Il Cortile is located in the old beautiful part of Mulhouse in the French Alsace region. The restaurant is owned by Stefano D’Onghia and his son Sébastien D’Onghia handles the cooking together with Chef Jean-Michel Feger.

Stefano D’Onghia will come and meet you at the entrance door and it almost feels like coming home to il signore himself. Unfortunately you will not understand a single word of what he says unless you speak French or Italian. Furthermore you will not find any English menu, so you have to rely on an English speaking waiter to present the menu for you.

The small dining room is genuinely warm with a contemporary style and beige hues and you can dine outside in the garden in the summer as well.

Stefano D’Onghia comes from a small village named Noci in the South Italian region Puglia and the cuisine truly follows the Mediterranean and Italian flavours that you come to expect. Home-made pasta and different sorts of high class cold cut are mostly delicious and what to expect, but the menu is changed four times a year and always comes with new innovations, such as the Supreme de canette that is duck with truffle risotto. Some plates served, like the monkfish with local Italian herbs are not in the same line of quality as the brilliant dessert of tiramisu chocolate with basil and a frozen basil leaf, but the average level is still good. Il Cortile has a wide selection of wines and a great selection of wine by the glass as well.

If you are in Mulhouse and not in for any of the brilliant French cuisine restaurants in the Alsace region Il Cortile is a good choice. No big revelation that Il Cortile is not as good as the best Italian restaurants in Italy, but you will have some great value for money. Two persons can have a tasting menu and wine for lesser than 200 Euros. Even if you choose one of the tasting menus you will not come close in price to most of the world’s top rated restaurants and that is another proof that you actually can have fine dining without paying a small fortune as many charge at the very highest level.

Written by Andy