Wine and Dine: Before Sheung Wan emerged as the foodie haven it is today, 208 Duecento Otto brought its rustic Italian food to the western end of Hollywood Road back in 2010 and paved the way for more delicious eateries to follow. Entrepreneur Yenn Wong of the JIA Group is behind this one — and also runs sisters restaurants Chachawan and Aberdeen Street Social.

Look & Feel: The two-story restaurant and bar has high ceilings, communal wooden tables, and a quieter upstairs dining room. Designed by Turkish designers Autoban, it takes inspiration from New York City’s Meatpacking district, and was one of the first restaurants in Hong Kong to embrace exposed steel and industrial vibes.

On the Menu: There are three food menus: one for bar nibblers, another for intimate dinners upstairs, and a third for brunch. In the bar area, expect more small and shareable bites like Neapolitan pizzas (from $168), calamari ($118), creamy burrata ($208). and various antipasti. Upstairs, find similar starters and antipasti spreads as well as larger main courses like a deliciously crispy chicken ($238), crumbed milk-fed veal chop ($398) and signature lobster fettuccine ($208).

Service: If you asked us two years ago, we would’ve said the service at 208 was deplorable. But it’s definitely gotten notably better over time, so hats off for the extra effort.

Jeng: This 4,000-square-foot bar/resto does a lot of things right, including the daily happy hour (buy one, get one free wine/house spirits/beer/prosecco from 3-6pm), the poached egg appetizer, and the pizzas (our favorites are the Parmigiano di Melanzane ($168) and the Diavola ($198)). Behind the bar, we are big fans of the double-barrel-aged Sazerac ($110), the Negronis ($100), and the 20 wines by the glass (from $60).

Not So Jeng: Despite its status as as house signature, the 208 Fetuccine all’Aragosta ($208) was pretty disappointing. The creamy sauce lacked complexity and the Boston lobster chunks felt a little meager. The downstairs area accepts walk-ins only, so forget trying to roll up with a party of 10.

Great For: After-work drinks, weekend brunch, intimate dinners.

FYI: The resto comes complete with a specially designed Napoletana pizza oven  — so that’s why the pizzas are so wonderfully crispy.

This writeup was based on an independent tasting. The Loop doesn’t guarantee/sell restaurant review coverage. See our editorial policy here.