Must-see restaurants in Italy

  • The pretty shop window of Le Spighe

    Le Spighe

    Venice

    All vegetarian, all organic and largely vegan, this tiny cafe and wholefood shop offers a counter full of salads and grains that are shovelled onto plates…

  • The impressive entrance to the Querini Stampalia museum complex

    Caffè Letterario

    Venice

    The Querini Stampalia's gorgeous cafe is a great place for a coffee or a snack, and also serves a range of reasonably priced pasta and rice dishes at…

  • Al Mercà is housed under the portico of the old fish market

    Al Mercà

    Giudecca, Lido & the Southern Islands

    Located in the old Lido fish market, al Mercà is popular with students who come for the abundant cicheti (Venetian tapas), outdoor seating and well-priced…

  • Table detail, Rocco.

    Trattoria Da Rocco

    Santa Croce

    A noisy, bustling trattoria in the middle of Sant'Ambrogio's covered food market, Rocco is a hot local spot for simple seasonal plates of Tuscan cuisine…

  • Gustavino from via della Condotta

    La Canova di Gustavino

    Duomo & Piazza della Signoria

    One of those easy dining addresses that never fails to please, this casual ristorante-pizzeria cooks up superb pizza as well as all the traditional Tuscan…

  • Customers stand at the El Pecador bar, choosing their sandwiches

    El Pecador

    Giudecca, Lido & the Southern Islands

    No, you're not suffering from heat stroke – that really is a red double-decker bus parked up against the kerb. What's more, it's dishing out the Lido's…

  • The inviting entrance to La Tecia Vegana

    La Tecia Vegana

    Venice

    Venice's only organic vegan restaurant serves delectable dishes such as Thai rice noodles, seitan lasagne and tempeh mafè (peanut butter sauce) with rice…

  • Trattoria Andri stands on a quiet street and has a leafy veranda containing outdoor seating

    Trattoria Andri

    Giudecca, Lido & the Southern Islands

    Beloved by locals, this charming fish restaurant serves classic Venetian dishes prepared with attention to quality. All desserts are homemade. In summer,…

  • The entrance to Spaghetteria 6342 A Le Tole

    Spaghetteria 6342 A Le Tole

    Venice

    This eatery serves pizza and freshly made pasta that you can see being prepared in the immaculate kitchen. There is also a small choice of mains and an…

  • The Gelido Lado shop is small, clean and modern

    Gelido Lato

    Giudecca, Lido & the Southern Islands

    This tiny artisanal ice-cream parlour prides itself on fresh ingredients and interesting flavours, such as cheesecake or walnut and fig. Vegan options…

  • Osteria dello Zingaro

    Parma

    Hidden behind the cathedral is this local favourite, a modern bistro clinging to traditional ways. It's most famous for its horse meat (a Parma speciality…

  • Da Giona

    Bay of Naples

    Right on a sandy beach with views of Procida and Ischia, this retro, sun-bleached restaurant enjoys cult status in Naples (book ahead on weekends). The…

  • Trattoria dal Biassanot

    Bologna

    Despite its bow-tied waiters, the Biassanot is about as down to earth as its menu, which lists such rustic throwbacks as wild boar, rabbit and veal with…

  • Fishing Lab

    Santa Croce

    All-day dining and a pick-and-mix, all-fish menu gives this stylish restaurant instant appeal. Savour finger-licking giant red shrimps, wild concave…

  • Trattoria del Tribunale

    Parma

    Run the gauntlet of ham slicers and waiters gouging lumps of parmigiano reggiano and settle in for a memorable meal. Start with a plate of Parma ham,…

  • Ristorante Verdemare

    Sorrento

    Despite its name, 'Green Sea' doesn't offer any water views. What it does deliver, however, are simple, tasty, surf-centric dishes, served in a spacious,…

  • Il Capriccio

    Cilento Coast

    On the road to Perdifumo, this is a favourite local choice. An unassuming place with a terrace, Il Capriccio has a gracious host in owner Enxo. The menu…

  • Luchin

    Tigullio & Baia del Levante

    It really is worth stopping in to centuries-old Luchin to sample its peerless farinata (chickpea flour flat bread), baked over olive wood in copper pans…

