Pesto Restaurant in Utrecht

At Pesto in Utrecht, you can join the aperitivo for small bites. Afterwards, you can add a delicious Italian dinner.  

Pesto is located on Veilinghavenkade, just a stone’s throw from the Jaarbeurs. That means two things: a sunny terrace and a diverse crowd. Upon entering, we see remote workers, prams from the neighbourhood and Friday afternoon drinkers. The interior is fresh, with both low and high seating areas. We are warmly welcomed by the Italian manager. That promises a lot. We actually expected as much, since the restaurant is owned by the owners of De Ontdekking, a successful daytime restaurant in the city centre.

Getting started

We come here with one goal: the aperitivo. This Italian tradition means that at the end of the afternoon, you can help yourself to all kinds of small bites from the bar. At Pesto, you can do so every day between 16:30 and 18:30 for €5. We order a glass of (Italian) wine and fill our plates with focaccia, homemade pesto, olives, mortadella and salad. We also see huge sharing boards passing by, so if you miss the aperitivo, this will be a good option.

And as often happens, the drinks turned into dinner. We opted for scallops with pancetta crumble and saffron sauce, gnocchi with zucchini and sage butter, and guinea fowl with gravy and sweet potato. And it turned out to be a good choice, because we finished every last bite on our plates. We are already looking forward to the first sunny days, because we would love to return to toast and dine on the terrace.

Pesto
Veilinghavenkade 59
Open: Tuesday to Saturday from 09:00 to 23:00.
Sunday from 09:00 to 17:00.