Michelin starred restaurant within a 5 star hotel of the family namesake in the charming Amalfi coastal town of Sant'Agata
Don Alfonso 1890 is a 5 star hotel owned by the Alfonso family and is now fourth generation from its original opening in, you guessed it, 1890. Whilst checking in for our stay I asked some old chap sitting by the sign outside if I could say hello to his dogs. On asking his name he replied, “Don Alfonso”. Ahhh. He welcomed us in customary Italian warmth as did his wife, Livia as the current owners of the hotel. Their two sons run the hotel operationally; the chef is Ernesto Iaccarino and front-of-house is Mario Iaccarino who provided the very best hospitality experience ever had by telling his Michelin starred kitchen to prepare us their signature dish out of hours as we could not reach their farm from the worst rain fall the region had for years. This revealed some of the very best parmesan cheese canapés and veal ragu ever had in their signature Strascinati (similar to cannelloni) with famous San Marzano tomatoes from their own farm. The Amalfi lemon sorbet pre-dessert was also wonderful. The bright white Michelin starred restaurant (subjective but not my favourite in style) also serves a casual meal by the non-Michelin starred team on Sun-Tues when the Michelin starred team are not in residence which was fine but fairly punchy price wise for the general return as an observation. You can also take a cooking class in a private kitchen as another nice touch and on a separate note, I would absolutely come back here for the gorgeously spacious rooms, charming town and having their superb bacon and breakfast underneath their wooden gazebos in the garden where it is normally served in clement weather. An absolute must of a place to visit if you are in the south of Italy and my advice is stay on a Wed or Thurs when it is easier to book and enjoy the a la carte of the main restaurant and ask to book a visit to their farm – something I wish to go back for!
Food Grade: 80%
My hobby-turned-passion began to evolve during my assignments to London where I was fortunate enough to be able to explore all the Michelin starred restaurants in my spare time and as a result, I gradually built up a catalogue of all these venues.
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