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Leonardo’s Ravioli Bar in De Pijp: affordable pasta from the chef of Toscanini

Een bord ravioli met pasta van Leonardo's Ravioli Bar

You undoubtedly know him from Toscanini; the legendary Italian restaurant in the Jordaan where it’s always good. Getting a table is no easy feat, but there’s good news for anyone who loves sinking their teeth into chef Leonardo Pacenti’s pasta. Leonardo has opened Leonardo’s Ravioli Bar in Amsterdam’s De Pijp.

Foto van culinair journalist Sharon van Lokhorst

door Sharon van Lokhorst

Born out of frustration

“The idea literally came to me at an airport,” Pacenti tells Het Parool. “I was getting incredibly frustrated by the bad, expensive food. Then I thought: why is there nowhere with simple, affordable, but genuinely good pasta?” So he created it himself. No airport, but a cozy ravioli restaurant at Eerste van der Helststraat 80 in Amsterdam.

And yes, it hit the mark right away: ravioli like you only get in Italy. Or like recently at Crips. Toscanini made the handmade ravioli with brasato al barolo (beef stew) for them. I tried pretending at home that I had made it myself, but my housemates weren’t fooled. It was simply too delicious for that (and thank you). Well, it makes sense. Pacenti’s ravioli has wafer-thin dough, and his homemade filling is soothingly soft.

The menu: five ravioli and a gnocchi

Back to Leonardo’s Ravioli Bar. The menu is nicely straightforward. Alongside a few chiccetti (Venetian bread rolls), stuzziccini (small bites to start with) and dolci, it mainly revolves around five different ravioli (and one stuffed gnocchi), all based on the season. Expect classics such as pumpkin with butter sauce, as well as exciting specials that change every two months. And we haven’t even mentioned the Surinamese ravioli with salt cod and Madame Jeanette (!). A collaboration with the chefs of Amsterdam restaurants Scheepskameel and Lastage.

Pasta the way it should be

Pacenti makes everything from scratch in his own pasta factory (yes, really): Pastahuis Pacenti in IJmuiden. No semi-finished products. But pumpkin chopped with love, meat simmered for hours and dough made from 100% durum wheat (semolina) that is perfectly balanced with the filling. Pro tip: 55% filling, 45% dough = magic.

Italian snack bar 2.0

The atmosphere? Italian with a touch of street credibility. Think: sleek tables, open kitchen, marble bar and a waitress with a nonchalant ponytail. Sprezzatura in its purest form. In other words: the effortless sense of style known only to Italians. “It’s basically just a refined Italian snack bar,” says Pacenti. For a few tens of euros, you can eat here as if you were sitting at a bar in Bologna – with a good glass of wine, of course.

A wine list with character

Pacenti put the wine list together himself. Orange wine from the small region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia? Check. Chianti from stately Tuscany? Absolutely. Grillo from warm and rugged Sicily? Si! And you should definitely order the latter, because in my opinion it’s a fantastic summer wine. Everything was chosen with care, because if you’re eating such a divine plate of ravioli, you don’t want a weak, easy-drinking wine alongside it.

This is comfort food at its best

A portion consists of five ravioli – perfect for sharing (or not). Feel free to linger, order everything on the menu and discover how every bite tells a story. Leonardo’s story, for example: half-Italian, raised in South Africa, where cooking with whatever you have was standard practice. And where he learned at a young age: tradition doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to play with your food. Seen in that light, the choice of a Surinamese filling makes perfect sense.

The terrace of Leonardo’s Ravioli Bar in Amsterdam — Close your eyes and imagine yourself in Italy…

FavorFlav’s verdict?

We can’t wait to sit down here again. This isn’t a pasta bar; it’s an ode to ravioli, packaged as Italian easy dining with Amsterdam flair. Perfect for a quick bite or a long evening. Highly recommended.