Outstanding Pastas and Regional Rarities are The Stars at Osteria Radisa

By Scott Lynch

Osteria Radisa, which opened right at the beginning of summer on a prime Smith Street corner, is heading into the fall primed to become a true neighborhood favorite.

First off, it’s just a very pleasant place to hang out, eat, drink, and spend time with whomever it is you’re spending time with that night. The restaurant’s interior is earth-toned and cozy, with some cool contemporary touches (love the donkey print); there’s a lushly landscaped outdoor dining situation running down Douglass, and the whole place just exudes that comfortable, family-run-business vibe.

The patio on Douglass (Photo by Scott Lynch)

Actually, two families—both of whom also run Clinton Hill’s popular Aita. The front of the house is the domain of Fernando Trujillo and his partner Althea Codamon, who’s also the beverage director. Radisa arrives by way of executive chef Roberta Aita, his partner Giulia Pellicioni (whose current post is in an osteria in Romagna, from whence she sends chefs to work in her Brooklyn kitchens), and Giulia’s brother Luca, who is also a business partner here.

But you don’t need to know any of that to appreciate the most important reason Osteria Radisa will almost certainly end up on our Best of Brooklyn 2025 list. Namely, and obviously, the food. Especially the pasta, but also kind of everything. Seriously: Radisa rules, and we can’t wait to go back.

The menu changes frequently here, because, as Codamon told BKMAG, “although the dishes are authentic to their Emilia-Romagna roots, and are plated as they’ve been done for generations, we are a contemporary osteria, and utilize nearby greenmarkets and local produce for our ingredients.”

Squash blossoms, $19 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

So the stellar squash blossom starter, stuffed with ricotta and set upon a puree of sundried tomato, probably won’t be available if you go there tonight, but fall things like figs (in the steak tartare) and apples (in the insalata) are now making an appearance up in the “per iniziare” section.

Fritto misto, $21 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

One thing that’s been a staple at Radisa since day one is the fritto misto, and thank god for that, because it’s maybe the best version of this ubiquitous dish that I’ve ever had. Just a nice, big pile of shrimp, scallops, squid, and squash, all lightly breaded, well-seasoned, crisp and snappy, served with a peppy Calabrian chili dipping sauce.

Tagliatelle al ragu bolognese, $26 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

Spoia lorda, $28 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

Pastas take up the largest chunk of the menu and, based on our experience, the more unusual (for Brooklyn) the dish, the better. Emilia-Romagna is home to Bologna, so of course we had to try the tagliatelle al ragu bolognese, and it was decent, but not nearly as good as the spoia lorda. The name translates as “dirty sponge,” so-called because the pasta is sullied with pesto and bottarga before getting tossed with bits of asparagus and tons of tiny Adriatic clams. This is delicious, and a dish I don’t think I’ve ever been offered before, on Smith Street or anywhere else.

Passatelli off-menu special (Photo by Scott Lynch)

Pay attention when your server recites the specials. Our favorite dish of the night was an off-menu passatelli, which I had never tried before our meal, and now can’t wait to eat again. The pasta is made from eggs, parmesan, and breadcrumbs (hence the nubby appearance). It gets thrown together with briny things like capers, then topped with cream and lemon zest, the whole beautiful pile sitting in a shallow pool of broth.

Polipo, $30 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

Seafood dominated the “entree” offerings in high summer, and our polipo, which consisted of a single, well-charred tentacle covered in a thick red pepper sauce, was outstanding. Those fried lamb chops with mint and mustard greens looked really good, too.

Ciambella, $13 (Photo by Scott Lynch)

Dessert was a superb ciambella, or olive oil cake, with lemon curd, strawberry, and a sprig of thyme. Cocktails cost about $18, and most of the wine is priced under twenty bucks for a glass.

“It’s a very neighborhood-driven place, which we love, and [it’s] what we envisioned when we dreamt of opening a restaurant,” said Codamon. “Our heart is in Brooklyn. Roberto and I met in Brooklyn, we fell in love in Brooklyn, and we’re raising our family in Brooklyn. We built Radisa together, and I never get tired of being here.”

Osteria Radisa is located at 241 Smith Street, at the corner of Douglass Street, and is currently open for dinner on Sunday through Thursday from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., on Friday and Saturday from 5:00 to 10:30, and on weekends for brunch from 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.