Upscale Italian

When did you first come to Shanghai? I came to Shanghai from Sicily about 15 years ago, but I had been doing import / export and consultancy work related to China for 25 years. When I created the Pizza Italia brand with my partner Annarosa, there was only Pizza Hut in the Chinese market. We introduced the Italian pizza.

How is the Gioiamia Restaurant different from Gioiamia Café? The café is more casual and offers foods like coffee and sandwiches in addition to your traditional Italian food. There are many Italian restaurants in Shanghai, but you often pay dearly for good food and a nice environment.Gioiamia Restaurant & Lounge Bar is completely different–the restaurant area is really top-end in terms of the style and the ambiance, but customers pay trattoria prices. We have a library and a pool table in the lounge. Sometimes customers will finish dinner and bring their bottle of wine to the lounge area to relax.

What are the must-try dishes? I’d recommend the tuna with pan-fried goose liver and mushrooms. Or the beef tenderloin wrapped in pancetta.