There are a whole bunch of Italian restaurants in Paris, but few good ‘n’ tasty ones. So what’s the Altro like?

After having read lots of articles about this restaurant, situated in a busy shopping street in Saint Germain (6th arrondissement), we wanted to go see, and taste… and we didn’t regret it! We decided to go there for lunch, and reserved a table as we’d been advised that the place is small and always packed. Although we should have been there at 1pm we were twenty minutes late, and convinced that the table would have been given to someone else. However we were pleasantly surprised to find that the table was still waiting for us, despite the crowds, and our host welcomed us with a big smile and charming Italian accent. The first thing that struck us was the wonderful smells that immediately seduced us; herbs, spices, the garlic, the grill…

The decoration is fairly minimalist with some almost industrial details (the clock, the lights). Black and white are used extensively, with the colour and warmth coming from the kitchen situated behind a huge sheet of glass which allows you to see the dishes being prepared.

As a first course, I had the raw tuna on a bed of fennel.

Then we decided to continue with pasta. Linguine with seafood for my partner

linguine with garlic, chillies and olive oil for me (the people at the next table were tucking into their penne with creamy pea sauce and slivers of fried ham with gusto!).

It was quite a quiet meal, as we were engrossed by the subtle flavours of the pasta (would you believe it?). The seafood linguine cooked in stock, the garlic of my linguine caramelised to perfection… We can’t wait to go back and try out the other dishes!!!

To refresh our palates, we chose an arancia (orange) carpaccio for desert, not daring to try the tiramisu for fear of being unable to get back to the office without dosing off…

The wine list is varied, with a wide price range.

Service is careful and cheerful, never clumsy. And the bill doesn’t arrive as soon as you have ordered your coffee, which makes an agreeable change.

Around the time of the aperitif, different sorts of tapas are available for 4-6 euros, such as squid in its ink…

Expect to pay around 50 euros each in the evening, including wine. At midday there’s a fixed menu at 17 euros.

Our favourite table? N° 24, upstairs, near the window.

All in all, the Altro deserves all the good things people say about it!

L’Altro
6 rue du Dragon, 75006 Paris
Tel : +33 1 45 48 49 49