Restaurant in Venice, Italy
Two tasting menus, serious pedigree, book ahead.
Palais Royal Restaurant in Venice is the Venetian outpost of the award-winning Paris original, operating inside the Nolinski hotel with Michelin recognition and a tasting menu built on French technique, Greek influence, and Italian ingredients. At €€€€, it is the right call for a special occasion dinner where cooking precision and a calm, considered room matter more than local Venetian tradition.
At the €€€€ price point, Palais Royal Restaurant inside Venice's Nolinski hotel delivers a tasting menu experience backed by serious culinary pedigree. This is the Venetian outpost of the award-winning Palais Royal in Paris, and it carries that reputation into a room that genuinely suits a celebration dinner or a high-stakes business meal. If you are spending at this level in Venice, the question is whether the cross-cultural cooking — Mediterranean base, French technique, Greek influence, Italian ingredients — holds together better than the more locally rooted alternatives. Based on available evidence, it does, and the Michelin recognition confirms the kitchen is operating at a level that justifies the spend.
The dining room itself is an argument for booking. Set inside the former Palazzo della Borsa, the elliptical space has a mid-century character , carpeted for acoustic warmth, which makes it noticeably quieter than Venice's more casual trattorias. For a dinner where conversation matters, that is a practical advantage you will feel immediately. Two tasting menus are on offer, both structured around chef Philip Chronopoulos's framework of Mediterranean-leaning dishes built with French precision. Chronopoulos trained with Joël Robuchon and Alain Passard, a lineage that appears in the technical discipline of preparations involving lobster and caviar. The opening course reinterprets classic Greek recipes , a distinctive move that sets this menu apart from the Italian-first approach you will find at most Venice fine dining rooms. Flavours lean toward the refined and composed rather than rustic or ingredient-forward: this is cooking where the technique is part of the experience, not hidden behind it.
Venice's high season runs April through October, and Palais Royal Restaurant will be under the most pressure during summer and during Carnival in February. For a special occasion dinner, aim for a shoulder-season visit , late September or early October gives you cooler temperatures, smaller crowds in the hotel, and a dining room that is likely to feel more relaxed. If you are visiting during peak season, book as far ahead as your plans allow; Michelin-recognised rooms in Venice fill quickly during the summer months. Midweek evenings generally offer a calmer atmosphere than Friday or Saturday sittings.
The main room's architecture , elliptical, carpeted, acoustically considered , already works well for intimate dinners. For larger groups or celebrations requiring separation from the main dining room, contact the Nolinski hotel directly to ask about private arrangement options, as specific private dining details are not publicly confirmed. What is clear is that the room's character suits formal occasions: this is not a venue where a large group celebrating loudly will feel at home, and that is a feature rather than a problem. For a dinner of two to four people marking something significant, the main room delivers the sense of occasion you are paying for. If you need a fully private space for a corporate dinner or larger celebration, verify availability before committing , and consider that Ristorante Quadri on Piazza San Marco has an established track record with formal private dining in Venice.
Against Venice's other €€€€ options, Palais Royal Restaurant occupies a specific position: it is the choice for diners who want a tasting menu with an international culinary framework rather than a purely Venetian or Italian one. Glam Restaurant by Enrico Bartolini and Local are the closest competitors at the top tier. Oro Restaurant and Wistèria offer contemporary Italian approaches at comparable or slightly lower price points. If your preference is for Venice-specific ingredients and local cooking traditions, Local or Ristorante Quadri are likely better fits. Palais Royal Restaurant is the right call if the Paris pedigree, the Robuchon-trained kitchen discipline, and the cross-Mediterranean tasting format are what you are after.
Reservations: Book in advance , this is a Michelin-recognised hotel restaurant and availability at peak times is limited. Contact via the Nolinski Venice hotel. Dress: Smart to formal; the room's character and price point signal that casual dress will feel out of place. Budget: €€€€ , plan for a full tasting menu spend per head, plus wine pairing if relevant. Location: Calle Larga 22 Marzo 2032, Venice 30124 , inside the Nolinski hotel, the former Palazzo della Borsa. Booking difficulty: Easy relative to Venice's most sought-after tables, but do not leave it to the last minute during high season.
