There's nothing quite so satisfying as fresh-made pasta. Spaghetti out of the packet is only as good as the sauce that's served over it. But freshly rolled pasta, whether it comes as strips, strings, bows or curlicues, has a texture, taste and vitality all its own.

Finding fresh pasta on the menu is a sign that the chef is an artisan, prepared to take the extra time and effort. It is also a reliable indication that the rest of the meal is going to be just as good, from the opening antipasti to the final dolce. Here are three places that prove the point.

Trattoria della Lanterna Magica is the quintessential Tokyo neighborhood trattoria. Not just because it is always bustling and friendly, serves excellent, unpretentious cucina and does so at prices that are always affordable, but because it is far enough from the beaten track that it feels intensely local.