Parisians—including the over 53,000 Italians living in the city—love their Italian food. So, if you have a craving when you're visiting the "City of Light," just know there are plenty of good options available. That said, we have chosen two of our favorites to share with you.
Na Ruga
Ironically, two native Parisian brothers have opened one of the best Italian restaurants in the Marais district. Johann and Laurent Tibi opened Na Ruga, which means "little street" in Calabrese, in July of 2021, focusing on preparing cuisine from southern Italy, particularly Naples, Calabria, Puglia and Sicily. To make the restaurant truly authentic, all ingredients are sourced from Italy, and the head chef and pizza-maker are also Italian.
Located on a narrow side street near the Place de la Bastille, Na Ruga has a rugged, wood-paneled exterior, while the intimate dining area seats 22 people. Last week, we had lunch at Na Ruga, and Johann warmly greeted us and enthusiastically shared the simple concept of the restaurant and menu.
Our starter was a unique dish, Nouovo. Johann explained that it’s a glass filled with an egg yolk on the bottom, raw ham bits on the next layer, then grated parmesan, topped by a bunch of mint leaves. Once the dish was set on the table, he lit a flame under the glass, and told us to wait about five minutes for the egg to cook until it was ready to eat. For our main course, the Candele Gragnano alla Genovese is made with Candele pasta, one of the best pastas in Italy, with a sauce of slow-cooked slivers of veal and pork and red onions in a light cream. We couldn’t leave without trying the pizza, and our thick crusted Parma pie topped with fresh mozzarella, Parma ham aged 12 months, arugula, and cherry tomatoes was superb.
Tip: If you are a Jim Morrison fan, he died just across the street at 17 rue Beautreillis
Na Ruga in open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. Visit www.naruga.ft.restaurant.
Oxmore
We have tried many pizza restaurants in Paris over the years and, hands down, Oxymore is the best.
Like Na Ruga, the owners of Oxymore are French, but proudly use only top-notch French ingredients; most of them are locally sourced, including beef from Aubriac region and crème fraiche from Issingny region.
Our go-to pizza is the Albertine, topped with tomatoes, air-cured beef from the Alps, brebis Cantal cheese (made with sheep’s milk), Comte cheese aged 18 months, hazelnuts and basil. The rest of the extensive pizza menu includes mushroom-based and crème fraiche-based pies, plus a selection of vegetarian pies without cheese. Other menu items include main course vegetarian, seafood and meat salads and charcuterie boards.
Oxymore has one of the best lunch deals in Paris: A choice of either pizza, main course salad or charcuterie board and dessert or coffee for only €16.5, served only Monday to Friday.
Tip: Just down the street from Oxymore is the popular Ateliers des Lumieres laser art show, and this season is featuring Chagall, Paris-New York and Paul Klee-Painting Music.
Oxymore is so overwhelmingly popular, they have two locations on the same street: 48bis and 60 rue Saint Maur. Visit www.oxymore-restaurant.com.
Related Stories
On Location Unveils Travel Packages for Paris Olympics 2024
Two Delightful Bakery Cafés in Paris