  • La Marianna

    Rimini

    This lovely former inn just north of the old Roman bridge has welcomed travellers for over a century. Turquoise-aproned waiters zip between the covered…

  • Ristorante del Sole

    Perugia

    Dine at Il Sole and you'll be reminiscing about the engrossing views as much as the food. Taking in Perugia's rooftops and the verdant hills beyond, they…

  • Contesto Alimentare

    Turin

    This small dining room is run by a friendly young couple and makes a nice change from historic, moody Turin. A simple, architecturally astute fit-out…

  • Stone

    Matera

    Stone is where you go to find young company or late-night grub (or both). Cavernous (like everywhere in Matera), its brightly lit interior has been given…

  • Bar Canasta

    Spoleto

    With prime Piazza della Libertà patio seating and an airy dining room overlooking the Teatro Romano, this simple cafe-restaurant serves a well-rounded…

  • Bar Judica & Trieste

    Central Sicily

    It's all about the street food at this unassuming neighbourhood bar, complete with pavement patio. Scan the counter for cheap, filling bites such as pizza…

  • Donna Rachele

    Capri

    Tucked away in a corner, this place has a traditional trattoria atmosphere, with small rooms, decorative tiles and walls lined with bottles. Vegetarians…

  • Mangiabuono

    Genoa

    With gingham tablecloths and a cheery clatter emanating from the kitchen, Mangiabuono remains one of the city's fabulously unfancy trattorias. Come and…

  • Officina Alimentare Dedicata

    Parma

    Fiercely local and organic, this farm-to-table bistro, owned and operated solely by women, is on to something special: its primi menu offers tortelli…

  • Cantina del Gallo

    Naples

    Catholic kitsch, old photographs and a bucket of hot coals under the table to keep your tootsies toasty? No, you're not at nonna's house, just at one of…

  • Da Gigino

    Sorrento

    With flower-topped tables and a film-like setting on an intimate side street, Da Gigino sets a charming scene for competent, homestyle feasting. Although…

  • Ostaria dai Zemei

    San Polo & Santa Croce

    Running this closet-sized cicheti counter are zemei (twins) Franco and Giovanni, who serve loyal regulars small bites with plenty of imagination:…

  • Casina del Bosco

    Rimini

    A beloved Rimini institution, this sweet eatery just in from the beach serves some of the best and most diverse piadine (flatbread sandwiches) in town,…

  • Al Ponte Storto

    San Polo & Santa Croce

    Once an anarchist clubhouse, intimate, art-slung 'At the Crooked Bridge' serves up scrumptious cicheti (Venetian tapas), whether it's quiche or the famed…

  • Amici Miei

    Central Sicily

    Exposed stone walls, low wooden ceiling, wine racks and a wood-fired pizza oven set a snug vibe at this local favourite. Admittedly, the pasta dishes are…

  • La Botticella

    Trastevere & Gianicolo

    On a quiet backstreet, La Botticella offers pure Roman cooking, outside under the lines of flapping washing or inside in the picture-lined salon. Menu…

  • Osteria del Caffè Italiano

    Santa Croce

    The menu at this Florence dining veteran is packed with classics like mozzarella di bufala with tomatoes or Tuscan prosciutto (spice-cured ham), pasta e…

  • Osteria dell'Orsa

    Bologna

    If you were to make a list of the great wonders of Italy, hidden amid Venice’s canals and Rome’s Colosseum would be cheap, pretension-free osterie (casual…

  • Zi Carmela

    Ischia

    Dating back decades, this restaurant has a lovely terrace decorated with copper pans, ceramic mugs and strings of garlic and chillies. Locals come for…

  • Al Duomo

    Taormina

    Linen tables, gracious service and a romantic terrace overlooking the cathedral make Al Duomo the consummate romantic go-to. Dishes focus on Sicilian…

  • Osteria dei Sabatini

    Pescara

    Bringing Abruzzo's mountain cuisine to the coast, this osteria (tavern) brings hearty simplicity to the fore in dishes such as pasta alla gricia (pasta…

  • Trattoria Pommidoro

    Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo

    Throughout San Lorenzo’s metamorphosis from down-at-heel working-class district to down-at-heel student enclave, Trattoria Pommidoro has remained the same…

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