Chez Bartolo, the oldest pizzeria in Paris open 7 days a week

Here's one of the oldest pizzerias in Paris: Chez Bartolo, an Italian restaurant opened in 1950 in the lively Saint-Germain-des-Près district. This restaurant, which has been given a new lease of life in 2019, opens its doors to you every day of the year, offering delicious pizzas, fresh pasta and grilled octopus. It's the perfect place to relax and enjoy the dolce vita.

Some restaurants have a great history: Chez Bartolo is the oldest pizzeria in Paris, but that doesn't mean it's stayed the same. Lifted and redecorated in 2019, this lively, gourmet restaurant delights us every day of the year.

As soon as you arrive, the dining room is beautifully decorated with lemon trees and a silver fresco. It's almost a shame that the pizza oven, so beautiful but only visible at the far end of the room, is a little hidden.

The menu, with its antipasti, cheeses and cold meats, but above all its pasta, pizzas and secondi platti, is very appealing, just like in Italy. Foccacia cooked over a wood fire, vegetable antipasti, local cheeses, as well as osso bucco cooked at low temperature, veal escalope Milanese style, grilled octopus, black truffle ravioli, red tuna pavé a la plancha - the menu is an anthology of delights!

Your mouth is watering and you want to try everything, but you'll need several visits to explore the menu. We respect Italian tradition and order a plate ofantipasti and vitello tonnato to start. The plates are generous and fortunately, we plan to share.

The pizza and pasta arrive, generous and very well presented. We find the true Neapolitan pizza, with its slightly floury dough and beautiful crust. For us, it's the Diavola (21€) with spicy spianata and the Carbonara with aged pecorino and guanciale (18€).

On the fresh pasta side, we opt for the Ravioles with black truffle. The customers are Italian, and we're (pleasantly) surprised that the waitress responds naturally in Italian. It's at this point that we realize we're in a real Italian restaurant, and it's pleasant.

On the Secondi Platti side, the beautifully presented Grilled Octopus arrives (32€), flambéed in Marsala, accompanied by caponata-style vegetables.

And sweet tooths are in for a treat, with ice cream sundaes, tiramisu, baba pannetone, profiterole and Nutella pizza for the indulgent.

Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, but everything was so good we couldn't stop. Many diners come here just for one dish, and don't go all out; in fact, as a self-respecting pizzeria, Chez Bartolo offers takeaway pizzas, so give them a call if you live in the neighborhood.

In any case, if you're looking for a good trattoria or pizzeria in the Saint-Germain district, whatever day of the year it is, you know the address!