Restaurants

The new season of fusion cuisine unites Asia (with Japan at its centre) and South America

A selection of restaurants that go beyond contamination with a mature gastronomic language that brings local cultures, techniques and products into dialogue

by Camilla Rocca

26 April 2026

Sushisamba è una dei locali di maggior successo tra le nuove aperture milanesi

5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

SushiSamba in the Velasca Tower
Inno, between Mexico and Japan
Yezi: asian fusion and tea in Rome
Sushi Beach in Savona
J Contemporary Japanese, not only Naples
Hallasan: Korean coals and Tuscan wine
The Porteño Gourmet: Argentina meets the world
IT Milan conviviality and nightlife

5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

In recent years, the restaurant industry in Italia has seen a significant increase in interest in fusion cuisine: no longer simply exotic contamination, but a mature gastronomic language that brings local cultures, techniques and products into dialogue. From Japan to Korea, from Latin America to contemporary China, more and more chefs are reinterpreting Italian culinary identity through an international prism. The result is a map of new addresses that combines design, research into raw materials and a cosmopolitan vision of the table.

The growth of these addresses tells of a broader transformation: fusion cuisine is no longer a niche phenomenon, but one of the most dynamic expressions of contemporary dining in Italia. If once innovation came mainly from haute cuisine, today it also comes from international formats, cosmopolitan chefs and restaurants capable of combining local ingredients and global visions.

Against this backdrop, towns, mountain resorts and tourist destinations become gastronomic laboratories where identity and contamination coexist, demonstrating that the Italian table continues to evolve without losing its link with the territory.

SushiSamba in the Velasca Tower

Within the framework of this new scene, one cannot miss the global phenomenon of SushiSamba, a brand that has built its success - from London to Las Vegas, from Dubai to Singapore - on the meeting of Japan, Brazil and Peru. A format made of sushi, grills and tropical cocktails, which represents one of the most iconic examples of international gastronomic fusion and which continues to expand in the European market as well. Alongside the sushi proposal, try the robata grill, the Japanese charcoal grill, with fish, meat or vegetables; the Peruvian anticuchos, or marinated and spiced kebabs; preparations inspired by the Brazilian churrasco or fish moquecas. Sushi Samba is also famous for its highly scenic format, where gastronomy and entertainment coexist: an open sushi bar, cocktail station, live music and DJ sets turn dining into an almost international club experience

Inno, between Mexico and Japan

Inno Duomo Milano, on the other hand, distinguishes itself by boldly fusing the vibrant Mexican tradition with the minimalist elegance and millimetric technique of Japanese cuisine. Located on the second floor of a historic building in Piazza Duomo on the corner of Via Mazzini, the restaurant offers a spectacular view of the cathedral and a refined atmosphere enhanced by pop art works by Enrico Dicò. Signed bychef Marcos Cardoso - creator of a culinary language that combines cultural contrasts in exciting new dishes - Inno's cuisine combines global flavours, techniques and influences.

Inno Milano

In the same area, on the fourth floor of the Palazzo Cordusio, Sachi has recently reopened his summer terrace where one can enjoy his new menu of contemporary Japanese cuisine with a 'pan-Asian twist': a course designed to be shared, including essential crudes, barbecued robata and creative dishes that combine technique and intensity of flavour.

Yezi: asian fusion and tea in Rome

Yezi

Always in the groove of pan-Asian contaminations, Rome welcomes Yezi, a new space on Via Collina that fuses the tradition of oriental tea houses with the cosmopolitan spirit of the capital. The name, which means 'leaf' in Chinese, already tells the philosophy of the place: a place where tea, mainly from China, Japan and Taiwan, cuisine and conviviality become part of a broader cultural experience, among Asian flavours, art and contemporary design.

Sushi Beach in Savona

Sushi Beach

A gastronomic journey from Savona to Tokyo. The proposals celebrate the Japanese tradition by reinterpreting it with the local catch, creating a marriage between East and West. Inaugurated in 2009, Sushi Beach stems from the desire of Alessandro Danello and Alberto Tiranini to share suggestions and discoveries gathered during their travels, particularly in the East. Hence the idea of bringing a breath of exoticism to Savona, combining Japanese gastronomic culture with the freshness of Ligurian seafood. Sushi, sashimi, nigiri, temaki, gunkan and hosomaki made with local ingredients such as the prized purple shrimp from Sanremo, but also b>bouches and other local ingredients

J Contemporary Japanese, not only Naples

J Contemporary Japanese Restaurant

A more articulated path is that of J Contemporary Japanese Restaurant, a project born in 2014 in Portici with the aim of narrating Japan through a contemporary gastronomic language capable of dialoguing with Italia. After the first restaurant, small, with an open kitchen and conceived as a creative workshop, the brand expanded in 2016 with J Napoli, a larger and more scenographic space. In 2017 comes J Sorrento, inside the Hilton Sorrento Palace: a panoramic terrace suspended between sea and sky that becomes a destination for an international clientele. The project continues to grow and soon will also land in Florence, strengthening the brand's presence in the panorama of Japanese haute cuisine in Italia.

Hallasan: Korean coals and Tuscan wine

Hallasan

In Florence, on the other hand, contamination takes on a more territorial character with Hallasan, a restaurant that brings Korean cuisine into dialogue with the Tuscan wine tradition. Here, the typical Korean barbecue meat meets the great reds of the territory, the same ones that normally accompany the Florentine steak. The recently renovated cellar offers dozens of labels not only from Tuscany but also from the country's most vocated regions, from Piedmont to Veneto, building an unprecedented bridge between Seoul and the heart of Chianti.

The Porteño Gourmet: Argentina Meets the World

Porteño Gourmet brings the tradition of Argentinian cuisine reinterpreted in a fusion style to Milan in the Speronari Suites hotel, a stone's throw from the Duomo. The restaurant offers high quality meats, typical pampas cuts and Argentinian grill dishes, but with gastronomic contaminations ranging from Asia to Europe, creating a balance of innovative flavours. The design here is also fusion, mixing warm wood and stone elements with modern touches, evoking both Argentinian tradition and contemporary Italia style. The gastronomic proposal includes revisitedempanadas, meat tartare with exotic spices, fish ceviche and mixed grills that combine local and international techniques.

Porteño Gourmet

IT Milan conviviality and nightlife

After a pause, IT Milano is back in the heart of Milan, in the Brera district, with a completely new look that marks a paradigm shift from the past. No longer just a trendy club linked to the movida, but a project with a fusion concept with an international flavour.

At the heart of the proposal is the idea of conviviality and sharing: dishes are designed to be enjoyed in sharing mode, with a menu built around expressive cooking techniques such as josper and robata grill and creative reinterpretations of Italian classics with Hispanic and Asian influences. The menu, devised by executive chef Romualdo Palladino with the support of head chef Alex Pochynok, celebrates both meats and plant-based options cooked over charcoal, to be paired with cocktails, in themselves fusion cocktails, worthy of entering the top 50 Best Bars list. Don't miss the chance to have an aperitif or an after-dinner drink at the bar on the first floor and have a chat with Dario Schiavoni, the soul of the alcohol project.