Trattoria pastini is located on the corner of the Keizersgracht and the Leidsegracht, about 5 minutes from the Leidseplein. It’s a small restaurant, with a capacity of about 30 people. The interior is classic Italian. I hear people behind me conversating about how beautiful the view is when you have a window seat. I can only agree because you have a nice view over the canals.
The atmosphere is relaxed; you don’t have to raise your voice, the waiters are helpfull and you have all the time to order. The menu is small but really good. Trattoria Pastini has flavors from all around Italy. When you order your glass of Italian wine or just a beer they serve fresh baked buns from the oven with butter which is soft and not ‘refrigerator’ hard.
For a primi piatti you can choose tagliatelle agnello, linguine pollo, risotto capra and crespelle capra. The last one was my choice this evening. The crespella, a sort of lasagna, is fresh and full of taste. For the secondi piatti you can choose, amongst other dishes, from bistecca tonno and the classic saltimbocca. I chose the saltimbocca which was very tender and the rucola and parmiggiano tasted really fresh. For dessert I took the cheesecake which was very light for a cheesecake, but really good.
When I went to the toilet I discovered something less nice; the toilets are really warm and the salad bar (not the rucola but tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce etc.) was positioned across the toilet with no cover. Not realy hygienic.
Besides that, Trattoria Pastini is a great place with excellent fresh authentic Italian food. This place is worth the visit.
