Shaded patio with wooden tables set with plates, napkins and glasses under a white pergola, surrounded by trees and tropical plants

Battubelin: Homemade Pasta, Wood-Fired Pizza and a Taste of Genoa on 79th Street

A few blocks west of Shoe Gallery on 79th Street, just east of Biscayne Boulevard, Battubelin is a modern rustic Italian restaurant with real roots in Genoa. Homemade pasta, wood-fired pizza and a team that wants you to feel at home. This is the kind of spot you try once and then start calling your regular.

First Impressions & Vibe

The look is rustic on purpose: wooden tables and an easy, no-fuss setup. Inside, candlelit tables sit in front of shelves stacked with wine, and there is a covered outdoor patio shaded by trees, which is the move on a nice Miami night.

And the name? On a 2025 episode of PBS's Check Please! South Florida, Giulio Polidori explained that Battubelin, said politely, means "I don't care." The idea is that once you sit down, you forget about the problems waiting outside and just enjoy the night.

Ribbon pasta in a meat and tomato sauce, topped with grated cheese and a parsley sprig, in a wide white bowl on a dark table

What to Order

Everything is made from scratch, and the pasta is handmade. You choose the shape (spaghetti, bucatini, paccheri, fettuccine and more) and pair it with a sauce. Classics like carbonara, amatriciana, cacio e pepe and gricia sit next to pesto, vongole with local clams and a black truffle sauce. There are also spinach and ricotta ravioli and gnocchi.

Pizza comes out of a wood-burning oven in three styles: Neapolitan with a raised cornicione crust, thin-crust Roman, and pinsa with a 72-hour leavening. Giulio says most of the menu follows recipes from Genoa, so look for the Ligure pizza with anchovies and taggiasca olives, a focaccia filled with creamy stracchino cheese, and farinata, a thin, gluten-free crust made with chickpea flour.

When the Check Please! panelists visited, their tables tried the bocconcini (pizza bites made with the same dough as the pizza), the veal Milanese, lamb chops and a dessert spread of panna cotta, tiramisu and crème brûlée. On the wine side, one panelist praised the selection of DOC wines from Italy, and another enjoyed a Super Tuscan.

Candlelit table set with plates, napkins and upturned glasses in front of dark wooden shelves lined with wine bottles

The People Behind It

Giulio Polidori, who spoke for Battubelin on the show, is Italian and comes from Genoa in Liguria. He described the idea simply: make everything from scratch and make people comfortable, like they are at home. The panel called it authentic and family friendly, and noted that a lot of the staff are from Italy.

Know Before You Go

  • Address: 749 NE 79th Street, Miami, FL 33138
  • Menu and reservations: Battubelin website
  • Getting there: Directions to Battubelin
  • Good to know: There is a happy hour every day, and the team hosts birthdays, corporate events and private dinners.

Make it a full day: pick up something fresh at Shoe Gallery, a few blocks east at 1060 NE 79th Street, then settle in at Battubelin for pasta and a glass of wine.

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