Cantina Don Camillo
With restaurant name like Cantina Don Camillo, you might think you’re headed out for Spanish tapas. However, the menu at this simple-but-chic restaurant is actually modern-Swiss-meets-Asian. While it might sound odd, it is also surprisingly refreshing.
In fact, surprise is the key word for this Klein Basel eatery - starting with finding it. Hidden away in a side street and reached by what I am graciously going to call a freight elevator, by the time you’ve sussed out its location Don Camillo’s feels like a Prohibition-era speakeasy.
Fighting back the urge to knock three times and whisper the phrase “dDie Hunde bellen den Mond an,” I entered the high-ceilinged minimalist loft space. Simple, but warm decor makes for a surprisingly friendly feel, but Don Camillo’s real hidden treasure in its outdoor deck. Sitting in the sun at clean-lined wooden table and chairs, overlooking the vaguely industrial view, it has a very relaxed, unstudied “Carrie Bradshaw does lunch” feel.
When you’re done soaking in the atmosphere, the great news is that the food is good, too. With seasonal menu items such as yellow chicken curry, pasta arrabbiatta, and a fish and spinach involtini with caper sauce, you are sure to find something to whet your appetite.
Special Basel Bonus: The food not only tastes good, it looks good too. Dishes are presented with casual sophistication and even a simple mixed green salad is plated with an eye to please.
Cantina Don Camillo
Burgweg 7, 4058 Basel
+41 61 693 05 07
www.cantina-doncamillo.ch
(Closed Sunday and Monday)