Inside The World’s Smallest Restaurant In Italy, Which Only Takes Two Guests At A Time
Solo Per Due, “Just For Two” in Italian, is making headlines as the world’s tiniest restaurant, as it only accepts two guests at a time for a truly unique and intimate experience.
An exclusive meal for two costs over $500, while champagne, wine, and floral decorations cost extra. Diners have an extraordinary view of an ancient Roman villa as they enjoy their meal and each other’s company.
The restaurant is open all year for lunch and dinner, and strangely enough, doesn’t have a menu. Instead, the food served is specifically tailored for the tastes and preferences of the clients. The dining room itself is just under 500-square-feet and is part of a rural 20th-century stone mansion located in the north of Rome, adjacent to the village of Vacone.
The restaurant requires all reservations be made by phone 10 days prior to their dinner, to give the staff time to customize the meal. Visitors are only allowed to come to the restaurant for their reservation, and the meal can’t be canceled at the last minute.
Guests must arrive at a specific time that the owners agree on, which is key for the overall experience. They must call when they’re on their way 30 minutes prior to arriving, and can’t get there too early.
Due to its small size, the space is booked months in advance. The owners are a team of three local fine food entrepreneurs who have been running Solo Per Due for 33 years, and they refuse to share their names unless you’ve booked a dinner to guarantee discretion and enhance the mysterious allure of the space, according to them.
“This is not a restaurant – we offer a unique, intimate experience which is at the core of our decades-long reputation. So it’s not about us or who we are – we’re in the shadow. It’s all about the diners,” says “Mr. Remo” one of the owners.
“The people who come here are not mere clients. They’re guests who we take great care of. We coddle them and ensure that this special moment is exactly how they want it to be. Everything is tailored to their needs.”
“Once the booking is confirmed our guests will choose the exact multi-course menu, be it fish or meat, the dessert, the wines, the background music, and any floral decorations. We prepare on site only seasonal, Italian food paired with top-class wine,” said Remo.
He emphasized “the two golden rules: never cancel last minute, and never arrive earlier than your allotted time.
We take care also of the two names to write on the dessert cake which is heart-shaped, of the special phrase to write on the card that will go on the flowers and of the background music chosen by the diners,” adds Remo.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
