A new restaurant has recently opened in Trieste’s commercial district on Via Macchiavelli. This area, which until recently had been a little depressed and filled primarily with commercial offices and dollar stores, is seeing a resurgence with a crop of new bars and restaurants to match the increasing  residential renovation projects of the district.

PaPi is unusual in that it has a non-stop kitchen open from 8 am to 10:30 pm to accomodate both those whose work hours do not follow conventional meal breaks and out-of-towners looking for a meal between stops. This makes sense in an area anchored by companies like Generali, RAI and administrative offices.

PaPi’s chef is from Gorizia and the menu features a taste of local foods and food traditions. There is something for everyone; to start there are beautiful platters of crudi of fish, and rich, hand cut and seasoned steak tartar as well as charcuterie boards. To follow, I recommend a wonderful dish of tagliolini with big sweet chunks of lobster, or a local classic, grilled gnocchi with vegetables, in addition to seasonal pasta dishes as well. Then there are a variety of fish and meat selections– my friend ordered a tomahawk steak that was amazing and cooked to perfection.

The quality of the food at PaPi is top notch and the menu is varied and creative, and, if that weren’t enough, the prices are more than reasonable.

It’s certainly nice to see this restaurant open up here and give us all a reason to walk a few blocks further than our usual comfort zone to rediscover the newly renewed area between Ponte Rosso and the train station.

PaPi
Via Niccolò Machiavelli, 24, Trieste
Tel. 040 989 9282