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When travelling to Italy, you’re likely going to enjoy the rich culture, world-class art, dramatic landscapes, and ancient ruins.
And let’s be honest, you’re also going to drink Aperol and eat as much pasta and tiramisu as humanly possible while you’re there.
But if you’re someone who likes to sample authentic, local cuisine, there’s one restaurant feature you should be wary of on your next Italian getaway.
Chefs and local foodies claim there’s a new trend sweeping pasta restaurants across the country, and it’s a dead giveaway that the spot is a ‘tourist trap’.
What is it you should look out for exactly? Pasta windows.
Pasta windows are becoming increasingly common in restaurants across Italy. These are windows facing out into the street, where restaurant staff (mostly women) can be seen making fresh pasta by hand – rolling and shaping the dough, as passersby watch them work.
The trend is often said to have been inspired by the internet’s love of the traditional Italian nonna (grandmother), who passes down culinary wisdom to the next generation.
And while that might sound rather sweet and wholesome, locals aren’t quite so charmed by it.
Michele Pascarella, a chef from Naples, told Metro he would avoid any restaurant with a pasta window, as to him it signifies the place is nothing more than a ‘tourist trap’.
‘I’ve never seen proper restaurants in Italy displaying people in the window making pasta. And if a place does, it’s usually more of a kitschy tourist trap than an authentic restaurant,’ Michele, the owner of Napoli on the Road in London, says.
‘If I saw something like this, I’d probably walk away. I don’t think it’s right to put people on display while they’re doing their job, as if they were part of an attraction.’
What particularly bothers Michele is the way these windows are presented as being very traditional, as he thinks they’re anything but.
‘I wouldn’t call putting workers in shop windows like mannequins a tradition,’ he continues.
‘It’s turning people’s work into a spectacle, and, in my opinion, diminishing the value of both the craft and the people behind it. There’s nothing authentic about that; it’s a tourist trap.’
Michele points out that watching your food being made is no indication that it will actually taste good, and others have argued it’s not a sign of authenticity either.
Sophie Minchilli, the co-founder of Via Rosa Italy, which offers food tours of Rome, told The Washington Post that the focus on fresh pasta in the windows is one of the key issues with them, as it’s ‘wrong’.
This is because Roman cuisine is actually ‘rooted in dry pasta’, not fresh pasta. Many traditional dishes from Southern and Central Italy are meant to be made with dry pasta, including spaghetti alla carbonara, bucatini all’amatriciana, and spaghetti alle vongole.
Of the most popular, only cacio e pepe is usually made with fresh tonnarelli.
Michele’s and Sophie’s sentiments about quality and authenticity are echoed in Tripadvisor and Google reviews for popular restaurants with pasta windows, with many claiming the windows are ‘gimmicks’ and the food is ‘mediocre’ at best.
Osteria Pastella in Florence, which has a huge social media presence and regularly goes viral for its pasta window and the large wheels of cheese that chefs serve pasta out of at the table, is often dubbed a ‘tourist trap’ in reviews, as is Trattoria da Nonna Clara in Lucca, Tuscany, which has a pasta machine in its window.
But the most well-known of all the pasta window spots has to be Osteria Da Fortunata – a chain of restaurants with five locations in Rome, three in Milan, one in Bologna, and even one in Miami, Florida, USA.
In each one of its restaurants, there’s a pasta window, where a ‘nonna’ sits underneath bright spotlights and makes pasta. Clearly, the theatre of it all is working, as people queue down cobbled streets and around piazzas to get a table.
TikToks shared by Americans and Brits proclaim it ‘the best pasta’ in Rome and a ‘must-try’, but many Italians have flooded the comments urging them to go elsewhere.
@tuttiitalian said: ‘I would never ever, as someone who lived in Rome, ever suggest this place to anyone.’
And @josealejandro replied: ‘Tell me you’re a tourist without telling me you’re a tourist. Best food in Rome is across the river in Trastevere.’
Similarly, Anthony Gianfrancesco shared: ‘This is exactly what the definition of a tourist trap is. Mediocre and overpriced food that no local would dare to eat.’
London has its own pasta window
If you’re intrigued by the concept of a pasta window, you don’t have to go all the way to Italy to see one, as there’s one right here in London.
Pasta Evangelists has a pasta window at its restaurant in Richmond, where you can watch pasta being made.
And if you head inside, they also continue this in the restaurant, with a counter where you can watch your takeaway order being prepared in front of you.
For those keen to avoid restaurants that are geared more towards tourists than locals, Michele claims the pasta window isn’t the only ‘sign’ you should keep an eye out for when picking somewhere to eat.
Other common indicators may include menus covered in photos of the dishes, waiters dressed in stereotypical vintage-looking uniforms, pasta served in little copper pans, and the restaurant’s location – especially if it’s in a prime spot next to a major attraction, like the Trevi Fountain or Pantheon.
Michele adds: ‘None of these signs automatically mean the food is bad, but when you see several of them together, there’s a good chance the restaurant is designed more for tourists than for people looking for authentic Italian food.’
As for where to eat instead, if you’re heading to Rome, I have a few suggestions for fab spots, including an authentic pasta place and some incredible pizza. Read all about it here.
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