Italian pizza restaurant 400 Gradi in Kuwait impresses

By Zainab Ali

After a really long week and a full weekend, my family and I decided to wrap things up with an Italian feast.

We decided to try a newly opened Italian bistro called 400 Gradi, which is located in Grand Avenue Phase 4 just by the L’eto cafe.

The first thing I want to illustrate is that all restaurants in Kuwait are fully Halal with no pork or alcohol allowed to be served by law.

Moving on, 400 Gradi can accommodate approximately 200 guests and large groups, which is convenient for big families and friends.

As the restaurant policy does not accept reservation, we had to wait in line for 15 minutes to be seated.

The staff were very welcoming and offered us an outside table which I personally prefer.

The restaurant itself has a modern Italian vibe to it, with simple dark wooden tables and chairs, which reminded me of Milano.

400 Gradi is an Italian bistro famous for pizzas, which are made in a wood fire oven, along with their fresh pasta and authentic flavors.

The first thing I want to illustrate is that all restaurants in Kuwait are fully Halal with no pork or alcohol allowed to be served by law.

There’s amazing cooking stations that are separated by glass and which allow you to watch the cooking process live if you are seated inside.

After taking a good 15 minutes on the menu, we decided to go with a burrata salad, melanzani parmigana, margarita pizza, caserta pizza, polo coto and fungi parpadelle.

The burrata starter was served approximately five minutes after placing the order which was impressive.

The salad consisted of red and golden boiled beets, with shredded fresh Burrata cheese, and garnished with rocket leaves, almonds and a light vinaigrette.

This dish was a great start to the meal – a very fresh, delicate buratta with the earthiness of the beets tying things altogether into a beautiful dish.

Afterwards we were served the main courses, i.e. the pizzas.

The first pizza was Caserta which had a marinara base and was topped with fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced smoked beef and rocket.

The crust was very thin and crispy, with charred bits giving it a unique flavor.

The tomato sauce was delicious as well, despite the saltiness of the beef overpowering every element of the pizza.

The second was a classic Margarita with the addition of mushrooms, which, with a crispy crust, a delicious sauce and fresh topping, was divine.

Overall, I would definitely pick the Margarita over the Caserta.

Moving along to the classic Italian Melenzini Parmigana, then this consisted of baked layers of aubergine and cheese in a marinara sauce which was absolutely amazing, very warming, and was served with grilled ciabatta which turned out to be perfect for dipping in the sauce.

I will definitely say that this was my favorite dish of the day.

As for the pasta, then this has to be my most favorite pasta dish in Kuwait.

With simple parpadelle with mushroom, I believe, and cream sauce, it was rich and creamy, and had a hint of truffle, which I personally found to be too strong for my liking.

And finally the Pollo cotollet – fried breaded chicken cutlets with a red bell paper salad.

The pair of cutlets were juicy and succulent, with the breading having an amazing crunch to it and a savory taste. However, the bell paper salad was bland and did not add anything to the chicken.

The bill came to 29.00 KD, which is actually good value for money considering the standard of the food.

With the overall atmosphere being chilled and the service pleasant, 400 Grandi serves authentic Italian dishes and is, therefore, certainly worth visiting.

The dishes were classic Italian, the flavors were spot on, and portion sizes decent.

Also, attention to detail was clear – the place was spotless thanks to the efforts of the staff who were always to hand in swiftly cleaning down the tables.

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400 Gradi
Farwaniya Governorate \ Rai – inside Avenues Mall – Phase 4, The Forum.

T: +965 (0)2228 3045 | W: instagram.com/400gradime

Opening Hours: Mon-Sun 8:00-23:45