Where to Eat Italian in Montmartre: Al Caratello for Ravioli, Seafood Linguine and Big Comfort-Food Flavours
Al Caratello sits at 5 Rue Audran in the 18th arrondissement, a few minutes from Abbesses and the steep streets of Montmartre. It has been serving Italian cooking in Paris for around two decades, with a menu built around fresh pasta, ravioli, risotto, seafood linguine, veal, ossobuco and homemade desserts.
This is not a purist regional trattoria where every dish obeys one Italian province. The menu travels widely and often leans into the richer Parisian interpretation of Italian comfort food: gorgonzola, truffle cream, mushrooms, stracciatella, speck and cream sauces appear repeatedly. That could become exhausting, but it also gives Al Caratello a very clear identity. Come hungry and order with some discipline.
Our 2026 dinner was generous, warm and thoroughly satisfying, especially once we stopped looking for textbook Italian orthodoxy and simply followed what the kitchen does best: rich ravioli, properly sauced pasta, shellfish and old-fashioned veal dishes. Montmartre has no shortage of Italian restaurants; Al Caratello succeeds because it feels more like a busy neighbourhood favourite than a place designed for passing tourists.
Arancini al Tartufo Start Rich
The Arancini al Tartufo cost €13, combining rice, mushrooms, gorgonzola and truffle cream.
There is nothing restrained about them.
The crisp exterior gives way to a soft, savoury centre where mushroom and blue cheese carry most of the weight, while truffle adds aroma rather than subtlety.
They are enjoyable, but they also establish an important rule for the rest of dinner: if you start here, do not immediately order the richest ravioli on the menu.
Burrata with Parma Ham Is the Cleaner Opening
The Burrata con Parma costs €17, with cherry tomatoes, rocket and Parma ham.
This is the more balanced choice.
Cool burrata softens the salt of the prosciutto, while tomatoes and rocket add the acidity and bitterness needed to keep the plate moving.
With such a substantial pasta section ahead, simplicity at the beginning pays off.
Stracciatella and Mortadella Make a Stronger Statement
The Stracciatella e Mortadella costs €17, finished with pistachios and rocket.
This combination is richer than the burrata plate but also more distinctive.
Mortadella brings sweetness and spice, stracciatella gives soft dairy richness, pistachio adds texture and rocket stops the whole thing becoming completely indulgent.
One plate for the table is enough.
Ravioli Caratello Are the House Signature
The Ravioli Caratello cost €19, filled with ricotta and spinach and served with gorgonzola, white truffle cream, mushrooms and bresaola.
This is Al Caratello in one dish.
It is creamy, savoury, aromatic and very far from minimalist. Ricotta and spinach provide a mild base, while gorgonzola and mushrooms push the flavour deeper and bresaola adds salt.
The important question is whether the pasta survives all that sauce.
It does, but this is absolutely a dish to order when you are ready for richness rather than restraint.
Ravioli Maria Rosa Have Better Balance
The Ravioli Maria Rosa cost €17.50, with ricotta and basil filling, tomato, cream, pesto, scamorza and speck.
There are plenty of ingredients, but the tomato changes the equation.
Its acidity prevents the dish from becoming as heavy as the truffle-and-gorgonzola combinations, while basil keeps the flavour profile brighter.
If we were ordering ravioli twice, this would be our second plate.
Fusilli Trapanese Are One of the Smartest Pasta Choices
The Fusilli Trapanese cost €15.50, with tomato, mint, pistachio, pine nuts and almonds.
This is one of the least cream-driven dishes on the menu and one of the most interesting.
The combination recalls western Sicilian pesto logic without copying it rigidly: tomato brings freshness, nuts add body and mint gives the sauce a cleaner aromatic edge than basil alone.
After one rich antipasto, this is exactly the kind of pasta that keeps dinner alive.
Rigatoni Caratello Go Back into Full Comfort Mode
The Rigatoni Caratello cost €17, with gorgonzola, white truffle cream, mushrooms and bresaola.
