Secondi · Paris 11
Polpette in Paris: Italian meatballs
At Impronta, on the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, polpette come as a main, the Polpette di Manzo at €19, or on a pizza, the Polpette at €18, one of our most ordered.
Our polpette, two ways
The Polpette di Manzo: beef meatballs seasoned with parmesan, a homemade tomato sauce with a light touch of harissa, pan-fried baby potatoes. Italy and Morocco on one plate, as so often in Amale’s cooking.
The Polpette pizza: tomato sauce, fior di latte, homemade polpette seasoned the chef’s way, and stracciatella.
- Polpette di Manzo€19Italian-style beef meatballs seasoned with parmesan, pan-fried baby potatoes, homemade tomato sauce with a light touch of harissa.
- Polpettebest-seller€18Tomato sauce, fior di latte, homemade polpette (meatballs) seasoned the chef’s way, stracciatella.
What polpette are
Balls of minced meat, bound with egg, cheese and bread. Pellegrino Artusi, in La scienza in cucina, first published in 1891, opens his recipe by saying everyone knows how to make them, “starting with the donkey”. His are made with leftover boiled beef, ham, parmesan, raisins and pine nuts, egg-sized and flattened, fried, then finished in the pan (La scienza in cucina).
Every region has its own. Italy’s list of traditional products includes Abruzzo’s pallotte cace e ove, with cheese and egg, and Calabria’s aubergine polpette (Italian Ministry of Agriculture).
Spaghetti and meatballs, an American recipe
In Italy you will not find “spaghetti and meatballs”. Polpette are eaten on their own, as a main. The pairing with spaghetti was born in the United States among Italian immigrants, mostly from the South, between 1880 and 1920: better off than back home, they put more meat and less bread into meatballs that grew huge and went on top of pasta (Smithsonian Magazine).
In Italy they are often golf-ball size, and marble-size in Abruzzo.
Polpette myths
“Spaghetti and meatballs is an Italian classic”
It is Italian-American: in Italy, polpette are served on their own.“Polpette are big and simmered in tomato”
Artusi’s are egg-sized, flattened and fried, finished with an egg and lemon sauce.“They are made with raw mince”
Artusi’s base is leftover boiled beef. He allows raw meat “more simply”.“There is only one recipe”
Every region has its own, down to Calabria’s meat-free aubergine polpette.
Visit us
Find us & book
On the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, a short walk from Faidherbe-Chaligny metro station.
Getting here from Nation, Faidherbe or ReuillyAddress
273 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine
75011 Paris
Opening hours
- Closed on Tuesdays
- Monday, Wednesday to Sunday: 12-2:30pm and 7-10:30pm
FAQ
Before you come
Where can I eat polpette in Paris?
At Impronta, an Italian restaurant in the 11th arrondissement, 273 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, near Faidherbe-Chaligny metro: the Polpette di Manzo as a main, or the Polpette pizza.
How much are the polpette at Impronta?
€19 for the Polpette di Manzo, €18 for the Polpette pizza.
What meat are Impronta’s polpette made with?
The Polpette di Manzo are beef, seasoned with parmesan.
Are the polpette served with spaghetti?
No, as in Italy: as a main with baby potatoes and a harissa tomato sauce, or on a pizza.
A table for tonight, or for Sunday lunch
Fresh pasta made by hand and pizzas from the Neapolitan oven, on the Faubourg Saint-Antoine.