In the heart of Barrio de las Letras there is a pleasant place decorated in red tones and with plenty of Italian essence: Come Prima (Calle Echegaray, 27). It serves delicious fresh pasta dishes, such as the giant ravioli with mushroom sauce or the linguini with amatriciana sauce. Its tiramisu, with a nice amaretto on the side, is another of its strong points.

Mercato Ballaró (Calle Santa Engracia, 24) has only just opened and it is a pleasant restaurant with two floors. The ground floor is more informal and serves smaller servings; the upper floor is for more formal dining. They serve traditional Sicilian cuisine, managed by the owners of another charming Italian restaurant, La Tavernetta (Calle Orellana, 17). If you come here and fancy some fresh pasta, you are going to love the ravioli filled with figs and shallot sauce or the trofie al pesto, made with the mortar and pestle.

If your devotion to fresh pasta is so big that you are ready to go all the way to Alcobendas, Romano Ristorante is the place for you.