Santino's Spaghetteria

Tordensskiolds 8 Cuisines: Italian, Pizza

About

The food here is good, but we'd visit just to hear the Italian staff speak Norwegian. This overlooked, inexpensive Italian restaurant lies smack in the center of one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Europe. The decor is postmodern and whimsical -- a hallucinogenic, rainbow-hued interpretation of a carnival setting in Venice, with warm-colored tones of polished stone, a big circular bar, and a tutti-frutti color scheme run amok. Its menu prices attract clients who don't want to spend a fortune on dinner. Launch yourself with an antipasti, perhaps the mussels steamed in white wine laced with garlic, or melon and Parma ham, always a winner. A fresh minestrone is made daily. The mainly homemade pastas are among Oslo's best, with a wide range of tagliatelle, spaghetti, lasagna, penne, and tortellini, along with fusilli and ravioli. The pizzas emerge piping hot from the oven topped with virtually anything. A special treat is the alla Romana pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarella, smoked baby pork, and arugula.

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