LUDO: the nhow dining club rekindles Rome
Three opening nights, new DJs and live sets at the decks, and signature formats back on the floor: RE-LOAD, RE-LOUD, RE-LUDO sets the tone for the new season.
Some cities slow down at the end of summer, but Rome picks up the pace between September and October, linking aperitivo, dinner and late night into one seamless groove. This is the season when the dining club, a formula designed to bring table, bar and dance floor together, comes into its own: you arrive for a cocktail, stay for dinner and linger as the volume turns up. At LUDO dine & vibe, the dining club inside nhow Rome, the new season kicks off on Thursday 1 October.
The venue is at Corso d’Italia 1, inside the nhow Rome hotel, in the stretch of the city between Villa Borghese and Via Veneto. Opened in February, LUDO quickly built a distinct programme before pausing for the summer; now it returns with a whole weekend dedicated to its next chapter, from Thursday 1 to Saturday 3 October: three nights introducing a fresh line-up of DJs and live performers alongside the signature formats of its debut.
Things get under way on Thursday 1 October with Pump Up The Jam, led by Mavez and a selection of 90s house; on Friday 2 it is the turn of Zafira, opening the season’s live sets with a repertoire spanning R&B, funk and soul; on Saturday 3 the opening weekend draws to a close with Soul Express Collective, playing house, disco and funk strictly on vinyl. The collective will then remain a weekly fixture, their vinyl selections easing the transition from dinner to late night.
The rest of October alternates between resident nights and fresh faces behind the decks. VHS, Italudisco, Disco Demolition and LUDO’s Jukebox return with new DJs, while Vicky Montefusco takes the decks for Italudisco, and Loop Loverz—a duo performing entirely live with loop stations and samplers—bring an ever-evolving live sound. There is also room for something more eclectic: Dischi Spiegati with Federico Gallotti, a night blending DJ sets, storytelling and musical exploration through the stories pressed into vinyl grooves.
The formula remains the one that gave the venue its name: the night follows no strict script, starting with aperitivo, moving to dinner, and gradually making way for the dancefloor as the volume rises. In the kitchen, classic dishes get a contemporary, international spin: the menu pairs pinsa romana topped with marinated beef carpaccio and puntarelle alongside vitello tonnato and pork ribs, while seasonal additions introduce squid-ink tagliolini with lobster and seared amberjack steak with lime guacamole.
The cocktail list follows the same line, featuring Italian spirits, a dedicated focus on gins and bold signature drinks alongside reworked classics, designed to follow the evening’s rhythm from aperitivo to late night. ‘LUDO was created to be experienced without rigid rules: the new season picks up on that very principle, turning up the volume on the music and entertainment,’ explains Gino Giacchetti, General Manager of nhow Rome, who sees the season’s title as capturing the spirit of this new chapter: the formats in the venue’s DNA, joined by new artists, fresh sounds and new styles of performance.
LUDO is open Tuesday to Saturday and is also available for private and corporate events. For everything else, the rule of the three REs applies: RE-LOAD to restart, RE-LOUD to turn up the volume, RE-LUDO to play again!
