ARROTINO
Brand Identity, Packaging, Web Design, Interior Design
THE BRIEF
An elite Pizzeria Napoletana located in Iowa City, Iowa. An atmosphere of quiet luxury that transports you to a time spent in Italy.
The guests of Arrotino approach the restaurant in a courtyard of small shops. Here, a highly intimate, fine dining experience is tucked away amongst the bustling city, unperturbed. Arrotino attracts well-established clientele, and its most loyal customers consider it to be one of Iowa City’s best-kept secrets. The typical customer is the upper-class philanthropist, perhaps meeting with fellow benefactors or simply spending a night out with the Mrs.
Guests enter through an unassuming entrance that builds anticipation. Once inside, the guests may enjoy the warmth of the dimly lit atmosphere. “Benvenuti” a sonorous voice greets the guests before they are ushered to their seats. The wood fire oven glistens with crackling heat and rustic bricks.
Since it is a small space it promotes a sense of familiarity. The chef is present before the guests making each pizza with care and intention. He knows his guests by name, and they know him. They know his pizza better, each one made with only the highest quality ingredients from both Italy and local Iowan farms.
Guests sit in firm yet comfortable wooden chairs before a table scape with wooden and bronze accents. Rosemary adorns the plate and the aromas of burning wood and herbs envelop the room. The menus are set before the guests on bronze tablets with engraved clips to hold them in place. The paper is thick and slightly rough in your hand. Classic Neapolitan dishes are available, but the chef’s forte is AVPN Certified, traditional Neapolitan Pizzas. There are a few Iowan twists scattered throughout the menu items which pique interest and connection.
From every door in the establishment to the box you take home for a night of pizza and wine, Arrotino creates an atmosphere of sophisticated intimacy. The website remains minimal for guests to make reservations. Matchbooks are offered to the most loyal of guests. Together, the rustic, bare stone walls, dark bentwood furniture, and bronze accents transport the diners to a time spent in Italy.
I DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO THESE IMAGES AND THEY ARE FOR CONCEPTUAL USE ONLY