Spiaggia
Beach · Riva Ligure ·
Pebbled beach near eateries, cafes, bars, and lakefront
Information
Italy Get directions
Pebbled beach near eateries, cafes, bars, and lakefront
Italy Get directions
"I spent time at Spiaggia, the Italian restaurant off Michigan Avenue where I dialed in my skills; that restaurant closed in 2021." - Ashok Selvam
"Through his work with longtime Levy collaborator Tony Mantuano—Spiaggia’s legendary chef—Tougne was connected to a high‑profile dining scene, as Mantuano cooked for prominent diners including Barack Obama and Joe Biden." - Ashok Selvam
"Regarded here as an acclaimed Italian restaurant where Joe Flamm spent years, Spiaggia is presented as a benchmark of high precision—the "Spiaggia-level precision" that critics expected Flamm to replicate at Rose Mary." - Naomi Waxman
"Chef Joe Flamm offered a perks package for sale as part of a CHAAD fundraising push designed to convert performative social-media statements into measurable accountability; purchases help fund an app and database that log worker complaints, owners’ public responses, and follow-through on anti-racist measures, with physical pickup arranged through a designated pickup point." - Ashok Selvam
"On Michigan Avenue, the Michelin-starred Italian restaurant occupies a luxurious dining room that overlooks Michigan Avenue and parts of the lakefront; I report that its executive chef, Joe Flamm—winner of Top Chef season 15 and at Spiaggia since 2014—is leaving, with his last day on September 30, and that he plans to open his own Italian restaurant (he said shortly after winning Top Chef in March 2018 that he wanted his own Italian spot). Tony Mantuano, who opened the restaurant 34 years ago and whose fans have included Barack Obama and Joe Biden, has been a mentor to Flamm; Flamm says Mantuano has been supportive, taught him lessons about balance in food and life, and emphasized that restaurant culture matters for food and service. Around its 30th birthday in 2014 Spiaggia underwent a renovation, it is an Eater 38 member, and Crain’s reported that chef du cuisine Eric Lees will replace Flamm." - Ashok Selvam
