To Eat List: where and what to eat in Padua!

Questo articolo è disponibilie anche in: Italian

Our favorite dishes and places to eat in Padua!

Good morning crew!
Are you hunting for an affordable destination to spend a beautiful weekend? Good! I introduce you Padua!

Ok, as you know, I usually show you how and where you can enjoy your stomach, but I have to say that Padua also kidnapped my eyes!

First of all, the Scrovegni Chapel should be visited at least once in life (but you have to book in advance and be super in time). But a stroll through the arcades of the center, through the narrow streets of the old Jewish ghetto, along the “Squares” (Erbe and Frutta), for the magnificent Prato della Valle or the near Botanical Garden on a sunny day, is really lovable and enjoyable. Not to mention that Padua is full of delightful shops: you can take the opportunity to do some healthy shopping and perhaps buy some presents (for Christmas?). And then, above all, in every corner you will find a bar taht can offer to you the authentic spritz at ridiculous prices, especially in Piazza dei Signori, which is the most animated in the evening.

If we say that the cappuccino is illegal after 11 am, in Padua it’s illegal not to drink spritz after 3 pm.

So, strolling and drunk, you just need to find something to eat. If Italy had a capital of street food, that would be Padua. Sandwiches, cicchetti (the equivalent of Padua tapas) and desserts. Here is my ranking of street food that you must try.

The millefeuille of Pasticceria Graziati

Piazza della Frutta, 40

You have to walk for long, really long. And it’s right to start the day with a coffee and the most famous puff pastry filled with curd of Padua. The café is often crowded, but the fast waiters will find you a table. The puff pastry? Well, it’s very good.

Il Caffè Pedrocchi at Pedrocchi

Via VIII Febbraio, 15

A green coffee? Why not. The Pedrocchi Cafe is a delicious espresso macchiato with mint cream and a dusting of cocoa. The building, the “no doors café,” is an institution in Padua. Take the opportunity to visit the Museum of the Renaissance, housed on the main floor or to take home a Pedrocchi Cake, made with chocolate, mint and coffee. Or sample the famous eggnog, loved by Stendhal. A curiosity: the Green Room is open to all, with no obligation to drink, for the will of the founder. In addition, coffee and wi-fi are offered to students.

The Porchetta Sandwich from Bar dei Osei

Piazza della Frutta, 1

A whole roast pig occupies the entire display. And the room inside doesn’t have much more space. This is the old Bar dei Osei. Try a sandwich with roast pork (obviously) and a glass of Prosecco or a spritz. Or both. The pork is salty, spicy… in short, a real drug!

The tramezzini of the Bar Nazionale

Piazza Delle Erbe

It’s said that Turin is the capital of the sandwich (and as daughter of a torinese, I can confirm). But even here, no joke: the bar unmarked (but is just down the steps of the Palazzo della Ragione) offers a wide choice. Pork and peppers, mushrooms, ham, tuna, boiled eggs, radish and fontina, horse steaks and more. The sandwiches are on display in glass cases, made with milk bread and then heated on the plate. Is required to accompany them with a Campari spritz or “a shadow of wine”.

The Sandwiches from Zita

Via Gorizia 12

Love sandwiches and go to Zita is equivalent to having the keys of Paradise. More than a hundred proposals are listed on colored card arranged along all the walls. Meats, cheeses, vegetables, sauces. The ingredients are fresh, genuine and able to satisfy any taste. Maxi size, honest price. Crowded at lunch. But the wait is worth it.

The Cicchetti of All’ombra della Piazza

Via Pietro D’Abano 16

The cicchetti, ie, the Paduan tapas. Call them croutons or whatever you want. The fact is that in this place, near Piazza della Frutta you will be spoiled for choice. As well as excellent gourmet pizzas to tease with quality ingredients. The wine selections embraces natural and organic. Take advice. Crowded on weekends.

The octopuses of Folperia

Piazza della Frutta

It’s a stand where you can eat fresh fish, cooked to perfection, standing or leaning against a corner of the counter. They arrive during the afternoon and leave in the evening. Their main attraction are the octopuses, from the Venetian lagoon: are caught from the pot, and you can choose the amount and size. Then Max, the owner, cuts them and seasons with an excellent green sauce. The cooking is perfect, the taste even more. Guests can choose also from cod croquettes, fried fish and cod fish balls. Like a starred restaurant.

The Orsucci Pizza

Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 18

It’s not the classical pizza. The Orsucci pizza is Orsucci pizza. Maybe because it’s a favorite destination for university students, ior because it’s a tiny place but always full, maybe ’cause it seems to be the homemade pizza .. but it makes you go back when you were 20, the night before exams and afternoons spent on books.

Tip: I noticed that the nightlife in Padua starts early and ends just as soon, except for Piazza dei Signori and around Via Obizzi. So if you are around in the afternoon, take the opportunity to wander between the various street food and wines and spritz, before passing out in your bed.