Otto Mattivi

A life dedicated to crafting extraordinary experiences

Tucumán, Argentina, 1973. A 19-year-old South Tyrolean spends several months in northern Argentina, falls in love with the country and discovers a passion that will shape his life: meat. Not just any meat – but meat as cultural heritage, as craftsmanship, as a way of life. Otto Mattivi brings this passion back home. And a name: Hidalgo.
What began in 1980 in Burgstall as a grill restaurant is today far more than just a place to eat. It is the result of almost 50 years of curiosity, courage and the unwavering determination to do things differently. Better. More authentically.

Being first – and paving the way
Otto Mattivi was rarely one to ride waves. He's the one who creates them. He was among the first to bring Argentinian beef to South Tyrol – at a time when this still meant navigating a bureaucratic obstacle course. He travelled to Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Stuttgart to study the German grill scene. To Monte Carlo and New York to discover a new high-temperature grill – and brought it to the Hidalgo. He flew to Japan twice to understand the legendary Wagyu beef and created with the Hidalgo Beef Tasting one of Europe's first Wagyu restaurants. Today it's called Aomi – Japan Inspired Restaurant. The love for Japan remains: in the latest relaunch of the Aomi, a Japanese garden has been created, the cuisine combines Japanese flavours with Mediterranean influences. A new chapter receiving its finishing touches.
Being a pioneer is harder. But Otto takes every path that brings him closer to his goal. He runs through every conceivable scenario in his mind – and when one no longer leads forward, he takes a step back, reconsiders the possibilities and finds another way. Until it works. A thought architect, so to speak.

The Hidalgo Grill Restaurant
From the Kiwi-Bar with bistro and ice cream parlour, which he opened in his parents' house in Burgstall, the Hidalgo Grill Restaurant emerged three and a half years later. Now open 365 days a year for many years. Mediterranean cuisine, grill specialities – meat and fish –, homemade desserts and a wine list stocked with fine wines from one of South Tyrol's most exquisite stone wine cellars: 600 labels, 18,000 bottles. This way, the wine list can offer every dish its fitting accompaniment. Behind the effortlessness lies a well-thought-out system, ensuring every plate tastes exactly as it should. Whether at lunch or dinner, in January or August. This is Otto Mattivi's vision.

From Burgstall into the world – and back
The journeys have never stopped. Eight times to Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Moscow, Kamchatka. Wherever there's something culinary and exciting to discover, Otto Mattivi isn't far. And much of what he finds, he brings back to South Tyrol. The meat culture from Argentina. The refinement of Japanese cuisine. The awareness that great pleasure lies in the details.
In 2014, the Hidalgo Suites were created in Burgstall, 20 modern holiday apartments with breakfast buffet in the restaurant and garden pool, in 2019 the Arua Private Spa Villas in St. Peter near Meran – six retreats nestled within a 2.5-hectare garden park featuring what is probably South Tyrol's highest olive grove. Fruit and vegetables from the garden find their way into the Hidalgo kitchen. Everything is connected. Everything has its purpose. The marketing of the accommodation facilities is handled by son Johannes Gruss with his consulting agency.

A dream realiser
"I am not a dreamer, but a dream realiser", the garden philosopher Karl Foerster once said. There is hardly a quote that describes Otto Mattivi better. He doesn't just dream. He builds. He creates. He experiments. He does.
The Hidalgo Collection – the grill restaurant, the Aomi, the Suites, the Arua Private Spa Villas and the delivery service By Hidalgo – is the result of a life full of passion. Otto Mattivi has also been honoured for his life's work by the Falstaff Restaurant Guide. And the passion continues to grow. Because anyone who knows Otto Mattivi knows: the next idea is never far away and in his mind, the next project and the one after that are already being crafted…