Bottega began in Kuala Lumpur in 2011, tucked into a converted old post office on Jalan Ceylon. From day one, the plan was simple and very Italian: serve the real thing. A proper Italian restaurant paired with a true deli counter, ingredients sourced straight from Italian producers, and food made the way it should be.
Every plate tastes the way it’s supposed to.
Not fusion, not inspired by Italy. Just Italian.
The deli came to be because the kitchen needed it. You can’t make a real Carbonara without aged guanciale. Amatriciana needs it too. And you can’t do Cacio e Pepe with the wrong pecorino and expect it to taste the same.
Our Story
Riccardo opened Bottega in Kuala Lumpur in 2011 with a simple ambition: to build the kind of authentic Italian restaurant he would want to eat in himself. At the time, good Italian food in KL was harder to find than it should have been, and that bothered him enough to do something about it. The strong opinions and direct-import ingredients came with him on day one, and neither has gone anywhere since.
KUALA LUMPUR
2011
The first Bottega opens on Jalan Ceylon in Bukit Ceylon. A former colonial post office, five private rooms, a patio under cover, and a deli counter that became the reason most people came back.
Penang
2014
A restored heritage shophouse on Jalan Muntri in George Town. Open kitchen, a long bar facing the fire, and the same deli counter transplanted into a space that had its own distinct energy from day one.
JOHOR BAHRU
2018
Taman Melodies. A proper neighbourhood trattoria with a glass counter of Italian cold cuts, complimentary tapas every evening, and four private dining rooms for groups wanting their own thing.
Petaling Jaya
2024
Taman Megah. The newest location and the most spacious, with 107 seats, full air-conditioning throughout, and a front-facing deli section that pulls in the neighbourhood before the dinner rush.
Today, Bottega has grown into one of Malaysia’s best known Italian restaurant groups.
Every location runs the same kitchen standards, so you get the Bottega you love wherever you are. We prepare pasta fresh and make our sauces from scratch. And because we’re a little obsessed with deliciousness, we put real care into sourcing the best ingredients we can find.
Our deli counter features many of the same Italian producers we cook with in the kitchen, so what you taste on the plate is what you can take home too. No shortcuts, because shortcuts always show up in the flavour.
La Famiglia
Bottega runs on people who know what they are doing and care enough to keep doing it properly.
From the kitchen to the front door, here’s who you’ll find.
Sourcing & Suppliers
Because food that tastes like Italy usually comes from Italy. Funny how that works.
We go straight to the source
and we wouldn’t do it any other way
We keep it simple: if an ingredient is good enough to take home from our counter, it’s good enough to go into your pasta. And if we wouldn’t proudly cook with it, we won’t sell it either. That’s how we make sure every dish comes out tasting genuinely Italian, with the kind of honest, authentic flavours you can tell from the first bite. These are the producers we work with directly.
PASTA Abruzzo 
GUANCIALE, PANCETTA, LARDO 
CARNAROLY RICE Lombardia 
CHEESE 
COLD CUTS 
COFFEE 
OIL 
… and more
Work at Bottega
We take the food very seriously
and we’d love to find people who feel exactly the same way
What We’re Looking For
Front of house people who can read a table, talk about the food without reading from a script, and handle a full Saturday service without losing their composure. Kitchen people who understand the difference between cooking something correctly and cooking something fast, and who choose correctly.
Deli staff who know the products well enough to explain them to someone who has never tried them before and make that person want to. Experience in Italian hospitality is useful. A genuine interest in real Italian food is a must.
A presto!
Jobs & Franchise Enquiry
Join Our Team
