Nonna Lina Ristorante

Nonna Lina, owned by Antonello Scamuzzi, is a well established Italian restaurant in Gardens, Cape Town.

Antonello is from Sardinia, the second largest island in Italy and in the Mediterranean Sea.
He grew up in a tight knit family under the watchful and loving eye of his grandmother Nonna Lina, and as a child he would sometimes help out in his father’s bakery.

Studying as a surveyor and interior designer, he kept a strong sense of his heritage and connection to his roots, even as he moved to Milan first, then to London and eventually – after visiting South Africa on a trip – to Cape Town in 2002.

Giving himself a gap year to explore possibilities, Antonello started giving Italian cooking classes in casual settings.

His students encouraged him to expand his activity and soon he moved to catering. From there he found himself opening his own restaurant in 2003, for which he chose a name to honour his beloved grandmonther, Nonna Lina.

Nearly 20 years later Nonna Lina is blessed with an extremely loyal clientele, and is a well established landmark for locals and visitors alike.

Antonello credits his success also to the uncompromisingly Italian fare, with an accent on Sardinian recipes, based on simple and fresh ingredients.