The tube shape makes sense because it holds dense sauce beautifully, but this is another dish where the kitchen is clearly choosing pleasure over subtlety.
Gorgonzola and truffle cream can overwhelm lesser pasta.
Here the rigatoni have enough structure to remain present.
Still, we would not order these after truffle arancini and Ravioli Caratello unless dinner has become a competitive sport.
Carbonara Is Not the Reason to Come
The Rigatoni Carbonara cost €15.50 and include smoked bacon, egg, Parmesan and cream.
That alone tells you this is not the place to come searching for Roman orthodoxy.
Al Caratello has stronger dishes because the restaurant is much more convincing when it embraces its own generous, hybrid style rather than trying to compete with Rome.
The ravioli, Trapanese fusilli and seafood linguine make a much better case.
Linguine alle Vongole Keep the Sea Simple
The Linguine alle Vongole cost €18, with clams, garlic, parsley, white wine and cherry tomatoes.
This is one of the cleaner plates on the card.
Clams provide their own salinity, white wine sharpens the sauce and parsley keeps the finish fresh. Cherry tomato adds sweetness without turning the dish into a red sauce.
After several rich menu descriptions, the restraint is welcome.
Linguine allo Scoglio Are the Full Seafood Order
The Linguine allo Scoglio cost €23, combining prawns, scallops, clams, mussels, garlic, parsley and white wine.
This is the seafood pasta for anyone who wants the whole table to smell of the sea when it arrives.
The challenge is not quantity but timing. Prawns, scallops, mussels and clams all need different treatment, and the pasta should absorb enough shellfish liquor to taste integrated rather than simply topped.
For us, this is one of the stronger reasons to move away from the cream-heavy side of the menu.
Risotto alle Capesante Returns to the Richer House Style
The Risotto alle Capesante costs €19, with scallops, porcini cream and truffle cream.
Scallops bring sweetness, mushrooms provide depth and truffle extends the aroma.
The combination is coherent but unapologetically rich.
This is the risotto to order instead of creamy ravioli, not beside them.
Saltimbocca alla Romana Is the Better Veal Choice
The Saltimbocca alla Romana costs €19, with veal, Parma ham, butter, sage, white wine and pasta.
Compared with some of the restaurant’s more elaborate escalopes, this preparation has clearer logic.
Veal stays at the centre, prosciutto supplies salt, sage brings perfume and white wine keeps the sauce lighter.
The accompanying pasta makes the plate generous enough to function as a full main course.
Ossobuco alla Siciliana Has More Character
The Ossobuco alla Siciliana costs €20, with tomato, onion, carrot, celery and grilled vegetables.
This is a much more straightforward braise.
Ossobuco needs long cooking, enough moisture and the patience to allow connective tissue to turn soft and glossy. Tomato and vegetables give the sauce sweetness and acidity without overwhelming the meat.
It is a better fit for the restaurant than the more heavily sauced beef dishes.
Tagliata Is the Simpler Beef Route
The plain Tagliata with salad, grilled vegetables or fries costs €16.50.
That price makes it one of the most direct meat options on the menu.
The richer versions add gorgonzola, truffle cream or foie gras, but the plain tagliata has the advantage of letting the beef remain recognisable.
After ravioli or risotto, that restraint becomes valuable.
Wine Pairings
Fusilli Trapanese: Morgante Nero d’Avola — bright Sicilian fruit and freshness suit tomato, mint and nuts.
Linguine allo Scoglio: Maculan Brentino Bianco — clean acidity and enough body for shellfish and white wine sauce.
Ossobuco alla Siciliana: Chianti Classico Riserva — firm acidity and savoury structure handle tomato and slow-cooked veal naturally.
The Wine List Has More Depth Than the Casual Room Suggests
The list ranges from simple house wine at €4 a glass to Barbaresco, Brunello, Amarone and even prestige bottles such as Sassicaia.
That breadth is slightly unexpected in a restaurant whose food feels so relaxed.
