Cori Pastificio Trattoria

Cori Pastificio Trattoria is an aesthetically-pleasing restaurant with some very good Italian food. There are yellow-painted walls with colorful Italian pop art illustrations, hexagon-tiled floors, and hanging light fixtures in the shape of different pastas. The top-notch food centers around traditional Sicilian dishes, so start with an antipasto or two before a pasta course like the lasagna with angus beef and pork bolognese, or gnocchi alla norma. 

The tiny bar area offers a view of the pasta-making process (they even have gluten-free and vegan options), though the restaurant is spacious enough inside or on the covered outdoor patio to accommodate larger parties. It’s the kind of spot that works for either impressing a date or solo dining after you’ve been shopping for books (at Verbatim) and plants (at Pigment) around the neighborhood.