While strolling along Fashion Street toward Vörösmarty Square, a large cocktail bar on the left immediately catches our attention. This is the entrance and terrace of Il Pastaio, a fresh restaurant introducing its patrons to Italian cuisine with intriguing twists, providing high quality, friendly service, and excellent dishes for affordable prices just a few steps away from Váci Street. Here we embarked on a Mediterranean journey taking us from a mixed antipasti plate to delightful desserts.
Fortunately, the gastronomical options of central Pest are no longer limited to overpriced tourist-trap restaurants. Nevertheless, it can be difficult to convince local foodies that the dark days of low-quality downtown dining are over, and that there are many nice options now available near the Basilica or Vörösmarty Square that are worth trying without fear of unpleasant culinary consequences.
Zsolt Beke is Il Pastaio's executive chef, after working for 16 years at Robinson Restaurant, for six years at Spoon, and for five years at Cucina Restaurant; this year he could finally open his own restaurant based on his own experiences and ideas along with longtime associate Lajos Kovács. As Italian cuisine holds a place particularly close to their hearts, there was no question what direction they would take with their own eatery. They wanted to compile a menu with a lot of authentic and slightly reinvented dishes, so the current selection includes not only stone-oven-baked pizzas, pastas made on the spot, and homemade desserts, but also hamburgers, Angus sirloin steak, Fiorentina steak, and matured beef. Zsolt's life is all about catering, in the word's most classic sense. He likes to please returning guests, and is happy to accept special requests regarding ingredients and preparation methods. In addition to managing the restaurant, he pays attention to his guests' feedback and often pops into the open kitchen while the dishes are being prepared.
The restaurant occupies an excellent location: from here we can see everything happening across bustling Vörösmarty
Square while lounging on the terrace or at the upstairs tables - the passing daydreaming couples, rushing businessmen, and nearby street performers in colorful costumes give Il Pastaio a genuine Italian atmosphere. While guests enjoy lunches and dinners, the surrounding imagery is constantly changing. The interior design is practical, with an open kitchen as the centerpiece - anyone can watch as their order is prepared, and many guests book tables next to the kitchen just to see as their pizza is put together or the pasta is cooked al dente. There are only a few places in Budapest with a completely open kitchen, and Il Pastaio is one of them.
The walls are decorated with the chef's black-and-white photos of Italy; there is no unnecessary ornamentation. Our favorite detail is the upstairs wall covering: the paneling has been created with wooden wine and champagne crates, and these are illuminated with beautiful, warm light to give a cozy, romantic feeling to the upstairs section. Speaking of romance, the restaurant hosts piano evenings from Thursday to Saturday every week. The snow-white piano is usually on the terrace, illuminated by small red-and-white lights, and from 19:30 we can continue our dinner accompanied by live music.
After touring the tasteful interior, we tasted a menu bar compiled by Zsolt himself. Italians do not even start eating without antipasti: we tried a richly packed plate. Besides the prosciutto crudo, cotto, a variety of salamis, plum-sized olives, and sun-dried tomatoes (Antipasto Casereccio: 2,690 HUF), we enjoyed some bruschetta as well. Naturally, we wolfed down all of it, and since we opted not to have meat dishes, we chose some pasta for the main course. We tried a tomato-and-basil version (Spaghetti al Pomodoro e Basilico: 1,990 HUF), and a cream-based pasta as well. We finished with some tiramisu (1,190 HUF) that was so light and fluffy it slid right down our throats, even though we were absolutely full by then.
Il Pastaio also offers two-course (1,590 HUF) and three-course(1,990 HUF) lunch menus that make their meals accessible for anyone, even with the restaurant's posh location on Vörösmarty Square. We recommend Il Pastaio even if you only want to drop by for a quick lemonade, but it is most suitable for a delicious and romantic dinner.
Il Pastaio
Address: Pest V, Vörösmarty Square 2.
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