Restaurant in Verona, Italy
One Michelin star, historic palazzo, book ahead.
A Michelin one-star (2024) in a medieval palazzo on Via Leoni, Iris delivers a structured, produce-led contemporary Italian menu with a wine list of 800-plus labels and a two-stage format that begins in a 14th-century Roman cellar. At €€€€ and booking difficulty Hard, it's the strongest case for a serious dinner in Verona's historic centre — plan at least three to four weeks ahead.
If you're deciding between Iris Ristorante and Il Desco for your one serious meal in Verona, Iris edges ahead on setting and structural creativity — the two-stage meal format, moving from a 14th-century wine cellar to an elegant palazzo dining room, is a genuine differentiator rather than a gimmick. Both sit at the €€€€ price point, both hold a Michelin star, but Iris leans harder into the city's physical history as part of the dining experience. Book here if that layered context matters to you. Book Il Desco if you want a more conventional fine-dining room.
Iris occupies Palazzo Soave on Via Leoni, a street that has been part of Verona's civic and commercial fabric since the medieval period. The building itself was formerly known as Palazzo Malaspina Bottagisio, and the stonework visible throughout — the "fishbone" pattern characteristic of Roman construction , isn't decorative restoration but the actual bones of the structure. A short walk from the 12th-century Basilica di San Fermo, this is one of the few fine-dining addresses in the city where the room itself is a substantive argument for visiting. The vaulted ceilings in the main dining room sit in deliberate contrast to the contemporary furniture beneath them, which keeps the space from reading as a museum piece.
The wine cellar, where aperitivi and appetisers are served before you move upstairs, has Roman origins predating the medieval palazzo that now surrounds it. For a food and wine enthusiast, this sequence , descending into a space with origins in Roman Verona, then ascending to a modern table , gives the meal a pacing that most Verona restaurants cannot replicate. The cool stone and the particular damp-mineral scent of an old cellar is, for many diners, the most memorable part of the evening before the first course has been plated.
Verona's position in the Veneto makes it one of northern Italy's most food-serious cities, sitting within reach of the wine zones of Amarone and Soave, the lakes, and the Adriatic coast. Iris draws on all of these: the menu has a clear "green" orientation driven by regional produce, while Adriatic fish features prominently among the main courses. The wine list runs to over 800 labels, with France and the Veneto as the twin poles. For the wine-focused traveller, this is a list worth spending time on before arriving , the depth in both Burgundy and local Veneto producers is a genuine asset at this price tier.
The kitchen's approach is contemporary Italian with a strong regional anchor. The "green" focus in the menu signals a preference for vegetable-driven courses and seasonal produce from the Veneto, without the menu being vegetarian. Adriatic seafood provides the primary protein narrative, which is consistent with how serious Italian kitchens in this part of the country source their fish. The dishes are described in available sources as imaginative and balanced , a combination that, at Michelin one-star level, typically means technical refinement without the self-conscious complexity that can make tasting menus feel laborious. For the explorer who wants a meal that reflects where they are geographically, the regional sourcing here is more than a marketing note: it's the structural logic of the menu.
Comparable Italian contemporary programmes at this level , Le Calandre in Rubano, Dal Pescatore in Runate, or the broader ambition of Osteria Francescana in Modena , operate at higher price points and, in several cases, with more international name recognition. Iris is, relative to those benchmarks, a lower-profile choice that rewards the traveller who does the homework. For the Veneto-focused trip, it sits alongside Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico as a kitchen where the regional sourcing conviction is legible on the plate.
Iris Ristorante carries a Michelin one star (2024), a 4.8 Google rating from 68 reviews, and a €€€€ price designation. Booking difficulty is rated Hard. Given the palazzo setting and the structured two-stage meal format, this is not a venue that accommodates walk-ins reliably , plan at minimum three to four weeks ahead for dinner, and further out if your travel dates are fixed around Verona's peak seasons (opera season at the Arena runs June through September and drives significant demand across all serious restaurants in the city). The address on Via Leoni places it within the historic centre, walkable from the main hotel strip along the Adige and from Piazza Bra.
Dress code information is not confirmed in available data, but the palazzo setting and price tier suggest smart-casual at minimum , treat it as you would any Michelin-starred room in northern Italy. Phone and website contact details are not available in current records; check reservation platforms or the venue directly for current availability.
For broader Verona planning, Pearl's full Verona restaurants guide, Verona hotels guide, Verona bars guide, Verona wineries guide, and Verona experiences guide cover the full picture. For comparable contemporary Italian programmes in other cities, see Enrico Bartolini in Milan and Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence. For international contemporary reference points, César in New York City and Jungsik in Seoul operate in the same creative idiom.
Quick reference: Iris Ristorante, Via Leoni 10, Verona. Michelin 1 Star (2024). €€€€. Booking: Hard , reserve 3–4 weeks minimum, further during opera season.
Manageable, but not optimised for it. The structured two-stage format , aperitivi in the cellar, then the main meal upstairs , works well for couples and small groups where the shared pacing is part of the experience. Solo diners will get the full kitchen quality at a €€€€ price point that adds up quickly for one person, but there is no obvious counter or bar perch mentioned in available data. If solo dining value is a priority, Trattoria al Pompiere at €€ is a better call. Iris solo makes sense if the Michelin experience and the palazzo setting are specifically what you came to Verona for.
The menu has a documented "green" focus with strong vegetable and produce-led courses alongside the Adriatic fish programme, which suggests flexibility for pescatarian diners. For specific allergies or requirements, contact the venue directly ahead of your visit , no confirmed booking or dietary policy data is available here. Given the €€€€ price tier and Michelin standing, kitchens at this level typically accommodate restrictions with advance notice, but verify directly rather than assuming.
