Restaurants in Italy
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A
Ex Mauri
Go to this contemporary, stylish Venetian bacaro (bar) on Milan’s urban island when you need a little Lombard-free time. Pull up a school chair at a lovingly scuffed table for imaginative seafood cicheti (Venetian-style tapas) : baccalà fritters, sardines in saôr (sweet-and-sour onion jam) and braised baby octopus. Smart but hearty mains take their cues from both Venice and further afield, while the gelati and cakes are house-made.
reviewed
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B
Trattoria I Fratellini
Amid all the high-flying dining in Santa Croce, this combination grocery shop, wine bar and trattoria seems to have changed little since it opened in the 1950s. Even prices remain stuck in time. Two courses (perhaps minestrone followed by rotisserie chicken) and a glass of quaffable Chianti cost under €10. And you won’t regret the calories in the homemade tiramisu.
reviewed
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C
Il Posto Accanto
On pretty Via del Boschetto, this homely, family-run restaurant is small - there are only 25 places - and instantly memorable, lined by harvest-festival displays of fruit and veg. The food is splendid, with homemade ravioli and fish among the house specialities.
reviewed
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D
Trattoria Corte Sconta
The Biennale jet set seeks out this vine-covered corte sconta (hidden courtyard) for imaginative housemade pasta and ultrafresh, visually striking seafood. Crustaceans are arranged on a platter like dabs of paint on an artist’s palette, black squid-ink pasta is artfully topped with bright orange squash and tender cappesante (scallops) sticking out their red feet, and roast eel loops like the River Brenta on the plate with a drizzle of balsamic reduction.
reviewed
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E
Siciliainbocca
Lemon-yellow and lined in dazzling southern ceramics, this trattoria is sunny in demeanour and colour. It's a great place to sample sumptuous seafood, Sicilian specialities like caponata (browned vegetables, anchovies and capers), and the island's legendary desserts, such as cannoli (fried pastry tubes filled with ricotta) accompanied by pantelleria, the great muscatel. There's another branch in Flaminio (06 324 01 87; Via Flaminia 390; ;Tue-Sun).
reviewed
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Antiche Carampane
Hidden in the once-shady lanes behind Ponte delle Tette, this culinary indulgence is a trick to find, and you may wonder who you have to, erm, know to get a reservation. The sign proudly announcing ‘no tourist menu’ signals a welcome change: say goodbye to soggy lasagne and hello to lagoon-fresh crudi, asparagus and granseola (lagoon crab) salad, bottarga pasta, and filetto di San Pietro (fish with artichokes or radicchio trevisano).
reviewed
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G
'Gusto
Once a mould-breaking warehouse-style gastronomic complex – all exposed-brickwork and industrial chic – 'Gusto is still buzzing after all these years. It's a great place to sit on the terrace and eat Neapolitan-style pizzas (rather than the upmarket restaurant fare, which receives mixed reports). There's live music on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
reviewed
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H
Ristorante da Ciccio
Sublime seafood and charming host Carlo make this atmospheric place a winner. Highlights include tubattone pasta with clams and pecorino cheese, a zesty mussel soup topped with fried bread and peperoncino (chilli), and a delicious chocolate and almond cake. Tables spill out onto the pavement in the summer, from where there are fabulous castle views.
reviewed
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Pizzeria La Brace
Neither pizza nor fish are considered Bolognese specialities but that's what they do here, and what they do well. If a pizza doesn't appeal, the carpaccio di pesce spada (thin slices of raw swordfish) followed by a fritto misto (mixed fish fry) is a fine alternative. Hanging football shirts and portraits of Hollywood icons provide an unusual décor.
reviewed
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J
Alfredo e Ada
For a taste of a authentic Roman cooking, head to this much-loved place with its wood panelling and spindly marble- topped tables. It’s distinctly no-frills – the wine list consists of two choices, red or white – but the food, whatever is put in front of you (there’s no menu), is filling and warming, just like your Italian nonna would have cooked it.
