Since opening in 2016, Da Maria has blurred the line between restaurant, bar and nighttime spot, pairing Italo-Australian food with bold interiors and a soundtrack that carries well past dinner. But after nine years in Seminyak, longevity like this is no accident. Now, Da Maria enters a new chapter.
Led by the same team behind Mexicola Group, the evolution is less about reinvention and more about refinement. Executive Chef Lorenzo De Petris and Group Beverage Director Denny Bakiev are joined by Bar Manager Luca Marcolin, formerly of Zuma Dubai, bringing fresh perspective to the kitchen and bar.
The most noticeable shift comes through the food. Da Maria’s pizzas remain, now streamlined to six options, including green tomato with mozzarella and local ’nduja, but the menu stretches beyond Italy into the wider Mediterranean. Local sourcing now plays a bigger role, from Kintamani produce to island-made charcuterie and locally milled flour for Da Maria’s Neapolitan-style dough.
While Italian foundations remain, the drinks programme evolves with the same intent. Spritzes stay, but martinis take centre stage. Guests choose between classic dry styles or more tropical interpretations, customised with distilled Amalfi Coast-inspired aromas: Limoni, Erbe, or Mare. Group sommelier Federico Sirito’s refreshed wine list leans into Italian producers, with a smaller selection of minimal-intervention bottles and vintage drops.
“The new cocktail menu is, above all, fun and quite expansive, while staying true to Da Maria’s core philosophy, where flavour is king,” explains Bar Manager Luca Marcolin. “This focus on the martini comes from our intention to bring a more international cocktail experience to Da Maria.”
However, not everything is changing: Da Maria’s late-night energy remains intact with the return of weekend lunches, as well as its 1960s Amalfi geometry interiors, originally designed by Roman architects Lazzarini Pickering. “Da Maria feels like a timeless Mediterranean garden, Italian at its core, but abstractly Balinese,” states architect Carl Pickering. “We’re keeping its DNA while projecting it into a new vision.”
In a city built on reinvention, Da Maria’s evolution feels subtler but stronger. It comes from consistency, hospitality instincts, and a willingness to rethink before things stops working. Nine years in, that confidence shows. “We recognise the importance of keeping our experience fresh, exciting, and relevant for our guests. Without drifting from our Italian roots, we feel ready as a team to step into and embrace a new chapter. The Da Maria on the way marks the natural evolution of our concept and offering,” says Executive Chef Lorenzo De Petris.
Da Maria
Jl. Petitenget No.170, Seminyak
damariabali.com
@damariabali
