Toronto’s best house-made pastas
Factory-made linguine and penne just don’t cut it anymore. These days, it’s all about making it in‑house. The silky ribbons and plump pockets chefs are crafting from flour, egg and a little elbow grease are ridiculously good. We slurped our way through the city to find the top five.
1. Buca’s duck bigoli
Hand-cranked duck egg noodles are coated in a sublime ragú of soffritto, tomato, duck legs and giblets, then swirled into a towering nest rivalling Marge Simpson’s beehive. With mascarpone and basil, it’s nothing less than pasta perfection. $19. 604 King St. W., 416-865-1600.
2. Mistura’s chitarroni all’astaco
Venice meets the Maritimes in this concoction of guitar wire–cut spaghetti, sweet chunks of lobster meat, melting leeks and tomato concassée. A plate-licking emulsion of briny butter zinged with a hint of ginger cranks the volume to 11. $22 or $36. 265 Davenport Rd., 416-515-0009.
3. Tutti Matti’s pinci alla boscaiola
The chewy, foot-long pinci noodles have been a staple since Tutti Matti opened in 2002. This dish bathes them in a sauce of red wine, porcini and cinnamon-scented Tamworth pork sausage. $22. 364 Adelaide St. W., 416-597-8839.
4. Zucca’s beet casonsei
The dark purple filling of roasted beets and smoked ricotta glows through the gossamer pasta in these glorious half moons that are napped in a poppy seed–butter sauce. $22. 2150 Yonge St., 416-488-5774.
5. Enoteca Sociale’s squash ravioli
Simplicity reigns in these autumnal packets filled with butternut squash and parmigiano. They’re topped with crisp sage leaves and browned butter sharpened with a pinprick of lemon juice. $14. 1288 Dundas St. W., 416-534-1200.
(Illustration: Jack Dylan)
){kind=link}
No Romagna-Mia?
CHECK IY OUT THEY TORONTO LIFE RATE TUTTI MATTI 1 AND HALF STARS BUT SAY THE HAVE THE BEST PASTA ??? WHATS WITH THAT
FOR THE RECORD TUTTI MATTI IS ONE OF THE BEST AUTHENTIC ITALIAN RESTAURANTS IN TORONTO !!!!!
ENJOY
A top 5 list for best fresh pasta without Romagna Mia. Someone neglected to do their homework.
Beth Thank you for agreeing with me, I think there gnoochi is one of the best also in the city. Well what can we do just enjoy.
How could Buca not have a website? Makes it hard to scope out the menu, which most folks do now.
No website for Buca? Darn! I love testing out and reading about different kinds of whole grain pastas and even bought my own pasta maker to use! We love cooking and baking with Kamut Wheat and i really want to try and make my own noodles. I have heard, like you said, there’s nothing like fresh homemade pasta!
I third the sentiment about Romagna Mia. Best fresh pasta in the city as far as I’m concerned.
Really, I beleived that Romagna-Mia is by far the best pasta place in TO. Have you ever been there. Man, the lasagna… is to die for.
I agree with Michael. Tutti Matti consistently tops my list of true Tuscan cooking. Yet continually scores average in the rating on Toronto Life. Here it is again, amongst the top Italian restaurant pastas of the city. You should really reconsider your scores.
Tutti matti – the stars probably reflect the service. We had delicious food when we went there but the service was another matter.