No confirmed dress code is on record, but the combination of a Michelin one-star rating, a historic palazzo setting, and a €€€€ price point puts this firmly in smart-casual to smart territory by northern Italian standards. Jeans are likely acceptable if they're clean and paired with something considered , but treat this as you would any starred room in the Veneto. Trainers and beachwear are a poor fit for the room.
Yes, with conditions. At €€€€, you're paying for three things simultaneously: a Michelin-starred kitchen with regional conviction, a setting inside a genuine medieval palazzo with Roman cellar origins, and a wine list of over 800 labels with serious Veneto depth. If any two of those three matter to you, the price is justified. If you want a serious Veronese meal without the full spend, Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli is the only comparable creative option at the same tier. For half the price, La Loggia Bistrò is worth considering as a step down in formality without abandoning quality.
Based on available data, the structured two-course-location format , appetisers in the 14th-century cellar, mains in the palazzo dining room , suggests the kitchen is designed around a tasting progression rather than à la carte grazing. At a Michelin one-star level with a regionally anchored, produce-led approach, a tasting menu is typically the format that leading communicates what the chef is trying to say. Specific tasting menu pricing and structure are not confirmed in current records; verify directly when booking. For comparison, Le Calandre in Rubano and Dal Pescatore in Runate offer benchmarks for what tasting menus at northern Italy's leading tables deliver at higher price points.
At the same €€€€ level, Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli and Il Desco are the direct comparators. Il Desco suits diners who want a more conventional fine-dining room; Casa Perbellini leans into creative cuisine with strong name recognition. Drop a price tier to €€€ and Al Capitan della Cittadella is the seafood-focused option. For traditional Veronese cooking without the fine-dining price, Al Bersagliere at € is the most accessible entry point. See Pearl's full Verona restaurants guide for the complete picture.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iris Ristorante | Contemporary | €€€€ | Not far from the 12C Basilica di San Fermo, this restaurant is housed in the Palazzo Soave (formerly Palazzo Malaspina Bottagisio). This historic address boasts highly elegant rooms with the “fishbone”-style stonework typical of Roman buildings and vaulted ceilings that provide a pleasant contrast to the restaurant’s contemporary furnishings. Your meal begins a journey back through the city’s history, as appetisers are served in their own special setting in the palazzo’s 14C wine cellar which has Roman origins, after which you return to the dining room to enjoy the rest of your meal. The talented chef here creates regionally influenced, balanced and imaginative dishes with a “green” focus. The menu also features fish, especially from the Adriatic, while the wine list boasts over 800 labels with a particular emphasis on France and the Veneto.; Not far from the 12C Basilica di San Fermo, this restaurant is housed in the Palazzo Soave (formerly Palazzo Malaspina Bottagisio). This historic address boasts highly elegant rooms with the “fishbone”-style stonework typical of Roman buildings and vaulted ceilings that provide a pleasant contrast to the restaurant’s contemporary furnishings. Your meal begins a journey back through the city’s history, as appetisers are served in their own special setting in the palazzo’s 14C wine cellar which has Roman origins, after which you return to the dining room to enjoy the rest of your meal. The talented chef here creates regionally influenced, balanced and imaginative dishes with a “green” focus. The menu also features fish, especially from the Adriatic, while the wine list boasts over 800 labels with a particular emphasis on France and the Veneto.; Michelin 1 Star (2024) | Hard | — |
| L'Oste Scuro | Seafood Trattoria, Seafood | €€€ | Unknown | — | |
| Trattoria al Pompiere | Veronese Trattoria, Venetian | €€ | Unknown | — | |
| Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli | Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star | Unknown | — |
| Il Desco | Italian Contemporary | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Al Bersagliere | Venetian | € | Unknown | — |
How Iris Ristorante stacks up against the competition.
Solo diners can book here, but Iris is structured around a considered, multi-stage meal — appetisers in the 14th-century wine cellar, then the dining room proper — which makes it a more rewarding format for two or more. At €€€€ pricing with a Michelin star, the experience is designed to be savoured over time, so solo dining works best if you're comfortable with a longer sit and happy to invest the full evening.
The kitchen has an explicit 'green' focus and builds vegetable-driven dishes as a central feature of the menu, not an afterthought, which is a practical advantage for vegetarians. Fish from the Adriatic also features prominently. For specific allergies or strict dietary needs, check the venue's official channels before booking — at this price point and formality level, kitchens of this type typically accommodate requests made in advance.
Iris occupies a historic palazzo with vaulted ceilings and formally elegant rooms — the setting signals that casual dress will feel out of place. A jacket for men and similarly polished attire for women is the appropriate call. This is Verona's Michelin-starred contemporary dining, not a relaxed trattoria.
At €€€€ with a Michelin star (2024), Iris delivers a layered experience — two distinct spaces, a wine list of over 800 labels with strong Veneto and French coverage, and a kitchen focused on regional, produce-led cooking. If you're spending at this level in Verona, the setting inside Palazzo Soave and the structural creativity of the meal justify the outlay more than most alternatives. If you want a shorter, less formal dinner, the price-to-experience ratio tips against it.
The multi-stage format — starting with appetisers in the 14th-century wine cellar before moving to the main dining room — is the core reason to book here rather than ordering à la carte. That progression is the point of the experience. If you're not willing to commit to the full format, the value case weakens; the setting and kitchen are built around a complete dinner, not a quick meal.
Il Desco is the closest like-for-like comparison — also Michelin-recognised, also formal, but Iris edges ahead on setting and structural creativity. Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli offers comparable ambition at a similarly high price point. For something less formal and considerably cheaper, Trattoria al Pompiere is the reliable local option, and Al Bersagliere works well for a traditional Veronese meal without the tasting-menu commitment.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