The smart drinking zone sits in the middle. A good Nero d’Avola, Chianti or Montepulciano makes far more sense with these generous sauces than turning dinner into a trophy-bottle occasion.
Tiramisù Keeps Dessert Sensible
The Tiramisù costs €7, as do panna cotta, chocolate fondant, fruit salad and the limoncello flute.
That is exactly where dessert pricing should sit after a filling pasta meal.
Tiramisù remains the obvious ending because coffee bitterness cuts through the accumulated cream, cheese and meat.
The limoncello flute is the sharper alternative if dinner has already gone very rich.
Montmartre Gives Al Caratello the Right Kind of Energy
Rue Audran is quieter than the most tourist-heavy stretches around Sacré-Cœur, but still close enough to Abbesses to retain the neighbourhood’s evening movement.
Al Caratello suits that position.
The restaurant is compact, informal and designed more around conviviality than polish. Tables feel close, plates are generous and dinner develops a natural buzz once the room fills.
During our 2026 visit, that atmosphere was part of the pleasure. Service felt familiar rather than choreographed, and the meal never became formal despite the long menu and substantial portions.
Service, Atmosphere and Prices
Al Caratello opens Monday to Friday from 18:00 to 22:30, and Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 to 14:30 and 18:00 to 22:30.
The core pricing remains attractive for Montmartre: lasagne €15.50, Fusilli Trapanese €15.50, Ravioli Caratello €19, Linguine alle Vongole €18, Linguine allo Scoglio €23, Saltimbocca €19 and Ossobuco €20.
A meal of burrata (€17), Fusilli Trapanese (€15.50) and tiramisù (€7) comes to €39.50 before drinks, and sharing the starter brings the personal total down further.
Al Caratello is not trying to be refined Italian dining. Its appeal is generosity, warmth and a menu that allows both safe choices and properly indulgent ones.
Useful Information
- Address: 5 Rue Audran, 75018 Paris
- Area: Montmartre / Abbesses
- Cuisine: Italian
- Style: Informal neighbourhood restaurant
- Specialties: Fresh pasta, ravioli, seafood linguine, risotto, veal and ossobuco
- Arancini al Tartufo: €13
- Burrata con Parma: €17
- Ravioli Caratello: €19
- Ravioli Maria Rosa: €17.50
- Fusilli Trapanese: €15.50
- Rigatoni Caratello: €17
- Linguine alle Vongole: €18
- Linguine allo Scoglio: €23
- Risotto alle Capesante: €19
- Saltimbocca alla Romana: €19
- Ossobuco alla Siciliana: €20
- Tagliata: €16.50
- Tiramisù: €7
- House wine: From €4 per glass
- Monday–Friday: 18:00–22:30
- Saturday–Sunday: 12:00–14:30 / 18:00–22:30
- Telephone: +33 1 42 62 24 23
- Best for: Pasta, seafood linguine, generous portions and a relaxed Italian dinner in Montmartre
Our Rating of Al Caratello
Food: 8.9/10
The restaurant succeeds when richness is balanced with the cleaner pasta and seafood dishes.
Antipasti: 8.7/10
Generous and satisfying, though several dishes push heavily towards cheese and truffle.
Ravioli: 9.2/10
This is one of the strongest sections and the clearest expression of the restaurant’s house style.
Pasta: 9/10
Fusilli Trapanese bring much-needed freshness alongside the richer rigatoni.
Seafood Pasta: 9/10
Vongole and scoglio give the menu a cleaner, more precise direction.
Meat: 8.8/10
Saltimbocca and ossobuco are more convincing than the heavily sauced beef options.
Wine: 8.9/10
A surprisingly broad list, with sensible choices available well below the prestige end.
Desserts: 8.7/10
Classic, affordable and appropriately straightforward.
Service: 9/10
Informal, warm and well matched to the restaurant’s neighbourhood character.
Atmosphere: 9/10
Compact, lively and more Montmartre bistro than polished destination restaurant.
Value for Money: 9.2/10
The €15–€23 core of the menu remains very competitive for central Paris.
Overall Rating: 9/10