reviewed
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K
Il Santo Bevitore
Reserve in advance or arrive at 7.30pm to snag the last of the remaining tables at this raved-about address, an understated ode to stylish dining where gastronomes dine by candlelight in a cavernous whitewashed, wood and bottle-lined interior. The menu is a creative reinvention of seasonal classics, and different for lunch and dinner: hand-chopped beef tartare, chestnut millefeuille and lentils, pureed purple cabbage soup with mozzarella cream and anchovy syrup, acacia honey bavarese (type of firm, creamy mousse) with Vin Santo-marinated dried fruits …
reviewed
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Pizzeria Da Franco
More deli than pizzeria, with hams hanging from the ceiling and bottles of olive oil squeezed onto the shelves, this hugely popular place does the best pizza in town. Served on a metal tray with plastic cutlery, the house speciality comes with tomato, mozzarella, rocket and Parmesan. Expect queues most summer nights.
reviewed
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Lo Zozzone
With a few inside tables and a mile-long menu of panini, the affectionally named ‘dirty one’ is a top spot for a cheap lunchtime bite. The filling, delicious panini are made with pizza bianca and combinations of cured meats, cold cuts, cheeses and vegetables.
reviewed
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N
Sandri
When you enter into your third century of business, something must be right. Known for delectable chocolate cakes, candied fruit, espresso and pastries. Staff wrap all take-home purchases (picked up at the counter but paid for at the till), no matter how small, in beautiful red paper with a ribbon bow.
reviewed
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O
Da Michele
As hard-core as it gets, Naples’ most famous pizzeria takes the no-frills ethos to its extremes. It’s dingy and old-fashioned and serves only two types of pizza: margherita (tomato, basil and mozzarella) and marinara (tomatoes, garlic and oregano). But boy are they good!
reviewed
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Ca’ de Vèn
Yes, it’s touristy, but the atmosphere’s wonderful at this cavernous enoteca -cum-restaurant in a 15th-century palazzo with frescoed domes, vaulted brick ceilings and chequerboard marble floors. Regional specialities are complemented by an encyclopaedic wine list.
reviewed
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Q
Gam Gam
Gam Gam is great for your taste buds if you like Israeli-style falafels (around €5.50) and other Middle Eastern delicacies. This place is fully kosher and presents a diverse menu, from Red Sea spaghetti to couscous (with choice of meat, fish or vegetable sauce).
reviewed
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Giolitti
This started as a dairy in 1900 and still keeps the hoards happy with succulent sorbets and creamy combinations. Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn swung by in Roman Holiday and it used to deliver marron glacé to Pope John Paul II.
reviewed
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Grom
The first-ever outlet of this Slow Food–affiliated ice cream, renowned for organic flavours such as green tea, was started here in Turin. There’s another branch at Via Accademia delle Scienze 4, which keeps the same hours.
reviewed
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Amon
Pop in to this family-run joint for what are possibly the best kebabs in Florence. Refreshingly nongreasy, they’re served on pita bread fresh from the oven. Admire the Egyptian kitsch on the walls while you wait.
reviewed
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La Fonte della Salute
It might not be quite the ‘fountain of health’ of the name, but the fruit flavours are so delicious they must surely be good for the soul.
reviewed
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Da Giggetto
The atmospheric ghetto, rustic interiors, white-jacketed waiters, Roman-Jewish cooking – who needs more? Celebrate all things fried by tucking into the marvellous carciofi alla giudia and follow on with delicious calamari (fried squid). In the warmer months, fight your way to an outside table under the shadow of the ruins of the Portico d’Ottavia.
reviewed
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W
Osteria del Gatto e la Volpe
On the corner of Via de' Giraldi, this is a small and welcoming spot where the food is reasonable and the prices are stable. It gets its fair share of tourists, but this hasn't yet ruined what's on offer at the 'Cat and Wolf'. It's closer to a genuine Florentine experience than most of the places that line this much-trampled city.
reviewed
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Taverna Del Campiello Remer
Off the tourist routes and close to any Venetian bargain-hunter’s heart, this vaulted cavern opens onto a secluded square along the Grand Canal. Buffet-style lunches come fully loaded with affettati (especially Trevisana sausages and cured meats) and pasta for about €20 – but the best deal is in the afternoons before 7.30pm, when a cicheti buffet and drink runs from €5 to €7. At dinner, abundant primi are served family-style with about a pound of pasta for two, and specials are recited rather than written down. As the sign says: menú turistico non ghe xe (there’s no tourist menu).
reviewed
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Il Latini
A guidebook favourite built around melt-in-your-mouth crostini, Tuscan meats, fine pasta and roasted meats served at shared tables. There are two dinner seatings (7.30pm and 9pm); bookings mandatory.
reviewed