L'Ustaria di Giugaton

A small, owner-managed, restaurant where they serve all local, fresh made, traditional recipes. All very good, it's hard to say which dish was better, but the typical pan fried risotto of Pavia was excellent. A peculiar trait is the habit of serving wine in cups instead of glasses: the owner explained that this is a family tradition of hers. Very warm and kind reception and table service.

Typical Pavia trattoria located in the Borgo Ticino district. The menu offers some local dishes on which the "fried risotto" and snails stand out, the choice of wines is excellent with an excellent Bonarda and the inevitable Buttafuoco. The place is warm and welcoming, the service impeccable, but for our Easter Monday lunch was not up to par, especially given the tradition that has always distinguished this place. The appetizer was good overall, the first and second courses average, the desserts a little "anonymous"... the coffee to forget, for a bill that you will rather remember.

I spent an evening that will be difficult to forget, perhaps the best culinary experience I have had in the Pavia area. The restaurant is located just outside Pavia, at the beginning of the countryside and is located inside an old building. I immediately fell in love with this tavern, its wooden furniture, the checkered tablecloths, the menu dictated by voice, it seemed like we were back in the time of our grandparents. We took some mixed appetizers from the house, everything was delicious and homemade, especially the coppa was excellent. First I shared with a friend their sautéed rice cake with bonarda and sausage, one of the restaurant's strong dishes. We were both amazed by the goodness of the dish, very crunchy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. You absolutely can't not try it. For the second course we opted for the pork belly, cooked very well to the point of not making it too fatty on the palate, with spicy tomato jam and chicory: a delight! Finally we concluded the dinner with some sbrisolona with zabaglione, coffee and cherries in alcohol that I hadn't eaten in my life. Speaking of wine: the bonarda, symbol of the Oltrepò, is served in low and wide cups, apparently this was how wine was originally enjoyed in this region, and we found this revival to be ingenious. The bonarda that was recommended to us was fabulous, lively and a little sweet on the palate. Finally, a huge compliment to the staff who contributed to making us have a spectacular and happy evening. Honest value for money. The food and hospitality here are not lacking in quality!