l Gusto might seem like one of the least promising restaurants on the College strip. Smacked on the corner attached to a nondescript block, it is basically an informal Italian restaurant disguised as a French Bistro. With Neo-Palladian windows, raw wooden tables and a minimal bistro décor, luckily, it’s on a bright corner.

Closest Green P Parking Lot to Il Gusto

Like Café Margaux before it, it is still a small space, just 50 seats inside and an extra 50 more on the patio. However, there’s something so personal and passionate about this effort, you really can’t help but be charmed.

The strange but fragrant dishes everybody seems to adore bear little resemblance to the food listed in the menu. Il Gusto’s food tends to be elegant, almost ladylike, with all the sort of seasonality you might expect from a rural joint located a few hundred yards from the best market in Southern Italy, and careful, restrained presentations.