After working at Hugo and Carlo Cracco's In Galleria, as well as Eugenio Roncoroni's Mercato, Chiara Pannozzo now runs Bue Nero, a gourmet steakhouse in Verona that strikes a balance between elegance and bold flavors.
The story
It is a story of family and savoir-faire that took shape in 2019 with the opening of Bue Nero in Verona, in Piazzetta Navona 8, a few steps from the Arena. It is a steakhouse restaurant where meat becomes the absolute protagonist of a story made of quality, selection, and respect for the raw material. Maurizio Dalfini, with over fifty years of experience in the sector, together with his children Ilenia and Riccardo, wanted to create a place where excellence was not just a concept, but a concrete experience to be enjoyed at the table.
All premium cuts come from Europa Meat Trading, a company owned by the Dalfini family, guaranteeing a controlled and impeccable supply chain. The decision to feed the animals dry grain results in refined marbling and a tenderness on the palate that wins you over from the very first bite. The result is meat with a well-rounded and balanced flavor, designed for those who recognize true quality. A place that appeals to connoisseurs, but warmly welcomes anyone who wants to enjoy an authentic gastronomic experience, where respect for tradition meets the pleasure of discovery.
The restaurant
Bue Nero is a place where art, architecture, and taste blend together with elegance. The restaurant is located inside a historic building in the heart of Verona and owes its name to a bronze sculpture depicting a mighty black ox, the work of Veronese artist Gino Bogoni, which can be seen inside the restaurant. A personal purchase by Maurizio Dalfini, who wanted to transform that work into a symbol of identity, giving the restaurant not only a name but a real soul.
The atmosphere at Bue Nero is carefully crafted down to the smallest detail, where modern and elegant surroundings combine with a warmth that makes for a refined dining experience that is never overly formal. Every element, from the materials chosen to the lighting, contributes to creating a balance between style and hospitality. To complete the experience, there is a wine list designed with intelligence and sensitivity. Ample space is dedicated to labels from the Veneto region, with a selection that also includes small and medium-sized quality wineries from regions such as Piedmont, Tuscany, Sicily, Abruzzo, Lombardy, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. There is no shortage of international gems, including a carefully curated selection of French wines. A wine cellar built to accompany every cut of meat with consistency and personality, focusing on producers who authentically express their terroir.
The chef and her cuisine
Born in 1994, chef Chiara Panozzo creates signature dishes that surprise with their balance, freshness, and contemporary vision in every course. Her creations are rooted in solid Italian tradition but naturally open up to Asian influences, giving life to dishes that are elegant, intense, and never predictable. Her distinctive touch? A deep sensitivity towards the vegetable world, which is not treated as a simple side dish, but becomes the absolute protagonist. Vegetables are enhanced with precise techniques, transformed into new taste experiences, with respect and intuition. The result is a cuisine that tells a story, where every element is thought out, calibrated, and capable of evoking emotion, without sacrificing lightness and the beauty of immediacy.
Among the signature appetizers, one dish stands out for its elegance, playfulness, and depth of flavor: Beef/Egg/Sticki Fries. Fresh beef tartare, carefully prepared and seasoned with anchovies, capers, and a savory and enveloping note of Worcestershire sauce. The Asian-style marinated egg yolk adds creaminess and roundness, while the julienned parsley provides a fresh and lively herbal kick. To complete the dish, crispy, light, golden sticki fries that are simply irresistible. The result is an appetizer that seduces first with its aroma, then with its texture, and finally with its balance: a sensual tartare, memorable and, above all, summery.
And if it is true that every dish has its own story, like that of the person who prepares it, the story of Simmenthal/Puttanesca/Warm lettuce with braised beef is a contemporary tribute to comfort food, reinterpreted with elegance. A soft heart of braised beef that melts in your mouth, accompanied by a savory and deep puttanesca sauce, curly salad, pickled onions, and cucunci—a balance between intensity and acidity, without ever overdoing it. To finish, a spontaneous invitation to mop up the sauce with bread, almost a declaration of love for the dish. The perfect pairing? A glass of Enrico Gentili Chiaretto Spumante, a fine and persistent sparkling wine with aromas of wild strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, with that sweet caress of Sunday pastries. Dry and elegant on the palate, it is the ideal companion to accompany these first tastes with grace and personality.
The journey continues with an intriguing first course of 'Nduja/Pumpkin/Peschiole. Ravioli made with pumpkin and 'nduja-flavored pasta sheet, with a surprising filling of liquid gorgonzola and wild garlic, seasoned with pumpkin extract and mustard, peschiole in brine, and puffed seeds. The dish is presented as a work of art to be savored rather than eaten, visually warm, enveloping, almost autumnal. The pumpkin—the queen of the ensemble—is perhaps too intense, slightly overpowering the other more subtle notes, which struggle to fully emerge. However, the gorgonzola makes its presence felt, offering depth and structure. The gesture of mopping up the sauce with bread at the end of the dish is inevitable because even when the balance is lost, the taste remains.
Next, the Argentine-style steak stands out with its elegant simplicity, impeccable cooking, tender texture, and full flavor. A main course that needs no embellishment, because it speaks for itself through the quality of the meat and the precision of its execution. The side dishes? They are not accompaniments, but true protagonists in their own right. In particular, La Melanza, a refined reinterpretation of eggplant in nasu dengaku style, is served with tomato and sake sauce, smoked provola cheese fondue, basil pesto, and a surprising Italian-style chili oil. A side dish that surprises, captivates, and leaves you wanting more with its intense flavors and masterful harmonization. To accompany this central part of the menu, the choice fell on a local wine: Valpolicella Classico “Val Polesela” by Manara. A bright ruby red with an intense and persistent bouquet, it is complex yet harmonious on the palate, perfect for enhancing both the meat and the aromatic nuances of the side dishes.
The meal ends with a dessert that plays with contrasts and temperatures: Chocolate/Strawberries/Campari. A dessert that combines savory churros served as crispy breadsticks, creamy white chocolate and matcha, and strawberries dipped in Campari, for a bitter and fresh note that completes the experience with lightness and originality. An intriguing summer dessert, perfect for the end of a meal. A few courses, carefully chosen and made with absolute dedication to ingredients, technique, and the balance between Italian roots and Asian influences. A gastronomic experience that takes Bue Nero far beyond the classic idea of a steakhouse, confirming it as a destination for conscious taste, for those who recognize the authentic value of what they taste.
CONTACTS
Bue Nero
Piazzetta Navona, 8, 37121 Verona VR
Phone: 045 800 8994
