{"id":34067,"date":"2026-07-21T10:46:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T10:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/34067\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T10:46:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T10:46:17","slug":"donkeys-bar-the-fine-trattoria-thats-revolutionizing-rome-acquolinas-new-concept-at-latest-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/34067\/","title":{"rendered":"Donkey\u2019s Bar, the \u201cfine trattoria\u201d that\u2019s revolutionizing Rome: Acquolina\u2019s new concept at | Latest news"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Acquolina Group continues to expand. Following the recent success of its Michelin-starred restaurant Al Madrigale in Tivoli, the group is making its debut in Rome with a new concept. Donkey\u2019s Bar is the project that opened in June inside Palazzo Dama\u2014a historic 19th-century residence now operating as a five-star boutique hotel\u2014bringing the regional and Lazio-inspired cuisine of Li Somari to the capital. Another location in Tivoli was strongly championed by Andrea La Caita (managing director of Acquolina), who spearheaded the gastronomic renaissance of this town on the outskirts of Rome. The restaurant, led by Adriano Baldassare\u2014listed in the Red Guide under the Bib Gourmand category\u2014has made a name for itself in recent years through a distinctive gastronomic philosophy, where creativity serves the region and its prized local ingredients. These concepts remain fundamental at Donkey\u2019s as well, with the goal of blending the restaurant\u2019s traditional spirit with the hotel\u2019s international atmosphere. \u201cWith Donkey\u2019s Bar, we wanted to create a space that speaks to both the city and the international guests of Palazzo Dama, while keeping the idea of a recognizable, convivial, and contemporary Italian cuisine at the center,\u201d says Andrea La Caita.<\/p>\n

\"donkey\u00a0\"donkey\u00a0\"donkey\u00a0Donkey\u2019s Bar According to Daniele Lippi<\/p>\n

In Rome, Daniele Lippi of the two-Michelin-starred Acquolina oversees the restaurant\u2019s culinary offerings alongside resident chef Giorgio Faga, while in the dining room, the project is supervised by Benito Cascone, a longtime figure and brand manager of the Group. At the venue adjacent to Piazza del Popolo, the Li Somari philosophy evolves, engaging with the luxury hotel experience without losing sight of its core concepts. Conviviality and indulgent dishes dominate the menu, featuring signature dishes from the Tivoli location alongside new recipes created specifically for Donkey\u2019s, to be enjoyed poolside while immersing oneself in the venue\u2019s history. \u201cAfter the Pacifico experience, Palazzo Dama was looking for someone to oversee the in-house dining ,\u201d comments Benito. \u201cWe wanted to replicate the success of Li Somari in the city, and so our paths converged.\u201d Thus, the hotel\u2019s Roman and traditional cuisine becomes \u201cfine trattoria,\u201d enhanced by Lippi\u2019s ingenuity and a service that is tailored yet relaxed.<\/p>\n

\"donkey\u00a0\"donkey\u00a0Shared Dishes and Delicious Recipes<\/p>\n

You can start with a \u201csimple\u201d focaccia with prosciutto or dive right into Rome\u2019s culinary history with some fantastic oxtail meatballs alla vaccinara, served with their rich sauce and garnished with fresh celery. Or you can brave the sweltering summer heat (it\u2019s worth it) and sample one of Li Somari\u2019s signature dishes, recreated at Donkey\u2019s: ox bone marrow au gratin with beef tartare.<\/p>\n

\"donkey\u00a0<\/p>\n

But Daniele Lippi has created a menu that features international-style dishes that are nonetheless tied to the city, such as the Black Angus brisket pastrami with tuna sauce and Pantelleria capers or the Bluefin tuna tataki with Roman-style panzanella.<\/p>\n

\"donkey\u00a0<\/p>\n

The signature dish? The mezzi paccheri with three types of tomatoes (homemade tomato sauce) with salted ricotta and lemon zest, designed to be shared. Another nod to Baldassare\u2019s cuisine is the chicken cacciatore-stuffed gnocchi, steeped in a rich cooking sauce. Chicken also takes center stage in another \u201cskillet dish\u201d to share, alongside one of the region\u2019s signature dishes: chicken and peppers, distinguished by the meat\u2019s pleasant tenderness and the intense flavor of the vegetables and Taggiasca olives.<\/p>\n

\"GNOCCHI\u00a0\"MEZZI\u00a0\"donkey\u00a0<\/p>\n

The desserts also evoke a sense of classicism and simplicity, including the Cr\u00e8me caramel, in a concept that has everything it takes to stand out and become a new destination on Rome\u2019s culinary map.<\/p>\n

Donkey\u2019s Bar \u2013 Fine Trattoria<\/p>\n

Lungotevere Arnaldo da Brescia 2, 00196 Rome<\/p>\n

https:\/\/donkeysbar.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Acquolina Group continues to expand. Following the recent success of its Michelin-starred restaurant Al Madrigale in Tivoli,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34068,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[23049,23045,4803,23048,23046,23043,23044,16395,23047,27],"class_list":["post-34067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rome","tag-acquolina","tag-bar","tag-cuisine","tag-dama","tag-dishes","tag-donkeys","tag-li","tag-new","tag-palazzo","tag-rome"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34067\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}