• Aim for an early or mid-week dinner if you want a calmer room and more attention from the floor staff
• Dress with a little polish — the leather-and-brass room rewards smart-casual over shorts and sneakers
• Order a cocktail at the bar first if your table isn’t ready; the bar program is part of the draw here
• Ask your server about the chef’s regional specialties rather than defaulting to the most familiar pasta name on the menu

Payment in Hong Kong’s mid-range and upscale dining scene is overwhelmingly card and mobile pay (Octopus, Visa, Mastercard, Alipay/WeChat Pay are all standard), so don’t worry about carrying large amounts of cash. A service charge is commonly added automatically at this tier of restaurant — check your bill before adding extra, since double-tipping is a common visitor mistake.

The bigger local mistake, though, is treating this like a quick pre-theatre dinner. Rooms like this are built for lingering — a cocktail, then dinner, then another round at the bar. Budget your evening accordingly rather than rushing to the next reservation.

When to go

Dinner is clearly the intended mode here — the sunset palette and leather-and-brass detailing are built for evening light, not lunchtime efficiency. If you can, request a table that lets you take in the full room rather than a corner tucked near the kitchen pass.

Given how new and talked-about this opening is, expect the atmosphere and even minor menu details to keep evolving over its first year. That’s part of the appeal of catching a buzzy opening early — but it also means double-checking hours and availability shortly before you visit is genuinely worth the two minutes it takes.