In Domodossola, the smallest gourmet restaurant in Italy

by Roberto Mostini 

Outside, a beautiful pedestrian square; next door, their lounge bar, with a spacious outdoor area and, in the ancient cellars, even a pub bistro. This is one of the most original restaurants in Italy, where the “one man show” alone justifies a stop in Domodossola—perhaps on a trip to Switzerland via the Simplon Pass, or arriving by train, also along the Simplon railway line that crosses the border.

In Domodossola, the smallest gourmet restaurant in Italy

Just across the border in Switzerland, this kind of gastronomic “speakeasy” has been a known format since the 1980s: back then, people would partly rely on the Touring or Gault Millau guides, which highlighted excellent fine dining spots of extra-small size, sometimes just 4 tables hidden behind a glass door inside the village bar. At Elena in Domodossola, the lounge bar is indeed connected to the 3-table restaurant, but there is also an elegant, intimate entrance dedicated to the dining room. Downstairs, in the pub, the atmosphere and menu are more relaxed and playful.

What you eat at the smallest gourmet restaurant in Italy

The cuisine of the enthusiastic Cristian Elena, expertly supported by his wife in the dining room, is colourful and often surprising, and it is frequently he himself who arrives with the dish in hand, wearing a knowing smile as he serves you something that will not leave you indifferent. A flurry of tastings is described succinctly and served “shower-style”: 12 amuse-bouches followed by 6 or more dishes, in the middle of another series of lightning-bolt final courses, with the “sweet or not-sweet” offerings closing the circle.

It’s pointless to rack your brain over which dish is the best in this original journey, let alone list some while forgetting others—he changes them often, and everything ultimately revolves around acidic-bitter tones, flavours that never bore the palate because they’re handled with wisdom and restraint, while salty and sweet notes are relegated to the background. In the two tasting menus priced at €98 and €118, you’ll find only colours and, as mentioned, extremely brief descriptions: black and silver, red and blue, brown and orange, rainbow… which represent the colours of the ingredients, employed with creativity and technique, and presented in highly original tableware. Not to be forgotten: the extensive wine cellar and the stimulating wine pairing.