The team behind Wan Chai's Trattoria Felino is opening a second, glossier act in Central this autumn. Il Presidente lands on Duddell Street in mid-September, trading Felino's casual Neapolitan energy for 1980s Italian glamour — rosewood, British leather, Belgian velvet, and a menu of elevated regional classics.
In This Guide
What is Il Presidente?
Il Presidente is a new Italian restaurant and cocktail bar opening on Central's historic Duddell Street, from the same founders as Wan Chai's well-regarded Trattoria Felino — executive chef and co-founder Marcello Scognamiglio, alongside co-founder Félix de Arriaga Balanzat. Where Felino leans casual and Neapolitan, Il Presidente is pitched as a glammed-up, "see and be seen" room inspired by 1980s Italian old-school glamour.
International design studio Dix Design has built the dining room around a "sprezzatura" look — rosewood, soft British leathers, Belgian velvet and deep-pile carpets under soft accent lighting — accessed via the historic granite steps that give Duddell Street its name. The site sits on the mezzanine level, tucked just off Ice House Street in the heart of Central.
What's on the menu?
Chef Scognamiglio describes the food philosophy as "new classic": foundational, time-tested Italian recipes made with top-tier ingredients rather than reinvented into something unrecognisable. Small plates ("stuzzichini") include anchovies from the Cantabrian Sea and egg tartufato — a velvety potato and truffle foam served inside an egg shell. Starters run to wagyu beef carpaccio finished tableside and hamachi crudo with smoked aubergine.
Pasta is a clear focus, led by homemade agnolotti all'ossobuco with a parmesan cheese fondue and a giant cannellone filled with ricotta and spinach. Mains include costoletta alla valdostana — a breaded veal chop stuffed with fontina cheese and smoked ham — and baby pig porchetta carved tableside. Dessert leans theatrical too, with Italian layered cakes, tiramisu and panna cotta alongside "Gelato al Tavolo," freshly churned gelato whipped up at the table. An intimate cocktail bar at the front of house serves aperitivos to start the evening.
Address and opening details
Il Presidente
Opening hours and menu pricing have not yet been published — we will update this guide as soon as Il Presidente confirms its exact opening date and daily hours. The dining room is reached via the granite steps on Duddell Street, a short uphill walk from the Central MTR / IFC area.
Is Il Presidente worth booking?
Central has no shortage of glossy Italian openings, but a second act from a kitchen that has already proven itself at Trattoria Felino carries more weight than an unknown newcomer. The "new classic" positioning — familiar, comforting regional dishes done with better ingredients rather than a tasting-menu reinvention — also fills a specific gap between Felino's casual trattoria format and the city's more austere fine-dining Italian rooms.
If you're building out a wider Central dinner plan, it slots neatly alongside our guides to Hong Kong's best cocktail bars and best rooftop bars for a pre-dinner drink. For more of the city's Italian dining scene, see our round-up of what else has opened this month in our weekly openings guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
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1980s Italian glamour from the team behind Trattoria Felino, opening on Duddell Street this September. We'll update this guide the moment Il Presidente confirms its opening date.