Positano Risto is only good if you require strictly no pork or alcohol. Otherwise, there are better Italian restaurants.
Positano Risto @ Publika is a Muslim-friendly Italian restaurant with a prime location at Publika Shopping Gallery. It serves halal food with no pork or alcohol on the menu. Its branding is splashed with the tagline that it’s “ranked KL’s #1 Muslim-friendly restaurant!” Ranked where and by whom is the question, but Positano is here anyway when you need a strictly halal Italian place.
Ambience & Amenities
Positano has a superb dining space, whether you’re sitting indoors or outdoors. The restaurant’s patio extends out to the raised terrace surrounded by trees and twinkling lights at night. Inside, there are numerous large windows and warm, golden lighting after the sun has set. Along the far wall is a beautiful floor-to-ceiling mural of the Positano coast with its stepped architecture at sunset.
Positano doesn’t have an in-house washroom, so guests must use the Publika facilities. The toilets are far away and require a complicated route. To get there, exit Positano and head south. Use the hidden door to the left of the mural, or go around the restaurant to get to the back side of it. Cross over the pedestrian bridge and turn right. From here, you can follow the signage overhead to the toilets.
Menu at Positano Risto
Positano’s menu is streamlined with a fair selection of pizzas, pastas, and meat dishes. The restaurant is certainly not trying to be authentically Italian with its halal pork-free and alcohol-free menu. In a similar spurious vein, but an aspect I prefer, filtered water is complementary.
Click on menu pictures to enlarge
Food at Positano Risto
My Mr & Mrs Berry (RM24.95) milkshake was the best part of the meal. A classic shake in the perfect size, complete with whipped cream and a cherry on top. Fresh berries blended with vanilla ice cream made for a creamy, sweet drink.
We split a Capricciosa (RM44.95) pizza. The crust was dense, just the way I like it, though the toppings were slipping off the flimsy base, especially when the pizza was piping hot. A big disappointment was how much the restaurant skimped on the artichokes. Yes, it is the most premium ingredient here, but I swear we had five individual leaves on the entire pizza instead of the chunks and florets you’re supposed to get. We didn’t taste any of the delicious buttery, earthy artichoke flavours at all with such a meagre amount.
Saturday Worthy?
I get it: it’s hard to do Italian food without pork or alcohol. Unless you’re avoiding pork and booze for religious or dietary reasons, I wouldn’t eat at Positano. This place seems like it’s for people who don’t know any better. We saw a tiramisu at the adjacent table being assembled that looked weird even to us and would make an Italian have a meltdown. There are many better Italian restaurants in KL, like Bottega (non-halal) or D’Italiane (pork-free and halal).
Price for 2 Pax: RM81.10
Capricciosa: RM44.95
Mr & Mrs Berry: RM24.95
10% Service: RM6.99
6% SST: RM4.19
Rounding: RM0.02
Positano Risto @ Publika
Address: Block C1, Lot 2, Level G3, Publika Shopping Gallery, 1, Jalan Dutamas 1, Solaris Dutamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm Daily
Alcohol Served: No
Hi Cheryl,
Thanks for being such a no-nonsense blogger. I really appreciate how you don’t beat around the bush when something’s not up to par. I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and genuinely enjoy your honest takes.
I’d actually love to hear your thoughts on Mercat Barcelona Gastrobar. It’s one of my favorite Spanish spots in town, and they’ve got a pretty solid Wednesday tapas deal, 3 for RM65. Some of the servings lean a little on the fancy (read: smaller) side, but they’re great for nibbles. It’s not the cheapest, but I think it’s a lovely pick for a nice night out.
Hope you’ve been doing well, and thank you for continuing to blog when so many have stopped. It really makes a difference to readers like me.
Hi Claire,
Thank you so much for your great comment! In this day and age where everything is “sponsored” content and you’re more likely reading a glorified advertisement rather than a review, I pride myself on the honesty of this blog. I appreciate your restaurant tip! I pass by that place all the time, and get tempted by their paella and ribs. It is pricey as you know, but hopefully I’ll be able to visit Mercat soon and write up a review!
It’s sad that bloggers are quitting with AI and short form reels on the rise, but I’m glad that readers like you continue to read and appreciate real content like mine. I slowed down on posting over the last year or so to focus on other projects in my life, but I’m planning on devoting more time back to this blog soon. Hope you’ll continue to visit and get some useful information!