Positano Risto Publika Honoured as ASEAN Best Halal Italian Restaurant Award 2026

The prestigious ASEAN Food & Travel Awards 2025 once again celebrated its excellence across the region’s vibrant hospitality and culinary industries, by recognising outstanding brands that set new benchmarks in quality, innovation and exceptional customer experience. Among this year’s distinguished honourees is Positano Risto Publika, proudly receiving the ASEAN Best Halal Italian Restaurant Award 2026.

The award was officially received by Director & Co-Founder, Kamilah Ahmad, on behalf of the Positano Risto team. Her presence at the ceremony symbolised the modesty, passion, dedication and entrepreneurial vision that have driven the brand’s success since its inception.

This remarkable achievement reinforces Positano Risto Publika’s position as a trailblazer in the halal Italian dining scene, not only in Malaysia but across Southeast Asia. Known for its authentic flavours, warm hospitality and strong compliance to halal standards, the restaurant has successfully carved a niche in a competitive culinary landscape.

Located in the vibrant heart of Kuala Lumpur, Positano Risto Publika has built its reputation on delivering a true Italian dining experience. From handcrafted pastas such as Lasagna Classica to oven baked pizzas, La Stella Pizza and premium seafood dishes.

Some of you might wonder, “How old is the Lasagna?” The answer is that its way older than you think. The earliest written recipe for lasagna dated back to 13th century in Naples, Italy. Back then, it was just pasta sheets, cheese and herbs without a tomato base. Today, we are proud to carry out that tradition with a halal twist that has layers of love waiting for you.

For our next introduction, “La Stella”. This isn’t just a pizza, but an eight-pointed star shaped sourdough beauty stuffed with love or should we say, cheese topped with beef pepperoni, turkey ham, signature tomato sauce, melty mozzarella and our homemade burrata cheese. It is our most ordered pizza and for a good reason. The eight-pointed star pizza isn’t just stunning but a nod to timeless Islamic geometry, a touch of heritage on a plate.

Every plate that is served in Positano Risto reflects a harmonious blend of traditional Italian recipes and quality sourced ingredients. For us, our mission has always been to make authentic Italian cuisine accessible to everyone, without compromising on halal principles or quality.

What sets Positano Risto apart is not just its menu, but the complete dining experience by the hospitality team. The restaurant offers a cosy yet sophisticated ambiance, making it ideal for family gatherings, corporate events, romantic dinners and special celebrations. Guests are welcomed with attentive service that reflects genuine Italian warmth, further elevating the overall experience.

Beyond culinary excellence, Positano Risto Publika has demonstrated strong brand consistency, operational discipline and a forward-thinking approach to growth. The management team continues to invest in staff training, quality control and customer engagement to ensure every visit exceeds expectations. In addition, we foster strong collaborations with esteemed tertiary institutions such as Taylor’s and INTI that enables us to give back to the community by developing future talents in the culinary industry.

As we look toward the future, this recognition fills our team with immense gratitude, and it inspires us to work even harder for the community that has supported us. It also serves a beautiful reminder from our guests that makes our work possible. Whether we are opening new doors or crafting new recipes, our family at Positano Risto Publika is simply honoured to keep serving yours, sharing our deep love for authentic halal Italian dining.