L’etage de Pastavino

18 rue de Buci, 75006 Paris

So you like “hidden gems?” This place is up a winding staircase above a deli. Thank God for this staircase because it doesn’t just lead you up, but away and out of Paris all together. By the time you get to the top, you’re transported to a painfully romantic little haunt in Rome. Intimate, dark and with sex appeal that engulfs your eyes and palette simultaneously.

Nothing misses. The pasta is al dente, rich, and in golden ribbons that somehow taste like they were made seconds ago in the most elegant way (we are still in Paris, after all). The tables are too close, the wine too good, and the staff moves like they’ve got better places to be; which, somehow, makes you want to stay longer. I still consider it my absolute favorite Italian restaurant in Paris.