This Italian pasta place is tucked away in an alley in Zhongshan District
We originally planned to go to the famous pasta spot - Screw Mary
But because it was closed in the afternoon, we tried this Italian restaurant just 30 seconds away
The reviews looked good, so we gave it a try
Vicoli means "alley" in Italian
It perfectly matches the style of this shop
The decor is simple and low-key, and even during non-peak afternoon hours there were quite a few customers,
so business must be decent
The interior has a calm industrial style
The dining space is spacious and comfortable, not crowded
There are tables for 2-4 people as well as bar seating with high chairs
Next to the self-service area there are also children's seats, very family-friendly
Vicoli uses a self-service system, so no 10% service charge
In the self-service area you can freely take toilet paper, plain water, salt, pepper, grated cheese, and Tabasco hot sauce
Small storage baskets are provided next to the seating areas; if you need more, extras are available in the self-service area
The menu offers quite a few options. No service charge here,
and you can get free extra pasta or rice — super generous
On top of that, all dishes can be made vegan, which is great for vegetarians
The main dishes include pasta/stewed rice/pizza, all of which can be upgraded to a set meal for an extra charge
You can also add extra meat for an additional fee～～
There are also some appetizers and desserts to choose from
If you want more variety, they also offer sharing platters for two
Besides the usual tomato/cream/pesto/garlic chili flavors,
they even have salted egg yolk and mala spicy options — super unique
I saw quite a few people ordering the salted egg yolk flavor; might try it next time
This time we added NT$80 for bread and soup — great value
1. Bread: Choose between olive oil & vinegar or garlic
The bread is small soft baguettes. The olive oil & vinegar version is toasted, with a crispy crust and soft interior
Paired with rich extra virgin olive oil and vinegar sauce, the aroma is elevated
The garlic bread is more like regular garlic bread;
thanks to the garlic sauce it's relatively moist and soft,
with garlic evenly spread so every bite has that garlic aroma
Their soups have great online reviews,
Today we chose the creamy mushroom soup — very rich flavor, even better with a bit of pepper
Unlike regular soups, this one also contains croutons to enhance the taste
The key point is... the soup is served hot, so it tastes rich without being heavy
If you like puff pastry, you can upgrade to creamy soup with puff pastry for an extra NT$30
The puff pastry was a bit of a letdown because it wasn't baked very nicely
3. Pesto Vegetable Pasta: NT$205 (extra pasta)
You can choose thin noodles/wide noodles/penne here — impressive
Their pesto is genuinely well made — rich and thick,
with generous portions of ingredients including cauliflower, king oyster mushrooms, and baby corn.
Vegetarian friends can also request a fully vegan version~~
4. Olive Oil Wild Mushroom Cheese Risotto + Baked Cheese: NT$165+45
Their risotto is made with Taiwanese rice, so it leans more toward a local style
But at this price point, it's already quite good
The grains are distinct. Plenty of mushrooms stir-fried with olive oil are well mixed with the rice
Besides mushrooms, cauliflower is added to increase the vegetable content — very healthy
The baked cheese on top is generous, so every bite gets some
The quality of the pasta here is quite good for the price
No wonder there are still many customers even outside peak hours
Vicoli Alley Italian Pasta
Add: 台北市中山區中山北路一段140巷2號
Tel: 02-25637161
Time: 11:30–20:30