IYO Kaiseki – Milan's kaiseki ritual above Porta Nuova

IYO Kaiseki occupies the first floor of Torre Solaria in Piazza Alvar Aalto, at the foot of the glass towers that have remade Porta Nuova into the most confidently modern corner of Milan. It opened on 14 September 2024, the newest address from restaurateur Claudio Liu, who had already opened IYO Sushi Fusion Experience in 2007 and seen it awarded a MICHELIN Star in 2014. Where its sister restaurants lean towards fusion, IYO Kaiseki is built entirely around kaiseki, the most codified and ceremonial of Japan's culinary traditions: a sequence of small courses that moves from raw to cooked, cold to warm, following the rhythm of the seasons rather than any single showpiece dish. It holds one MICHELIN Star. Inside, an elegant mix of wood, stone and glass houses one of the city's finest restaurants, with ceramics handmade by Japanese artisans set against the modern materials of Milanese design. The piazza outside is raised above street level and reachable only on foot, keeping the entrance apart from the traffic below.

01The room and the setting

In the futuristic Porta Nuova district, where Milan's cityscape has changed in spectacular and iconic fashion, IYO Kaiseki sits at the entrance to the Solaria Tower. Soft light settles over furnishings tuned to a wabi-sabi register, inspired by the wabi-sabi aesthetic, where the imperfect becomes perfect and every object tells a story. Natural light reaches the tables through the tower's glazing, and service runs quietly rather than theatrically, in keeping with a format built on pacing rather than spectacle. Piazza Alvar Aalto itself is raised above street level and open to pedestrians only, a small separation that keeps the dining room apart from the avenue below.

02The chef

The heart of the brigade beats under the leadership of Katsumi Soga, a Japanese chef born in Shizuoka prefecture. He has lived in Italy since 2006 and joined the IYO group in 2020, after years in leading kitchens. He works alongside pastry chef Luca De Santi, who brings a European sensibility to sweet creations and plays with texture and contrast at the end of each meal. and travelling chef Takeshi Iwai, whose vision pushes the boundaries of tradition, introducing modern technique that enriches and renews the menu. Iwai, born in 1978, trained in Italy alongside chefs including Antonino Cannavacciuolo, Pino Cuttaia, Anthony Genovese and Massimiliano Alajmo, and is today culinary director across the whole IYO group.

Insider tip

Piazza Alvar Aalto is raised and pedestrian-only; closed Monday and Tuesday; the tasting menu is ordered for the whole table.

03The cooking

Kaiseki is Japan's most codified cuisine, a fixed sequence of small courses that alternates raw, grilled, fried and simmered dishes in an order governed by season and technique rather than by any single dish's size or spectacle. The word is said to trace back to the heated stones Zen Buddhist monks carried inside their robes to blunt hunger during long meditation in the Muromachi period; by the late sixteenth century, alongside the tea ceremonies associated with Sen no Rikyū, that same frugality had hardened into the most formal expression of Japanese gastronomy. At IYO Kaiseki, Soga follows that structure course by course, each stage named for its place in the sequence rather than for any one ingredient.

In Gambero Rosso's 2026 sushi guide, IYO Kaiseki was named among the new entries awarded Tre Bacchette, the guide's top rating, recognising its seasonal kaiseki cooking alongside its dedicated sushi counter.

04What to order

The Kaiseki tasting menu, ordered for the whole table, runs to seven courses plus dessert for €180 per person: an Owan opens with abalone in a clear broth, followed by a Mukouzuke of three different preparations of white fish, a Hassun gathering four small bites around the idea of a summer forest, a Yakimono of carabinero prawn grilled wakasa-style, an Agemono of unagi tempura with lime and yuzu kosho, a Shiizakana built around white peach, a trio of creative nigiri, and a dessert called Giardino Zen, finished with kuki hojicha tea and small pastries. Diners can add a course of A4 Wagyu sirloin in a spring green sauce for €40, or a full beverage pairing for €120 per person; given its complexity, the menu must be ordered for the table by 9.30pm at dinner.

On the à la carte list, three dishes stand out: the Kani-kogori, a four-layer construction of steamed crab, wagyu-broth gelatine, soy cream and kabayaki sauce; the Ika somen, squid cut into noodle-fine strands with quail egg yolk, caviar and a soba-dashi sauce; and the Taraba gani tempura, king crab served with a sharp amazu shiro ponzu. For sashimi, the Matsu selection sets out thirteen pieces across seven varieties, served with tsukurijoyu sauce, with caviar supplements available on request.

05Wine and drinks

The cellar runs past 700 references, ranging from the best Italian wines to the most sought-after sake, put together by sommelier Vanessa Simini. Born in Taranto, Simini followed a long-standing passion for Japanese culture into fine dining, holding an AIS diploma as well as a qualification from the Sake Sommelier Association. Alongside the bottle list sits a short menu of Japanese teas poured by the cup: sencha from Umegashima in Shizuoka, gyokuro from Miyazaki, hojicha and an ikebana blend also from Shizuoka, Kyoto oolong grown in Wazuka, and a black tea, kocha koshun, from Shimada.

06When to go and booking

IYO Kaiseki opens Wednesday to Sunday, for lunch between 12.30 and 2.30pm and dinner between 7pm and 11.30pm; it is closed Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at lunch, three bento boxes are available for €50 — Sashimi, Sushi or Kobachi, each with agemono, yakimono, marinated vegetables, miso soup and the gelato of the day — alongside the chef's menu and à la carta. Service is led by restaurant manager Federica Strolego, in the role since 2022, who trained in International Economics and International Business before completing an AIS sommelier diploma. Because the kaiseki tasting menu is ordered for the whole table and seats are limited, booking ahead is the only sensible approach, particularly for dinner.

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