Locanda by Buona Terra: Homely, casual Italian restaurant in Little India opened by a Michelin-starred team

If you’re an Italian food aficionado, you’re probably used to tucking into your risottos and twirling your pastas in one of the many chic restaurants scattered throughout Singapore’s CBD.

Italian food is the most hotly a la mode style of cuisine in Singapore, after all, and its vogue status translates to restaurateurs pushing out swankier — sometimes more opulent — concepts in a bid to trump the competition.

Alas, that usually also comes with a premium.

So it was a breath of fresh air to see the new Locanda by Buona Terra opening in a nondescript little space in Little India, far away from the buzz and bustle.

Opened on July 26, Locanda is the newest casual concept by the team heading up Buona Terra, a Italian restaurant located along Scotts Road.

Buona Terra is not just any Italian restaurant, though. It’s a Michelin-starred establishment that has held onto the accolade since it was first awarded in 2019.

Unlike the latter, the Little India hideaway is a lot less flash and pizzazz — the essence of the concept is distilled into the name “Locanda”, a term that historically refers to cosy taverns situated on the outskirts of the cities.

That also explains the choice of location in an area that rarely sees many upscale restaurants.

And just like its name suggests, Locanda’s decor is rustic and unpretentious. The space is slicked in understated earth tones, while wooden accents and exposed brick walls are reminiscent of the idyllic Italian countryside.

That homely, hospitable ambience is then bolstered by a carefully crafted menu devised by Buona Terra’s very own chef Denis Lucchi.

The team is bent on bringing their most cherished, homeliest Italian flavours to guests, without burning a hole in your wallet, as the best Italian cuisine in our city tends to do nowadays.

An Michelin-starred restaurant venturing into a casual Italian trattoria setting? Definitely evokes intrigue.

Locanda’s hearty pastas

While pizza is the Italian dish that dominated conversation in 2024, pasta is probably still the staple that most would favour on a nice date night.

If you’re a pasta enthusiast, Locanda’s menu would inadvertently draw you in — it boasts seven different varieties and all of them are priced under S$30.

A favourite was the pappardelle ragu genovese with mixed mushrooms (S$24), featuring ribbons of al dente handmade pasta sheets blanketed by a layer of silky ragu.

As with most well-cooked ragu, Locanda’s is gratifyingly luscious, while the mix of wine and porcini inject a fragrant touch of earthy complexity and acidity to soften the heft of its beefy flavours.

In cases where beef doesn’t pique your interest, Locanda’s malloreddus with red wine octopus ragu and capers (S$28) might be a charming seafood alternative. 

The more interesting aspect of this dish is probably the malloreddus, a Sardinian pasta staple not commonly seen, even in Singapore’s best Italian restaurants.

The pasta comes with a nice bite and provides snug little crannies for the sauce to slip into — perfect sauce retention for those juicy bites.

Besides the octopus, seafood is also a prominent feature on Locanda’s pasta menu, which contains items such as the piquant tagliolini with fresh tomato, crab and lemon (S$28) and linguine with clams and bottarga (S$28).

However, for parties where the whole table enjoys fresh seafood and tangy tomato sauce, there’s also an option under the large servings section for the spaghetti ai frutti di mare (S$118, serves up to four pax).

Unlike the other pastas, it’s served in a hulking dish, laden up with pasta and a plethora of fresh seafood ranging from lobster to clams. 

Fresh, plump seafood cooked to perfection and a heaping of spaghetti enrobed in a tangy red sauce? That’s that classic Italian heartiness right there.

Luxurious Italian pleasures

Of course, Locanda doesn’t confine itself to just pasta — the menu also cycles through other classic Italian pleasures you’d find at any other trattoria.

But unlike your usual trattoria, the bruschetta is given a fun little twist here, as the usual grilled bread is swapped out for chef Denis’ signature onion focaccia and what he has christened “bruscaccia”. 

A natural crowd-pleaser would be the sweet-and-savoury ensemble of Casera cheese, lardo, hazelnuts, truffle, honey (S$18), but the earthy scamorza, black pepper and grilled zucchini ($18) is a decent alternative for vegetarians.

Should pasta and antipasti not be enough to fill you up, Locanda also offers up an array of meatier mains, including the wagyu hanging tender tagliata, rucola and parmesan (S$42) and secreto iberico pork, braised endive, apple (S$39).

In particular, the latter is plush and succulent with a nice bit of fattiness to it, while the sharp sauce cuts through the fattiness.

After you’re done with the mains, the Locanda menu also sets you up with a gamut of beloved Italian sweets ranging from homemade tiramisu (S$15) to Sicillian cannolo (S$15).

The restaurant also churns out some good ice cream, if you’re more into that. Rotating flavours means the gelati and sorbetti (S$9) aren’t necessarily set in stone, but we tried the ultra refreshing orange sorbet and found it a great way to end the meal.

But if you’re a huge pistachio lover, the silky and remarkably fragrant pistachio gelato (S$15) is probably something worth making a beeline for.

Overall, Locanda delivers the experience it promises — solid cooking, hearty flavours and that signature homely Italian hospitality. More importantly, it does that without a huge toll on the budget.

Pastas under S$30 for a restaurant opened by an experienced, Michelin-starred team? We’d take that as a win for the local dining scene.

For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on where to find the jinjja tastiest Korean food in Singapore and the first Singapore outlet of one of the most famous warabimochi brands from Osaka.

Do explore the new GrabFood Dine Out service for awesome deals.

You can also book a ride to Locanda by Buona Terra at Little India.