Verdi's Italian Kitchen

You'll find Verdi's tucked away on Clarence Road, a five-minute walk from the Clock Tower if you know where you're going. It's the sort of place where the menu reads like someone's actually been to Italy and cooked what they learned, rather than chasing trends. The room's unpretentious—checked tablecloths, warm lighting, the kind of buzzy energy that comes from regulars mixing with couples on date nights. Order the pasta and let them do the talking; everything else follows from there.