At Pasta Privato, a single serving of lorighittas takes at least 20 minutes to make. The Sardinian pasta, traditionally twisted by hand into a shape resembling a small earring, is rolled into thin strands and folded into rings. Chef Michael Angeloni says it’s the kind of labour-intensive dish the restaurant can only take on because it has just 30 seats.

Opened this spring in Toronto’s Old Town, the intimate Italian restaurant is the latest venture from the team behind Notte Ristorante and The Berczy Tavern. At a time when restaurants are trying to keep up with rising food, labour, and occupancy costs, and diners are thinking harder about where they spend, a restaurant focused on tasting menus and painstaking pasta dishes may not seem like the obvious bet. Restaurants like Pasta Privato, however, are responding to the pressure by making dinner feel less routine and more like an occasion.

At Pasta Privato, a single serving of lorighittas takes at least 20 minutes to make. The Sardinian pasta, traditionally twisted by hand into a shape resembling a small earring, is rolled into thin strands and folded into rings. Chef Michael Angeloni says it’s the kind of labour-intensive dish the restaurant can only take on because it has just 30 seats.

Opened this spring in Toronto’s Old Town, the intimate Italian restaurant is the latest venture from the team behind Notte Ristorante and The Berczy Tavern. At a time when restaurants are trying to keep up with rising food, labour, and occupancy costs, and diners are thinking harder about where they spend, a restaurant focused on tasting menus and painstaking pasta dishes may not seem like the obvious bet. Restaurants like Pasta Privato, however, are responding to the pressure by making dinner feel less routine and more like an occasion.