If you are building a broader Venice itinerary around a dinner at Palais Royal Restaurant, these resources will help: our full Venice restaurants guide, our full Venice hotels guide, our full Venice bars guide, our full Venice wineries guide, and our full Venice experiences guide.
For context on how this kitchen's approach compares to Italy's broader fine dining tier, see Osteria Francescana in Modena, Uliassi in Senigallia, Dal Pescatore in Runate, and Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico. Internationally, the French-technique tasting menu format places Palais Royal in the same conversation as Le Bernardin in New York City and, for a different take on the chef-driven tasting format, Lazy Bear in San Francisco. For more Italian fine dining reference points: Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone and Reale in Castel di Sangro.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palais Royal Restaurant | This restaurant is an Italian offshoot of the award-winning Palais Royal in Paris. To the delight of gourmet food-lovers, Greek chef Philip Chronopoulos now also serves his delicious gastronomic creations in Venice, in this restaurant in the Nolinski hotel housed in the former Palazzo della Borsa. The elliptical dining room, with a muffled ambience thanks to its beautiful carpet, has a charm of its own, which lightly harks back to the 1950s. Here, guests have a choice of two tasting menus which showcase cuisine with a Mediterranean flavour, French techniques, numerous Greek influences (including the opening course which reinterprets classic recipes), and Italian ingredients. Top-quality options such as lobster and caviar are prepared with precision and served with real skill – it comes as no surprise to learn that Philip previously worked with renowned chefs such as Joël Robuchon and Alain Passard. An excellent new address for the Venetian Lagoon!; This restaurant is an Italian offshoot of the award-winning Palais Royal in Paris. To the delight of gourmet food-lovers, Greek chef Philip Chronopoulos now also serves his delicious gastronomic creations in Venice, in this restaurant in the Nolinski hotel housed in the former Palazzo della Borsa. The elliptical dining room, with a muffled ambience thanks to its beautiful carpet, has a charm of its own, which lightly harks back to the 1950s. Here, guests have a choice of two tasting menus which showcase cuisine with a Mediterranean flavour, French techniques, numerous Greek influences (including the opening course which reinterprets classic recipes), and Italian ingredients. Top-quality options such as lobster and caviar are prepared with precision and served with real skill – it comes as no surprise to learn that Philip previously worked with renowned chefs such as Joël Robuchon and Alain Passard. An excellent new address for the Venetian Lagoon! | — | |
| Local | Michelin 1 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Ristorante Quadri | Michelin 1 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Osteria alle Testiere | World's 50 Best | €€€ | — |
| Trattoria Al Passo | €€€ | — | |
| Il Ridotto | €€€ | — |
Comparing your options in Venice for this tier.
Dress formally. This is a €€€€ tasting menu restaurant inside the Nolinski hotel, a luxury property in the former Palazzo della Borsa — the room itself has a considered mid-century character that sets a clear tone. A jacket for men is advisable; cocktail attire or equivalent is appropriate for women. Turning up in casual resort wear would be out of place here.
A kitchen with Philip Chronopoulos's training — Joël Robuchon and Alain Passard — will be equipped to accommodate dietary needs, but tasting menu formats require advance notice. Contact the Nolinski Venice hotel directly when booking to flag any restrictions; last-minute requests at a two-menu restaurant are harder to accommodate than at a la carte venues.
Book at least three to four weeks out, and further ahead if you are visiting during Venice's peak season (April to October) or Carnival in February. This is a Michelin-recognised restaurant inside a hotel with limited covers, and availability compresses quickly around key dates. Contact via the Nolinski Venice hotel.
Yes, this is one of the stronger cases for booking here. The elliptical dining room, two structured tasting menus, and chef credentials (Robuchon, Passard) give the meal a clear arc that works well for anniversaries or celebratory dinners. If you want a special occasion dinner with a more Venetian identity, Ristorante Quadri on Piazza San Marco is the alternative to weigh.
For a comparable €€€€ tasting menu with stronger Venetian identity, Ristorante Quadri is the direct comparison. For a more intimate, ingredient-led experience at a lower price point, Osteria alle Testiere is the practical alternative — small, seafood-focused, and harder to book than its price suggests. Il Ridotto offers a concise tasting format that splits the difference.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
