Chef Diego Reali is to open the first international location of his Roman-Italian restaurant brand Stefania in Westbourne Grove, West London, this summer.
The opening will mark Stefania’s first restaurant outside Malaysia and will introduce a pork-free menu built around four generations of recipes from Reali’s family.
Born and raised in Rome, Reali learned to cook alongside his mother, Stefania Cristofari, and grandmother, who passed down techniques and recipes associated with traditional Roman cooking.
His family’s hospitality history dates back to 1958, when his great-grandfather opened Hosteria Amedeo, a neighbourhood trattoria near Rome specialising in traditional home-style food.
Reali said: “Everything I know in the kitchen is because of my mum. She was the one who taught me everything, from basic food skills to how to cook.
“Of course, I also learnt a lot when I worked abroad. But the basics are still the most important.”
After working in Italy and internationally, including a period in London earlier in his career, Reali moved to Kuala Lumpur more than a decade ago.
In December 2024, he opened Stefania Ristorante Italiano at Naza Tower in partnership with Kesavan ‘KC’ Purusotman, founder of Continuum Hospitality Group.
The restaurant was created as a tribute to Reali’s mother and the women who influenced his approach to cooking.
Its menu developed around pasta, ragù and meats prepared using a Josper grill.
The brand expanded in February 2026 with the opening of Stefania Osteria in Damansara Heights, introducing a more casual, family-style format, followed by Stefania Lounge.
The Westbourne Grove restaurant will retain Stefania’s pork-free approach to Italian dining, with the format designed to make traditional Roman dishes accessible to a wider range of guests and dietary preferences.
Reali will bring the same family recipes and approach established at Stefania’s Malaysian restaurants to London, focusing on Roman cooking and hospitality influenced by the food he grew up eating.
The opening represents the next stage in Stefania’s development as Reali brings the brand outside Malaysia for the first time.