MILAN — Sant Ambroeus‘ upmarket pastries and coffees come with a guarantee — they are served with the same Milanese attention to detail no matter where they are in the world. Such consistency has rendered its global locations a haven for Italian expats and aficionados alike. And Beverly Hills is the next location set to sip their espresso.
As they gear up to kick off their 90th anniversary celebrations at Milan’s Design Week, its management has its eye on opening a wave of new locations. The firm was started in 1936 by two pastry chefs from the Cattaneo family with a small pastry shop in Milan’s Quadrilatero district and continues to attract local glitterati, tastemakers and market movers. Its name is Milanese dialect for Sant’Ambrogio or Saint Ambrose, Milan’s patron saint. In 1982 came the first foray onto the New York scene with a location on Madison Avenue, followed by SoHo and the West Village. The Hamptons, Palm Beach, Fla., and Aspen followed, with its Paris location opening in 2025.
In an interview, Gaetano Guarducci, managing partner of the restaurant brand’s parent SA Hospitality Group, told WWD that by 2027, Sant Ambroeus will have opened two locations in Los Angeles, one in Miami and one in Dallas. A new Beverly Hills location will open by the end of 2026, with another in the Brentwood area in the second half of 2027. A Dallas, Knox District location will open early in the second half of 2027, with a South Beach Miami Sant Ambroeus opening by 2027.
Gaetano Guarducci managing partner of the restaurant brand’s parent SA Hospitality Group.
After the original owners relinquished control of the shop, it changed ownership several times. The Pauli family brought the brand to New York City and opened the Madison Avenue location. Then in 1992, they opened the Southampton location. Gaetano’s father Gherardo Guarducci, partnered with the Pauli family in 2002 to expand Sant Ambroeus beyond what was already established, opening more restaurants and entering new markets around the world under the Sant Ambroeus Hospitality Group.
Guarducci told WWD that the firm has several activations planned, kicking off with a party at the Sant Ambroeus hub on Corso Matteotti during Milan Design Week. Loyal customers and friends of the brand will be invited and will be privy to personalized princess cakes, made live on-site.
Sant Ambroeus’ celebratory Princess Cake.
Sant Ambroeus
New Creations, More Merch
The group is also introducing a new burgundy color to be used on delivery bags, new materials and advertisements to all locations. Side note: the original font and wrapping paper pattern dates back to 1936. It’s fashioned with saints, angels, horse and carriages, which depict Milanese life at the time. “These have been part of the brand from the beginning, and we continue to use them in many of our retail items, like panettones,” he noted. In addition, they will celebrate employees who have been with the firm for 25 years.
A visual journey of the brand’s storied history will adorn the walls of the SoHo location, through an artist collaboration Tess Ramirez, which will be unveiled during Frieze New York.
Available across all global locations, Sant Ambroeus will be introducing new, exciting culinary creations to the menu, including a new cocktail named Milano 36, served in custom glassware engraved with Sant Ambroeus’ iconic dove. In the fall, the brand will also be launching a limited-edition 90th anniversary capsule collection comprising a premium selection of a hat, scarf, tote and sweater, designed as collectibles. “This is exciting because it’s the first time we’re creating clothing entirely under the Sant Ambroeus brand, rather than through collaborations with other brands,” he enthused.
“We have many fun things planned, and I’m really excited about it all,” he said, adding he eats the pastry shop’s cornetto with fresh cream inside, paired with an espresso about twice a week.
Looking to the future, the firm is focused on the U.S. market’s upscale neighborhoods and promenades due to operational efficiency and proximity to its headquarters, which is in New York. Florida, Guarducci said, is a prime potential area of expansion, while London and Paris remain interesting for the group.
Sant Ambroeus was founded in Milan in 1936 by two pastry chefs.
Sant Ambroeus
