The name Ronin is written in black capital letters on the small illuminated sign at the entrance, with two Japanese characters next to it. In the Japanese feudal era, the ronin were samurai who had lost their lords and usually roamed the country on their own.

The name fits: Like a masterless samurai, the “House of Ronin” stands out as an outsider among the other buildings in Piazza Morselli. In the evening, the red light from inside the restaurant shimmers through the windows of the old building and bathes the piazza in a soft red.

The restaurant is located in Quartiere Cinese, Milan’s Chinatown, which is gradually developing into an up-and-coming trendy district. Small, brightly lit take-away stalls are lined up next to dimly lit bars and modern restaurants. The Salva Tu Alma restaurant group has found the right place for its latest project here: After two years of renovation work, Ronin opened its doors in spring 2022.

If you want a reservation, you have to plan well in advance, as the restaurant is fully booked weeks in advance. Guests are particularly attracted by the restaurant’s design, for which Salva Tu Alma’s creative department teamed up with Milan-based architecture firm SC+.

The result: an extravagant labyrinth on four floors that transports its guests into the subculture of Tokyo’s nightlife. The first floor of the building is home to the rather unconventional “Piccolo Ronin” – an izakaya-listening bar serving simple Japanese cuisine.

Izakayas are classic pubs in Japanese culture. Readings are often held here at Ronin. On other evenings, those who prefer things a little quieter can listen to the sound of 70s records put together for the restaurant by the Milanese collective Ultimo Tango.

An old staircase leads up to the other restaurant areas of the Ronin. Moving from one floor to the next feels like walking between the sets of a Japanese 60s movie: on the second floor, the upscale “Ronin Robata”, you can enjoy Japanese fine dining in minimalist red and black furnishings. The name Robata is derived from the traditional Robatayaki cuisine, a Japanese method of grilling directly at the table.

Shabu shabu, a traditional fire pot dish, is served between red cushions on black wooden tables. Diners can dine at the bar in typical chef’s table style with a view of the red-lit kitchen. You could almost be forgiven for thinking that the Robata’s interior is straight out of Wong Kar Wei’s film “In the Mood For Love”.

For an after-dinner drink, head to “Madame Cheng” on the next floor up. The small karaoke bar has four separate rooms, each designed differently and reminiscent of the atmosphere in Tokyo’s lively nightlife district of Shinjuku. Above the bar in Madame Cheng are three smaller versions of the imposing chandelier that hangs above the round table in the mirrored bay window of Piccolo Ronin .

While the cocktails at Madame Cheng are named after Tokyo’s subway lines, the cocktails at Piccolo Ronin are named after Tokyo’s districts. Even the smallest design elements have been chosen with great care. Finally, on the top floor of the building is the “Arcade” – Ronin’s interpretation of a British gentlemen’s club, for members only with an oriental twist, designed by interior designer Marsica Fossati.

The number of differently designed areas leaves guests with the feeling that they have never fully discovered the restaurant, so that they want to come back again and again. The cinematographic references are omnipresent: for example, a large neon sign is emblazoned on the black wall in the dark Dragon Separée of Ronin Robata.

“Only God Forgives” is written in blue capital letters around a dragon’s head. The sign resembles the cover of Nicolas Refn’s film of the same name, a contemporary neo-noir thriller – a cinematic atmosphere celebrated in the furthest corners of the House of Ronin.