Padova Restaurants

This restaurant has been opened by a Mexican family now living in Padova. They are making great efforts to make sure the food represent mexican cooking. They brought original decorations and tried to create the typical atmosphere of Mexico.
The menu has a good selection of food, some spicy and some less. They will be glad to assist you to make a good decision if you are afraid to get a dish that is too spicy. You must ask for a glass of their very special house margaritas which is typical of Mexico. If the food is too hot you can always take a glass of milk.

June 2010 - Unfortunally this restaurant is not owned by the same people anymore. I havent had the change to try it out after the change. Will report soon about it

Favorite Dish: Tacos el pastor and margaritas

The entrance of this Ristorante Pizzeria dont give it justice, it is located in a busy street out of the city center and you cant tell from the outside if the place would be nice or not. BUT once you open the door you are pleasantly surprise!!
The ambience is nice, few tables surrounded by nice decorarion, street lights and plants give you the feeling you are in a outdoor terrace not indoor.
The weiters are very friendly and usefull when you ask them help to make your choice. They serve Pizzas, salads and italian food. Everything is well cooked and presented.
It is Closed on Sunday. It can be hard to find a parking for a car but it is possible to reach it easily from the tram stop Santa Croce or Cavallotti.

Favorite Dish: Even if i tried more than once their restaurant's specialties and i love it alll, I like to come to this place for their pizza. The croust is perfectly raised and all the ingredients are fresh and high quality.
My favourite pizza here is a Margherita with bufala mozzarella, so simple but WOW ... SO GOOD!!!

Pay attention at the "Piatto del giorno" board, Dish of the day, it is a special dish or pizza they are offering beside the ones in the menu.

Folpi in Veneto language means octopus, as the name tells this street vendor is famous for a local specialties, boiled baby octopus. They are served cut in small pieces so it is easy to eat them picking them up with a toothpick.
Along with the boiled octopus they also serve shrimps cake, fried fish, boiled sea snails and other sea food.
It is normal to sit at a table at the nearby Caffe dei Osei, order a drink and then go get some food from the stand but make sure you leave a friend at the table or you will loose as there is often a crowd waiting to get a seat.

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This restaurant is a little hidden from the center of Padova but it is worth the trouble of finding it.
It has three small dining rooms that make it great for a romantic meal as it never get too noisy and crowded.
The owners promote local artists so their walls are always decorated by paintings of various artists and style. There is often jazz music softly played instead of the usual tv sound or radio blast that is unfortunately getting the NORMAL in Italy.
During the summer they have a small inner courtyard with shade so it is possible do dine outdoor.

Favorite Dish: They make an effort to cook traditional veneto dishes and they excell on it.
During our last visit we had spaghetti with clams, bigoli in salsa (mean with a anchovies paste), small octopuss cooked in red sauce with polenta and a seabass fillet with potatoes crust.
Their prices are 7-10 euros for a pasta dish, 10-20 euros for a main course.

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This restaurant was a great find. We went here using a online coupon and we were not expecting much.. we have been blew away!
The location is a well kept villa from the 1700. A horse riding club use the garden and the restaurant has been set in the restored interiour.
The dining room is very well decorated with authentic furniture and lots of details, it has big windows looking out the covered porch where it is possible to eat during the warm season.
The owner and the weitress are very friendly and will help you choose your dish and your wine.
It is a great place for a special celebration.

Favorite Dish: We were four people so we tried to order all different things so to share and taste more.
We had a warm seafood , baked shell of Saint John, spicy clams and mussels as appetizer
Seafood risotto and spaghetti with clams as first course
Mixed grilled fish, grilled king prawns, baked bass with potatoes as main course

we could not find one thing that was wrong! every dish was well prepared, well presented and delicious.

While I don't enjoy giving negative reviews, Caffe Cavour had the most rude customer service we experienced in all of Northern Italy! Padua is a university town with a lot of charm and hospitality... but the waitress we had here (in her 20s with long, dark hair) was loud and obnoxious from the moment she came to our table. Considering the Caffe was pretty empty and no doubt, has been affected by the Recession like many other businesses... I was surprised that poor attitudes like these exist. Note to business owners: customer service is crucial these days so be careful who you hire!

Favorite Dish: N/A

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5 minutes from the tram stop along a small street and a bit hidden away is a fish restaurant that was a surprise to me in that they offered a decent menu of fish cooked Veneto style, and some dishes that the chef has tweaked from his travels around the world.
The decor is filled with art works by various artist in Padova, but not the usual hobby art, but some very special pieces arranged by style in each room. I found it to be very peaceful and not a noisy restaurant.
The young chef and his wife run the hostaria and they try hard to please. Their wine selection is decently priced, even the bread brought to the table was several different types.
Remember that fish restaurants are a bit more costly than pizza or grilled meat places in the Veneto.
I plan to go back soon, when I am in the center. (I live here in Padova)

Favorite Dish: See photos of the choices we had while on our first visit.

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Finding Chinese food in the Veneto area that is not spoiled by the tastes of Northern Italians is difficult to find. Toning down the spices and using vegetables that are not used in China is typical in most Chinese ristoranti;however, La Perla d'Oriene we have happily found not to be typical. The sauces we found to be much like one finds in China, and the spice (piccante) is the same. We were very pleased by the way we received our choices--right out of the wok, instead of from a pot that had been sitting for who knows ... all morning.
The Pearl... is very clean, and the walls have large wooden pictures which they have brought over from China. It all feels like they have taken pride to make a tranquil setting. What is extra nice is that they have a glass floor over the whole restaurant that has Koi swimming peacefully. I am ready to return and try some other dishes.
Parking is free.
It is not expensive.

Favorite Dish: The menu is extensive. We tried Hot and Sour Soup, Shrimp that had a sweet and sour sauce, Chicken with Cashews, and spring rolls. These were excellent.
We also ordered fried won tons, which seemed more oven baked to me. I would not order them again, as I am used to fried with larger pieces of pork inside.
Be sure and ask for the hot sauce on the side if you like that chili oil sauce.
They have a menu in English, too.
Chinese beer.