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#InauguralReview #Murano Since 2024 Brought Back from 1983 by Milan Licul and Damir Coric #120East56thStreet between #LexingtonAvenue #ParkAvenue #MidtownEast #Manhattan #NewYork
Maiale is the best Pork we have had anywhere in 2026 by Murano on their very first try!
It's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and we are so glad to now know Murano, especially because we missed it in the 1980s! Open since 2024, the newest incarnation of Murano which originally made its New York debut in 1983 by Milan Licul has been brought back to life, and Milan owns Murano today along with Damir Coric, both of whom hail from Croatia and are a pleasure to work with. Damir joined Milan at Murano in November 2025. Murano today has 60 seats with twelve more at the bar and a private room for 50.
Damir came to the USA in 2019 from Istria, Croatia, and Damir brings a lot of cruise ship experience with both Royal Caribbean and Carnival rising from bus boy to Celebrity Maitre'D with 120 reporting to him. The Murano 1983 original was on West 36th Street in the garment district; in 1983 Peachy would have walked in with her Cabbage Patch kids so probably would have been taken far less seriously then as well. Milan was actually featured long ago for Arno, and his talents have only gotten better over the years as evidenced in our Murano experience. We were brought spectacular bruschetta and grana padano as a greeting.
Salmon Tartare pleasantly perches upon crispy polenta with caper aioli and salmon roe to further accentuate the sensational Salmon theme of this starter. It's an artistic endeavor as well as you can see it achieves high marks aesthetically, as do many of the Murano dishes we experienced this inaugural visit. Polpo is another winner and the grilled octopus was perfectly tender. It's joined by cannellini beans, pickled red onion, and an inventive, invigorating peperonata sauce of 25% red bell peppers and 75% piquillo peppers from Spain.
The Caesar Salad is a total classic of baby romaine lettuce, candied fennel, sesame and coriander seeds which elevate and distinguish the flavor immensely, fine herbs and grana padano. We chose to add a protein, and specifically opted for the grilled shrimp and three arrived in style, as shown. Note if you are new to us, be aware we do not ever edit pictures. We publish only the truth. And the truth is, Murano is excellent.
Linguine di Mare extends your summer just a little longer, on your plate that is! Scallops, Clams, Shrimp, Calamari, and Mussels combine for a succulent seafood symphony of pasta prowess that is at its best. Every bite was fresh and just what we were looking for.
We love parm in many forms, and at Murano under Primi, you'll discover a convincing edition of Parmigiana Di Melanzane: Eggplant Parmigiana. This is exactly what you should seek if you are one that does not dine upon meat or fish. It incorporates the talents of this Italian venue and capitalizes on doing a standard dish in an extraordinary fashion. The ingredients employed and overall result will impress you. Finally under pasta, Cacio e Pepe is another standard that hits the high notes of excellence with its cheese and black pepper combination of true authenticity.
Executive Chef Cesar Dutan has been with Murano since the day it reopened in November 2024, and Murano is named after the city in Italy in the province of Venice. The Murano glass that graces your presence is also to be adored. Pollo Scarpariello is a dish of both light and dark meat rejoicing in garlic and lemon and chardonnay; it achieves a superlative nuance of flavor and makes chicken exciting again.
Without a doubt, Maiale was the best of the best.
We were highly impressed with the culinary talents of Murano overall, but this is the exact best edible of our first experience. The Berkshire Pork Chop is ideally executed medium well and incorporates not only premium pork underlying the tremendous effort but also is brought to higher echelons with fried onions on top, polenta and truffle sauce. It makes every day a celebration on your palate, and we paired it with this beautiful Brunello which complimented it so well. It puts all other pork chops to shame and deems them quite boring in comparison.
Scampi Alla Griglia is the fab four of shrimp on the grill, resplendent in lemon butter sauce with mashed potato and broccoli singing backup. Murano in each and every course announced it's in it to win it and we didn't find any flaws and liked everything we tried.
The final firework was a terrific cappuccino that will put pep in your nighttime step and you should not walk but run to meet the best Chocolate Raspberry Cake we have had anywhere in years. Executive French Pastry Chef, Dominic makes it fresh and every brilliant bite is truly intoxicatingly delicious; also, the raspberry and chocolate flavors are balanced quite nicely. We are so impressed on our first visit to Murano and we hope they keep up with this great work! Stay tuned.
Their website tells us:
The Return of an 1980's era Nameplate in NYC.
Milan Licul is a legend among New York City restaurateurs. He got his start in the business over 50 years ago, at his family’s small café in Croatia and by 1983 he launched a restaurant with his friend and fellow countryman Branko Turcinovic, opening the original Murano Ristorante on 36th Street in the Garment District, featuring the fine northern Italian dining that became his trademark.
