Here, you really are in paradise and not only because it is the toponym of the small town, Borgo Paradiso.
The name of the restaurant actually derives from having been over the years the “hunting paradise” of the noble estates, in particular the seventeenth-century Villa Caratti-Fraccaroli, which surround it thanks to its fortunate position in the heart of the resurgence area immersed in one of the most evocative landscapes of the Friulian countryside.

Its story begins in the 1960s when, near the villa, the Ostarie al Paradis opened where a young and capable waitress, Anna Maria Mauro, happened to work there. Together with her husband Aurelio Cengarle, in 1972 she realized her dream of taking over the business and thus Trattoria Al Paradiso was born. Today the couple manages it together with their daughter Federica, who is also passionate about good food, wine and local traditions.

We wish to pass on the best of our territory: the products, the traditions, the art and the sense of hospitality, to make you truly feel in paradise.

(Cengarle Family)

The restaurant revisits and offers all the flavors and aromas of the gastronomic wisdom of an area rich in history and naturalistically unique. A culinary art refined by Mrs. Anna Maria thanks to her passion for history and botany – her knowledge of every edible herb or flower in the area with which she creates wonders is legendary – and to special mentors.

In delving into the ancient secrets of Friulian gastronomy, Anna Maria has, in fact, met two masters: Rosàlie, a famous cook of the ancient Friulian nobility, and former student of the French chefs of the tsars; and Gianni Cosetti, the great patron of the Roma hotel and restaurant in Tolmezzo.

Today Anna Maria takes care of her guests and the kitchen is entrusted to the young chef Loris Plazzotta who with his touch adds lightness and contemporaneity to traditional recipes.

The raw materials used are completely particular. The gentle lands of Paradiso, the sinuous waters of the Stella and the fresh springs of the resurgences offer, in fact, an abundance of fragrant spontaneous herbs, fleshy mushrooms, colored berries and exotic roots, asparagus and precious truffles. The offer of free-range court animals, genuine feathered and furred game, exquisite freshwater and lagoon fish is also rich and unique.

You can start with the appetizer L’oro del Friuli which is the interpretation of “Toc in Braide” with Three types from Montasio cheese, soft polenta from Molino Zoratto and “Cincuantin” corn chips from Arca Slow-Food, and then continue with delicious first courses such as the Wild garlic risotto, mallard stew and saffron sauce or the Cjalsons with wild herbs with smoked ricotta cream and “morcje” (corn flour toasted in hazelnut butter).

The second courses are a real marvel, where game is never missing, such as wild mallard breast, served with its stock, agretti and smoked purée or the much loved “Brace di Aurelio”, a selection of grilled meats from small farms.

The wine cellar is excellent, followed in particular by Federica, who aspires to be the highest qualitative synthesis of Friuli Venezia Giulia.

The Trattoria, whose historical heart dates back to the 16th century, winds from the entrance with the typical counter of the taverns of the past through various rooms, among which the central one stands out, characterized by a large fireplace and a wall covered with ancient copper pots.

Here, every detail really makes you dream: from the traditional clothes worn by the staff which take us back to the flavor of the ancient Borgo Paradiso village to the many objects which decorate the rooms such as the ancient recipe books, the collection of ducks of every shape and material and the embroidered tablecloths.

In winter, ask for the wonderful table for two in front of the decorated majolica stube, while in summer the external courtyard is transformed into a green lounge between white curtains, flowers and candles lit in the shade of the ancient barn.

A restaurant that is worth a trip and the thought that such places should be “protected” as museums not only because they are irreplicable, but as they are bulwarks of centuries of food and wine history of a people.

The Secret

The wonderful fresh flowers are one of the characteristics of the Trattoria. Mrs. Anna Maria brings them every day directly from her garden which she cultivates, as a great lover of plants and botany, just to be able to decorate her restaurant.

Useful Info

Trattoria al Paradiso
Via S. Ermacora 1
33050 Paradiso, Udine
Tel. +39 0432 777000

Starters: from 14 euro
First courses: from 15 euro
Second courses: from 18 euro
Tasting menus: from 69 euro wine excluded