Pasta has the potential to be whatever you need it to be: comfort food, quick meal, sophisticated dining – the possibilities are endless! If you’re craving some high quality, scrumptious pasta, try these authentic Italian-owned or Italian-inspired restaurants with a menu that will satisfy any pasta need you might have:
Bacini’s Pizzeria
Bacini’s is owned by Raimando Napoli, a man who grew up tossing pizza’s. It’s no wonder that they (the pizza’s and owners) are right up there with the best. The interior feels like a deli, well, because it is one; olive oils, breadsticks and other Italian ingredients line the shelves of the restaurant walls. They make their own fresh pasta in-house daily using authentic Farine “00” flour and age-old techniques.
Our top choice: Mascarpone and Roast Tomato. For a reasonable R100, tuck into penne with roasted Bella Roma tomatoes, rosemary and a creamy mascarpone cheese sauce, topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Details:
- Location: 177 Kloof St, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001
- Contact: 021 423 6668
- Website: bacinisonkloof.co.za
Gusto Restaurant
Gusto Urban Italian Restaurant, located in Century City’s Bridgewater Hotel, is serving the flavours of traditional Italy in a modern setting. Infused with contemporary and urban touches, Gusto has a far more modern setting than your traditional trattoria or pizzeria. Although the restaurant is partly separate from the four-star Bridgewater Hotel that houses it, there is a sense of class and opulence exuded by the decor and furnishings that make up its interior.
Gusto’s menu is as diverse as it is delicious. From breakfast to dinner, it is stacked with options to satisfy any craving. Sweet or savoury, light or hearty, Gusto has it all!
Our top choice: I Ravioli. For R130, enjoy butternut or spinach ravioli, with ricotta, topped with sage butter and Parmesan.
Details:
- Location: Bridgewater, 4 Conference Ln, Century City, Cape Town, 7446
- Contact: 021 202 9142
- Website: gustorestaurant.co.za
Mamma Roma
This Newlands-based restaurant is run by the Gorrini family who were approached by Professor Christian Barnard (yes, the Christian Barnard) in 1988 to take over his restaurant which was then called La Vita.
Chef Romano Gorrini has been a professional chef since the age of 16, and by the time he was 20 years old, he was the Head Chef at La Perla east in Rondebosch.
The restaurant is double-booked almost every night of the week and it’s really no surprise why. Mamma Roma does not offer pizzas but focuses all her attention on delivering nothing but the most authentic Italian seafood, pasta, grills and veal dishes.
Rissotto, melanzane, cannelloni, ravioli, lasagne, tripe, ossobuco and more, all served at the highest quality. The walls and ceilings of this intimate establishment are decorated with frescos, the tables are candle-lit, and soft Italian music lingers in the background while you indulge in the most authentic Italian experience Cape Town has to offer.
Our top choice: For R135, you will not regret trying their house speciality lasagne.
Details:
- Location: Dean Street Arcade, Dean Street, Newlands, Cape Town, 7700
- Contact: 021 685 2051
- Website: mammaroma.co.za
Massimo’s
Crowned the best pizzeria in Africa, Massimo’s is an absolute must! Massimo comes from a small family farm in Piemonte in Northern Italy, where all the food they ate was either grown or raised on the farm.
Massimo’s thin-based crispy pizzas are truly something special, in fact, they taste like more! Massimo’s also offers a variety of salads and spuntini (Italian tapas), and phenomenal pasta and grills, of course.
Our top choice: Pasta Napoletana. Choose between a full or half portion, and long or short pasta, and munch away at Italian tomatoes, onions, celery, carrots, a touch of garlic and basil for R88 or R69.
Details:
- Location: Oakhurst Farm Park, Main Rd, 7806, Hout Bay, Cape Town
- Contact: 067 324 0261
- Website: massimos.co.za
Scarpetta
Seasonally focused, with heart and flavour at the core of the entire menu, Turilli, also known as The Big Boss, has brought a new level of authentic cooking to Cape Town.
Chef Ricky adheres to the Italian way of life by taking seasonal produce very seriously. He believes that the flavour profiles of food are enhanced when you eat them in symbiosis with nature.
A delectable menu is chalked on a board and reforms along with each passing season. Scarpetta serves up the kind of food that stirs the soul. A meal that somehow manages to concur both comfort and something entirely unexpected – the familiarity of a meal made by mama coupled with an experience of flavour previously unbeknown.
Our top choice: Seven Mushroom Pasta. For R120, tuck into seven different varieties of mushrooms delicately cooked with cream.
Details:
- Location: 85 Roodebloem Rd, Woodstock, Cape Town, 7915
- Contact: 083 251 0730
- Website: facebook.com/scarpettarestuarant/
Also read:
Where to find the best sushi specials in and around Cape Town
Picture: Unsplash
