Fine dining restaurant, bistro and listening club, Casa Exforo in Padua is one of the most important gastronomic projects in the Veneto region with its panoramic terraces overlooking Prato della Valle, offering wonderful sunsets.
Casa Exforo was born in 2022 from the recovery of a suggestive industrial site from the early 1900s, the imposing former cattle market that stands with its neoclassical lines on Prato della Valle, one of the most beautiful squares in Europe and a symbol of Padua, in the shadow of the Basilica del Santo.
The restoration was born from the idea of 3 entrepreneurs, already active in the food and wine and communication sectors, with the dream of creating a “home” (Casa means home in Italian) that could represent an offer of excellence from lunch to after dinner with a cosmopolitan mood.
Exforo carries in its name the memory of its past: the ancient Foro Boario, a market where people met and exchanged not only goods, but glances, stories, emotions. This is the spirit that has been brought back to life.
Part of the interiors were designed by the AACM – Atelier Architettura Chinello Morandi and Naòs Design which for the heart of the venue, the restaurant hall, developed an original “skin” in knurled glass that wraps around the raw steel pipes, highlighting the texture of the original bricks.
The glass, polycarbonate and resin furnishings create suggestive reflections and transparencies, generating a contrast between the external facade and the room, in which the neoclassical lines of the building are reflected in the works of art that decorate the hall, such as the large colored sculptures of some Greek deities, including Atlas and Nike.
The kitchen is entrusted to chef Edoardo Caldon, supported by chef Anna Giulia Chiarin, with a lot of experience behind him including Lasarte in Barcelona, St. Hubertus in San Cassiano, Tivoli in Cortina d’Ampezzo and Fuel in Padua.
Their proposal is characterized by innovative, delicious and straight-forward dishes that start from tradition and a great search for raw materials, first and foremost the best Venetian delicacies.
From Raw amberjack, yellow kiwi, nasturtium, nori seaweed, to Plin (filled pasta) of guinea fowl, saffron, truffle, up to Duck withleek, foie gras sauce, Luxardo cherries, the maître Marco Bettella and the sommelier Nicola Martin know how to pamper guests with refined combinations and fascinating stories of the territory.
Each dish, a small masterpiece of taste and harmony.
The other complex wing has recently been renovated, and in 2024 two more spaces were inaugurated. They are, completing the gastronomic offer of Casa Exforo: Foreria Bistrot and Bar, on the same floor as the restaurant, open from 12 to 15 and from 18 to 23 with an informal menu of platters, tapas and leavened products, and Circolo Cocktail Bar, on the second and last floor of the building, open from 19 to 24, on weekends until 2 am.
Circolo, led by bar managers Davide Fasolo and Lorenzo Rossetti, is a listening bar with a wonderful 360° view of the city and a 1930s club atmosphere. Thanks to its precious hi-fi system and the possibility of setting up the room with immersive projectors, the venue is also the perfect location for private events.
All three venues have access to dedicated panoramic terraces, perfect for an aperitif or after-dinner with a view.
Exforo is a unique project in Italy, more than a restaurant, more than a bistro, more than a cocktail bar. It is a refuge, a home, a meeting point where people find time to truly be together, for those who still believe that beauty deserves its space.
The perfect experience? An aperitif on the terrace, followed by a fine dining dinner with a view of the Basilica Basilica di Sant’Antonio di Padova and an after-dinner drink at the Circolo.
The Secret
The building that houses Casa Exforo was built between 1913-14 based on a design by engineer Alessandro Peretti to be used for livestock trading. In the tympanum of the central arch there is a beautiful sculptural group entitled “market scenes” by the sculptor Antonio Pennello.
Circolo
Useful Info
Exforo
Prato della Valle 70
Piazza Rabin 10
35123 Padova
Tel. +39 340 8206428
Exforo Ristorante
Starters: from 20 euro
First courses: from 22 euro
Second courses: from 26 euro
Tasting menus: from 60 euro, wine pairing from 15 euro 2 glasses
Foreria
Cold cut platters: from 14 euro
Tapas: from 3 euro
Pizzas: from 10 euro
Circolo
Cocktails: from 8 euro
