The neighborhood spot for us happened to be absolutely excellent- Hosteria Castello. Vibes, food, service, were all impeccable though came with a hefty +10% cover charge! Usually this is 3,4,5,6 EUR per, but wow they really rack that up. I’m not sure it would prohibit me from visiting in the future, but it would definitely have me thinking about what to order and certainly not a special occasion bottle.

Regardless, let’s get on to the food. Bread and fizz. Standard start. I wouldn’t normally eat the bread, but due to the extreme cost, I felt myself forcing it (and regretting it at the end as the actual food was so good).

To start, I enjoyed the tagliatelle with scallops and cherry tomatoes tossed with pistachio pesto. This dish with a “bite-ier” pasta would definitely be a repeat dish.

The standout was the eggplant parmesan which featured no pasta, just layers of creamy eggplant, stretchy cheese, and crunchy corners. It was absolutely incredible and I may have enjoyed it during another meal in the coming days.

If Hosteria Castello can check their cover charge and strict reservation policy (despite many empty tables), I’d definitely recommend this for every visit.