Fodor's Expert Review Balcón de Europa

With walls displaying photographs from a century ago, Balcón de Europa transports you to the year of its inception, 1909. Pasta specialties such as the plato mixto (mixed plate with lasagna, tortellini, and ravioli) are so popular that the owners haven't changed much over the years. (Why tamper with success?) French and Mediterranean dishes are on the menu, too—try the blanquette of veal or the couscous. Among the lighter dishes are a scrumptious hearts-of-palm salad and the sautéed corvina. Grab a table away from the door (i.e., from the noise of the nearby bus stop). Old-timers refer to the place as Balcón de Franco; the late, legendary chef Franco Piatti was the restaurant's guiding light for years.