DG CAFFÈ: Stunning Winter Dishes & Afternoon Tea

If you think mall dining can’t deliver great Italian food, DG CAFFÈ is the place that will prove you wrong. It’s one of the few luxury-branded restaurants in Shanghai that gets the food right, and much of that comes down to its consulting chef, Gianluca Serafin.

Details on their seriously delicious new winter dishes and an updated afternoon tea for two down below. Plus, special deals for Nomfluence Readers when you click book! More details about the deals here.

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The Space

DG CAFFÈ is located on the second floor above its showroom at Citic Square on Nanjing Xi Lu. The best way to enter is head into the mall and up the escalators.

The interiors here are loud and totally on brand for Dolce&Gabbana, dazzling the senses with bold, ostentatious colors and their signature Carretto Siciliano motif. It’s rebellious, to say the least, and makes for quite the setting for a “casual” meal.

And for the festive season, they even have a Christmas tree on display, as well as a tower of panettone boxes (more on this below) stacked in a way that almost makes it a secondary “tree.”

The Food

Behind the food is consulting chef Gianluca Serafin, long respected for his commitment to authentic Italian cooking even since before his beloved Bund-side Atto Primo. Though that space closed a few years ago, the memory of its flavors linger through DG CAFFÈ, that is, comfort classics refined by a talented hand.

It’s my second time writing about this spot, and this meal surprised me, then surprised me again. The dishes I had, namely the meatballs, eggplant parm, and baked maccheroncini, were shockingly good. I left wondering why more people haven’t caught on.
So let me say this: the stigma of mall dining and luxury-branded projects shouldn’t stop you from eating here.

These are the new dishes, seasonal and honestly comforting.

The Polpettine al Sugo (¥98) sets the tone. These meatballs aren’t modeled after any grandma’s recipe — they’ve been engineered to perfection. The beef-and-pork meatballs are fluffy in texture and flavorsome on their own, but its the accompanying garlicky tomato sauce, sweet and concentrated, that levels it up.

Bread is necessary to scarpetta the sauce.

Then comes the Parmigiana di Melanzane (¥98), a dish that instantly brought me back to Atto Primo. Thin sheets of tender eggplant are layered with an intense tomato sauce, finished with a crust of parmigiano reggiano, fresh basil and roasted cherry tomatoes.

Each bite is amplified beyond its components. How can this be just eggplant?

The Maccheroncini al Forno (¥128) rounds out my top three. Think lasagna, but with maccheroncini and an even richer depth thanks to a ragu bolognese punched up with n’duja and bechamel.

Mozzarella and parmesan form a finishing crust, providing that satisfying cheese pull, and fried n’duja adds a salty finale.

For something lighter, the Polipo e Patate (¥128) offers a warm salad of thinly sliced tender octopus leg with baked potatoes, celery, three different kinds of olives, mini capers, and lemon dressing. It underscores the octopus’ freshness while playing up the salinity of olives and capers.

Burrata (¥168) gets a winter treatment, paired with roasted baby squash, sweet potato, corn, black kale, and basil oil. The creamy, milky burrata is balanced with the sweetness of the season’s roasted veggies.

Next, the Zuppa di Fruitti di Mare (¥128), a light-bodied seafood bisque with a gentle, lingering heat. Inside are generous pieces of scallops, halibut, white fish, shrimp, and baby squid. It’s a dish well-suited for the cold months.

If you want a pasta alternative, the Spaghettini Broccoli e Salsiccia (¥128) delivers thin noodles with a creamy broccoli sauce, sausage, garlic, and parmesan cheese.

Afternoon Tea

DG CAFFÈ has even refreshed its afternoon tea, as it does seasonally. Priced at ¥598 for two, it includes two coffee, tea, or Prosecco.

The format stays constant: five savory and five sweet bites.

Savories include a tartlet of smoked salmon with caviar and fresh orange; a codfish mousse and spinach tart with sweet bell pepper and basil; a creamy potato fritter with prosciutto; and a mini vitello tonnato sandwich with veal tenderloin, tuna sauce, and capers.

There’s also a Sicilian arancini fragrant with saffron.

On the sweet side, the pistachio cream puff was the one I’d happily buy by the box, its pastry carrying a slight bite and its pistachio cream rich and heady with a tart cherry jam inside.

The apple cake surprised me, bright and fresh like juiced apples. For something deeper, there’s a chocolate lava cake with hazelnut praline and a mascarpone cream chocolate square with coffee and cookie crumble.

For a lighter note, there’s the yuzu tart layered with raspberry jam and fresh grapefruit.

Panettone

And for the festive season, DG CAFFÈ has the Fiasconaro brand of panettone, available in flavors of tangerine (¥650/1kg), chocolate (¥650/1kg), apple and cinnamon (¥350/500g), double chocolate (¥350), Sicilian Citrus (¥350/500g or ¥200/100g).

All panettone are packaged in beautiful ornamental tin boxes, co-branded Dolce&Gabbana, in case you’re looking for a fancy gift for a fancy friend. Available from now until early January while stocks last.

The in-store shopping experience is recommended, where you can not only select the flavors you want, but also see the packaging design up close and personal. The panettone is also available via the brand’s official online platform below.