Go Italiano: Five Places That Serve Ah-Mazing, Belly-Filling Pastas

One O Eight Cafe regularly wows us with their vegetarian fare, and their pasta dishes are no exception. Their aglio e olio {INR 260} is simple and delicious, with golden bits of garlic, chili and herbs lightly tossed in olive oil. We also love their lemon & pesto pasta {INR 350}, made with a basil-walnut pesto, cherry tomatoes, olives, lemon, and ricotta. You can pick between spaghetti or penne, and if you’re gluten-intolerant, they’ll even substitute the pasta with zucchini noodles, for INR 100 {not the same thing, we know!}.

This little hole-in-the-wall eatery in Lane 7, Koregaon Park was started by one of the founding Italian Chefs of the original Little Italy franchise. In contrast to the other {La Pizzeria} restaurants, Il Fungo Magico serves both vegetarian and non-vegetarian {albeit, chicken only} fare. As much as we love their pasta al forno {baked in the oven; INR 310} – a creamy besciamella-tomato {‘pink’} sauce with mushrooms and a perfectly melty mozzarella crust; their pasta barbaresca {INR 380} – a creamy sauce with mushroom, sundried tomato, garlic, chili, and parsley has a more palatable edge. Basic, but super delicious, is their alla arrabiata {INR 300} – a fresh tomato sauce with garlic, chili and parsley – easily slurped up with spaghetti. Your choices are spaghetti, penne, fusilli, and tagliatelle – so make the most of them! Did we mention that their portions are hearty, and the prices are light on your pocket? Now you know.

Baked and Wired may be renowned for their Chigaco deep-dish and monster-sized pizzas, but their pasta {priced at INR 340} is no less fantastic. The tortellini stuffed with mushroom, thyme, and parmesan in ‘pink’ sauce with broccoli is a must-have, but if you’re a white-sauce person, go for their fettucine in cheese sauce – it’s marvelous. Top it all off with a side of their buttery garlic bread {INR 99 onwards} and you’re good to go.

Regular customers at Le Plaisir will rave about their amazing desserts and Euro-French food {as they should}, but the pasta dishes are the dark horse of their menu. Pick between farfalle, penne, or spaghetti – the standard favourites – or ask your server for the best sauce-pasta pairing. Their 3 cheese sauce {INR 430} – made with smoked cheddar – is so good, you’ll be licking the bowl clean. If you’re a meat-eater, their lamb bolognese {INR 400} with parmesan and herbs, is one of the best we’ve ever tasted, hands down. If you’re the experimenting kind, try their risotto with saffron and prawns, garnished with crisp slivers of okra {INR 430}; or the risotto with lime, mint, chili, and crispy eggplant garnish {INR 380}.

Incognito is one of those places we feel is seriously underrated as far as their food is concerned. We love the variety on their menu – it makes family dinners so much easier, because there’s something for everyone. As far as their pasta dishes go, you have a choice between penne, spaghetti, fettucine, and fusilli. Pair it with their pepper vodka sauce – a tomato-based sauce infused with chili-pepper flavoured vodka and roasted chili flakes {INR 365} and maybe add some Black Forest ham {INR 110} to kick it up a notch. If you love seafood, you must try their shrimps in tuscan chili oil – with scallions and home-made marinara sauce, best paired with spaghetti {INR 515} for the perfect combination.