Restaurant group behind Ambrogio15 plans new Italian restaurant concept in La Jolla

Milano Five, the San Diego restaurant group that launched its first Ambrogio15 pizzeria in Pacific Beach six years ago, is teaming up with a Michelin-starred Italian chef on a new restaurant concept in La Jolla that could go national.

Ambrogio by Acquerello will open Nov. 4 in Milano Five’s current Semola restaurant space on Fay Avenue. It will serve a $149, seven-course, chef’s signature Italian gastronomy tasting menu conceived by the culinary team at Michelin-starred Ristorante Acquerello, a modern Italian restaurant just outside Milan, Italy. A seven-course vegetarian-vegan tasting menu will also be offered for $99.

Ristorante Acquerello is helmed by chef Silvio Salmoiraghi, who was a protégé of the late Gualtiero Marchesi, the Milanese chef known as the founder of modern Italian cuisine. Salmoiraghi’s kitchen team at Acquerello includes chef-partner Choi Cheolhyeok, chef Davide Colombo and gastronome Paolo Tucci.

Milano Five, co-owned by Milan natives Andrea Burrone and Giacomo Pizzigoni, first began collaborating with the Acquerello team in 2020, with the goal of creating pizzas worthy of a Michelin star. The pandemic delayed the rollout of the gourmet pizzas, but five of them can be found on the menu at the Ambrogio15 location in Del Mar’s Sky Deck restaurant collective. Milano Five also operates an Ambrogio15 stand at the Little Italy Food Hall, has plans to open an Ambrogio15 natural wine bar in La Jolla this fall and, next year, a fourth Ambrogio15 pizzeria in Scottsdale, Ariz. Ambrogio (Ambrose) is the patron saint of Milan.

“We began with pizza at Ambrogio15 Pacific Beach, where our goal was to elevate this iconic dish often considered fast food to a unique dining experience focused on high quality ingredients and new flavor combinations,” Pizzigoni said in a statement. “Over the years, we realized that it wasn’t just the pizza world we wanted to explore to make a difference here in the San Diego, but most importantly we aimed at bringing a different and fresh perspective of Italian cuisine.”

The Acquerello team will all arrive in La Jolla next month to fine-tune the menu at Ambrogio by Acquerello, which will represent their shared experience of cooking in Italy, France, Japan, Korea and Australia. After the restaurant opens, a Ristorante Acquerello chef will move from Italy to live here full-time to oversee the menu.

Pizzigoni said the partners’ long-term goal is to expand the Ambrogio by Acquerello concept to multiple locations.