Così fa Antonino Esposito

When you search for “pizza” on Google, you get about a million and a half results, featuring stories and tales that try to retrace the food’s history. The one most imprinted in the collective mind of all Italians is the story of Neapolitan pizza maker Raffaele Esposito. In the late 1800s, Esposito presented Queen Margherita of Savoia with a pizza made of tomato, mozzarella, and basil. She was so ecstatic that he decided to name the pizza after the queen, and the dish was born (more or less). Every story you will read today about pizza has Neapolitan origins, but the main character, of Esposito ancestry, decided to take his pizzas from the Amalfi Coast to Milan for us to discover. Antonino Esposito and his restaurant “Così fa” has landed in the historic Via Solferino, just a few steps away from Brera.

The story of Antonino is a mix of talent, dedication, and sacrifice. Today, with over thirty years of experience, he is a true leader in the industry. At his restaurant, you can taste his variety of original creations, starting with the most famous Frusta Sorrentina, a signature dish developed in 1996 that can now be found all over the world. It is a particular type of pizza, stretched out and braided in the centre. Antonino’s edge and the driving force behind his incredible career is undoubtedly his creativity. Like every artist, Esposito loves to go beyond the limits imposed by tradition. He renounces the pizza’s distinctive round shape and instead fashions the dough as a bouquet, a square, an oval, or even a small boat, while never neglecting the toppings and crust. The shape is merely a vehicle to enhance the ingredients in the best possible way.

Creativity and experimentation combine with a more traditional method to select the raw ingredients. On the Così fa menu, you can find IGP lemons, Sorrento walnuts, provolone from Monaco DOP, Fior di latte from Monti Lattari, Cetara anchovies, cherry tomatoes from Vesuvius, and Campania buffalo mozzarella DOP. Tradition also finds a place on the dessert menu, featuring classic delicacies from Campania. Between the baba and other deep-fried treats, the most outstanding of all is a delicious (and authentic) Delizia al Limone.

The restaurant has about forty seats, dispersed around the beautiful ceramic top tables designed by Rosalinda Acampora. The creations by this Sorrento artist colour the entire restaurant. On the walls, you will find dozens of dishes painted by hand with geometric patterns and classic Neapolitan symbols, such as peppers and tomatoes, which give you a taste of the Amalfi Coast. After the pizza, if you want to take a piece of Sorrento home with you, don’t worry! Even the dishes are for sale!