Forno Del Buffone in Riyadh offers a twist on Italian tradition

The concept was originally a pop-up in AlUla and Neom.

What do you know about Italian food? Well, Forno Del Buffone in Riyadh asks diners to put aside their preconceptions. The tagline states, “We throw tradition out of the window to make room for originality.” Located in Al Nakheel, here’s what to expect from the newly-opened Italian restaurant.

Oak Hospitality is behind Forno Del Buffone in Riyadh. In Italian, forno translates to oven and buffone translates to fool and funny. The menu will showcase Italian dishes but in creative concoctions.

The concept was originally a pop-up in AlUla and Neom. Now, it is coming to the capital and will share its love of pizzas and pasta with the masses. Expect freshly baked pizzas hot from the wood-fired oven and daily-made pasta that tastes like a trip to Italy.

The menu offers a minestrone di verdure or roasted mushroom soup and a beautiful burrata Buffone salad. Plus, arancini, eggplant parmigiana and crispy calamari.

Pizzas are prepared with either a Napoletana or Romana base and offer various flavour combinations such as marinara, Margherita, diavola, prosciutto e funghi or the tempting truffle me.

Pasta choices range from risotto saleeg and nonna’s gnocchi to mama’s lasagna, while main courses cover Italian classics like veal Milanese and pistachio veal. Save room for dessert as the decadent delights include Limoncello pie, mini bonbons, pavlova, tiramisu and calzones stuffed with Nutella.

If the sound of Italian food is making your stomach rumble, then you’re in luck. Corporate Chef at Oak Hospitality, Hadi Noueiri, shared shots of the food on Instagram, which included cheesy pizzas. He stated: “Good food puts you in a good mood”.

Oak Hospitality’s restaurants can be found in Saudi Arabia. The concepts also include the burger joint 28ZEROFIVE, bites at Monkey Bznz, French food at Le Perroquet, shawarmas at Shawarma Wrappers and mocktails at Baroque. The hospitality group prides itself on pushing boundaries and innovation. The brands have been created in line with Saudi Vision 2030, and aim to honour the Kingdom’s heritage and help create a dining destination.

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GO: Follow @fornodelbuffone on Instagram for more information.