Osteria Rialto has two locations in Taipei. One is next to Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in the Dongqu area, and the other is on the basement level of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A4 in Xinyi District.

This restaurant isn't just loved by locals in Taiwan—foreigners also highly recommend it. It was featured in The Daily Meal's list of Asia's top 101 restaurants and even earned official recognition from Italy.

The name Osteria Rialto has a very Italian vibe. "Osteria" represents a warm, family-style atmosphere, while "Rialto" comes from Venice's oldest canal bridge.

As an authentic Italian restaurant, we're located in a cozy alley right next to Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. The pedestrian street in the alley is quiet and has a charming foreign vibe. This area is one of Taipei's top spots for international restaurants, with lots of bars and izakayas nearby.

The owner of Osteria Rialto is Taiwanese. In 2019, an Italian head chef took over the restaurant, and since then, all the dishes have become authentic Italian cuisine. This has attracted more customers.

At first, I thought it was just an ordinary bar and restaurant, but after going inside, I realized many people weren't here just to drink—they came here to eat pizza. Plus, most of the customers are whole families.

Osteria Rialto offers a wide variety of alcoholic beverages. The drinks menu itself spans over four or five pages, featuring professional wine pairing suggestions. From aperitivos to after-dinner wines, everything is available.

The dim, warm lighting in the restaurant, combined with elegant European-style decorations, creates a really cozy and stylish atmosphere for dining.

The atmosphere inside is really great. Even if you don't drink, you can come here—it's perfect for family dinners, hanging out with friends, or dates. I also noticed there are quite a few foreigners visiting the place.

The restaurant is really busy, and during weekend nights it's always fully booked. It's a good idea to make a reservation in advance. The environment inside is nice, but when it's crowded, it can get pretty noisy.

The desktop is quite spacious, and the distance between each table isn't too close. The dining environment is very comfortable.

When I first sat down, I was just waiting for the waiter to refill my water, but later I realized they don't serve free water here. Maybe they want customers to order drinks or alcohol instead. I think that's a bit of a letdown because without water, the food can feel pretty dry.

The kitchen is open-concept, with a huge oven inside. All the pizzas are hand-crafted and oven-roasted.

Osteria Rialto focuses on Northern Italian cuisine. The main difference between Northern and Southern Italian dishes is that Northern Italian flavors are milder, while Southern Italian ones tend to be stronger and more savory.

Many of the ingredients here are imported directly from Italy. It's something the chef insists on—preferring to spend a bit more to deliver the most authentic Italian flavor.

Italian Spicy Sausage Pizza (義式辣臘腸披薩)

This pizza costs 460 dollars and is really big. One person definitely can't finish a whole slice. The price-quality ratio is pretty good.

The way they make the pizza is authentic Italian style, so it's really thin and crispy, kind of like a flatbread.

Italian-style spicy sausage pizza topped with our homemade chili sauce.

If you think it's not spicy enough, you can add some chili sauce, but I personally think the pizza itself is already pretty spicy, so you don't really need to add more.

It's topped with lots of cheese and ketchup, so it's very soft and tender, and the flavor is pretty good. I personally prefer the crust to be a bit crunchier, because this pizza feels too soft for me.

This thin-style pizza — whether you prefer it crispy or soft — really depends on personal taste. But since the toppings and sauce are mainly in the center, the edges of the crust tend to be a bit drier and harder to eat.

Seafood Soup (海鮮湯)

This bowl of seafood soup is really big and packed with lots of seafood. It's a great bang for your buck.

The seafood soup has squid, clams, and shrimp. It tastes rich with a strong tomato flavor, really authentic Italian style.

Perilla Leaf, Ham, and Parmesan Cheese Pizza (芝麻葉火腿帕瑪森起司披薩)

I think this pizza is even better than the sausage one. The perilla leaves on top don't taste bitter at all and make it really enjoyable to eat.

There's a lot of perilla leaves, ham, and cheese powder added. The toppings and sauces taste really good, and everything works perfectly together.

It's the same as with a sausage pizza — the middle part tastes the best, but once you get to the outer crust, there's not much sauce left. So it feels a bit dry and hard.

The atmosphere at Osteria Rialto is really great. If someone is celebrating a birthday or if the staff have some free time, they'll grab their guitar and sing a song for everyone.

Sauteed Lamb Chops (嫩煎小羊排)

The portion of lamb chops given is a little small, so it feels a bit pricey, but the taste is pretty good. The lamb chops have no strong sheepy smell, and the meat is very tender.

The lamb chops are cooked to medium – just right, juicy inside when you bite into them. They go really well with the sweet barbecue sauce. The taste is amazing, but they only gave us four small pieces, which isn't enough at all!

Meat Sauce Handmade Noodles (肉醬手桿麵)

Not only is the pizza delicious here, but the pasta is great too. They make their own handmade noodles for it.

The noodles have a coarser texture and are really chewy when you bite into them. I was worried they might be too hard, but actually, they're pretty soft.

The flavor of the tomato meat sauce is really rich, and it's topped with plenty of grated cheese. I think this plate of pasta is really delicious and has no flaws at all.

A single cola (單點的可樂)

You can't refill Cola.

Chocolate Lava Ice Cream Cake (熔岩巧克力冰淇淋蛋糕)

I think this chocolate brownie ice cream cake is a little small in size. You can only take a few bites before it's gone, so it's not very cost-effective.

Above is vanilla ice cream, and below is a freshly baked brownie. The brownie doesn't have walnuts inside, so it goes perfectly with the ice cream. It melts in your mouth and tastes amazing.

The meal was really great, and there were no taste issues at all. The only thing is that the portion was a bit small.