I love pasta. The thing is, pasta doesn’t love me, or rather my waistline. I must ingest it minimally. So when I do go out for the stuff, it has to be perfect — handmade and al dente, with fresh herbs and a generous drizzle of tangy extra virgin olive oil.
I don’t want cream, I don’t want meatballs, I don’t want canned tomato sauce: I want pasta served exactly the way it’s served to me in Italy. That’s right. I’m a bona fide pasta snob. This article has taken me to no less than five of Mexico City’s hottest neighborhoods in search of the perfect plate of pasta.
While my list offers just seven restaurants to start, I know that there are more steaming plates of artfully crafted gnocchi just waiting to be discovered. Leave your favorite pasta gems in the comments below.
Casa D’Amico
There’s nothing more Italian-style than entering a sweet little Polanco restaurant and being greeted by the owner. This is exactly what you can expect at Casa D’Amico, managed by Walter and Gianmarco. Enjoy a perfect plate of pasta as the father-son duo go from table to table, chatting with customers and minding every detail. The kitchen at this warm and welcoming hotspot is cared for by Walter, a self-taught chef with a passion for creating authentic Italian dishes with Mexican ingredients. Don’t forgo the Fettuccine Gabriel, a specialty dish that marries shrimp and Portobello mushrooms in a white wine sauce topped with Parmesan cheese.
Il Fiorino
Il Fiorino is the type of Italian restaurant where the day’s specials are handwritten on a blank sheet of paper and there’s no website to speak of. The space is so unassuming from the outside, it could be easy to miss if not for the sidewalk sign advertising Verdadera Cocina Italiana.
Walk inside, however, and you’ll likely be greeted by the outgoing Fernando Forni, owner, chef and food fanatic. Dive into a steaming plate of pappardelle or risotto alla Milanese featuring saffron risotto paired with osso buco paired with your favorite Tuscan wine. The unwritten motto seems to be less fanfare, more quality. What could be more Italian?
Pasta Guapa
Behind a little window in Narvarte, you’ll find Argentinian chef Melina at the counter, crafting handmade pasta of various forms and flavors. In addition to the classics, there’s freshly-made spinach spaghetti, ravioli stuffed with sweet potato, thick focaccia topped with cherry tomatoes and rosemary and homemade sauces like pesto and tomato.
Just over two years ago, Chef Mel opened the cozy space as a way to immerse into her adopted home in Mexico while still connecting her to her Argentine roots. One of her clearest childhood memories is the image and aroma of her grandfather’s kitchen as pasta sat drying on the table.
Her desire to incorporate a bit of home has resulted in something very special. Aside from everything being beautiful and delicious, Chef Mel offers something that isn’t so easy to find in Mexico City: pasta-making classes in her intimate studio. Gather with a group of friends around a large central table and learn how to do it yourself. Snacks, aguas frescas and wine are included to hold you over until your group’s Italian feast is ready to eat.
Pasta Mestiza
The newest kid on the block isn’t Italian at all, but rather a Mexican take on pasta dishes. Situated inside the bustling Mercado Roma, Pasta Mestiza blends traditional Italian pasta with the bold and vibrant flavors of authentic Mexican-style sauces.
Cozy up at one of the six high top stools that line the bar in front of an open kitchen. Sip a glass of wine and chat with the chefs, also the owners, as they craft your pasta dish right in front of you. Choose from an array of sauces that reflect Mexico’s recognizable masterpieces, like barbacoa or salsa matcha. One of its many excellent Google reviews describes it as “the most amazing pasta I’ve had in a long time,” while another pipes in about the “incredible food and even better staff! Loved the pasta, the process, and vibes all around.”
Don’t leave without dessert, a knafeh with fresh queso oaxaqueño that is to die for.
Pazzesca Pizzeria
Nestled at the enchanting corner in La Juárez where Calle Napoles meets Calle Marsella, Pazzesca Pizzeria is sure to draw you in. This cozy yet contemporary restaurant, whose name means something local, extraordinary, or out of the ordinary, is adorned with romantic string lights and a traditional brick pizza oven. If you can manage to tune out the sounds of the passing scrap metal trucks, you might just feel transported to a quaint Italian town.
Owner Alan Niggeler is dedicated to sourcing only the finest ingredients, ensuring that every dish reflects the authenticity and quality of Italian cuisine. And while many of its patrons — many of whom hail from Italy — flock to Pazzesca for pizza, it’s the pasta that truly captivated this discerning diner. I wouldn’t go out for a plate of tagliatelle al funghi anywhere else.
Suppli
At the corner of Calle Atenas and Avenida Bucareli in La Juárez stands the appropriately-named Chinese Clock, built by the Chinese-Mexican community in 1921 to replace a clock gifted to Mexico by the last emperor of China in 1910. Surrounding this obelisk is an area that just might be the city’s next hotspot, if the explosion of restaurants, cafes and galleries here in the past year is any indication of what awaits. One of these restaurants is impossible not to notice, so inviting and romantic that you’d be a fool to pass by without peeking inside.
The tiny, ambient Suppli was brought to life by the talented founders of Pastificio. Ale Gutiérrez and Jean Marc Pariente, whose names you might recognize from Food & Wine’s 2024 list of best new chefs, were determined to bring the essence of homemade Roman cuisine to this corner of Mexico City. Their menu is concise and seasonal, relying on local ingredients. Aim to try the classic amatriciana, the pasta carbonara and the fresh arugula salad.
Toscanaccio
Just steps from the Monument to the Revolution, Florentine chef Marcello Gurioli and his meticulously-trained cooks are stuffing delicate ravioli with fresh ricotta and handcrafting enough tagliatelle to last them through one busy day. Gurioli spent years learning alongside top European chefs, and the golden rule in his kitchen is that everything be fresh, handmade and fully Italian. His wine list includes Italian classics like Vermintino, as well as pleasant surprises like the organic, floral Varvaglione from Puglia.
A visit to Toscannacio is an experience if you play your cards right. Sure, you can order from the menu, but why bother? The charismatic Gurioli will more than likely be fluttering around and delighted to create a dish just for you. He loves an adventurous eater, so keep an open mind — and stomach! — and enjoy a true Italian-style dinner you won’t soon forget.
Buon appetito!
Source: Mexico News Daily
