Tyrrhenian Coast
This foodie favourite specialises in expertly prepared dishes crafted from local ingredients. Specialties include roast lamb, asparagus and mushrooms…
Must-see restaurants in Southern Italy
Bari
Fish sandwiches, salads and grilled seafood combine with a decent selection of Puglian wine and Italian craft beer at this compact corner spot. Either eat…
Martina Franca
With a broad communal bar, ever-hissing espresso machines and outdoor tables aligned towards busy Piazza XX Settembre, this is the quintessential Italian…
Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi
This is where half of Sant’Agata’s population seems to come after Sunday Mass – priests, teenagers, farmers and nonagenarian nonnas – to down a potpourri…
Vieste
Look beyond the stony, cavernous interior of this modest-seeming restaurant to find what is possibly the best homemade, hand-shaped orecchiette in Puglia…
Reggio Calabria
The most popular gelateria in town is in a modest green kiosk at the end of the lungomare. Try the subtle citrus zing of the bergamotto flavour,…
Cilento Coast
This humble beachside eatery is run by a fishing family that still plies the waters in winter. Expect the freshest grilled fish: sea bream, sea bass,…
Naples
This popular pizzeria makes for a handy back-up plan if your pizzeria of choice is booked out. The pizzas are more than decent and there's warm-weather al…
Marsala
With outdoor tables on Marsala’s main pedestrian thoroughfare, this lively restaurant and wine bar serves pizzas, over 150 different wines and an…
Tropea
Recommended by the locals, this restaurant in a smartly whitewashed cellar in the old town has a romantic ambience, candlelit tables and a solid…
Promontorio del Gargano
The 'Tavern of the Wolf' is located in a large exposed-brick cellar with jaunty tablecloths and an enthusiastic young staff. The crispy wood-fired pizzas…
Ischia
Technically a bar close to the port; in reality, it's better known as a prime gelato spot. According to some residents, it's the best ice-cream parlour on…
Calabria
Providing an elegant upper town alternative to the cafes and restaurants in Chianalea, this 2018 opening comes recommended by locals for its excellent…
Lecce
This gelateria, one of Lecce's best, has an array of fabulous confectionery. Anything made with pistachios is likely to be delicious.
Puglia
A class act with a sea-view terrace, this place specialises in – what else? – fresh fish.
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
Capri
Tucked away in a corner, this place has a traditional trattoria atmosphere, with small rooms, decorative tiles and walls lined with bottles. Vegetarians…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Taormina
Linen tables, gracious service and a romantic terrace overlooking the cathedral make Al Duomo the consummate romantic go-to. Dishes focus on Sicilian…
Syracuse
Any restaurant that is full on a Monday night in February is doing something right. Old-timer waiters weave their way through snug, art-slung dining rooms…
Bari
This long-established Barese osteria (casual tavern) features no menu, just a chalkboard displaying what's cooking that day. It's all salt-of-the-earth…
Taormina
While it won't blow your culinary socks off, homely Tiramisù remains a local institution for its reliable standbys. Tuck into wood-fired pizzas, fragrant…
Cosenza
There's no sea in Cosenza, yet the seafood is spot on at this diminutive family restaurant just off the city's main pedestrian street. With Sicily so…
Cilento Coast
Run by the Egidio family, this pasticceria (pastry shop) has a cake display backed by a large bakery where breads including integrale (whole-wheat) arrive…
Cilento Coast
An upper-crust pizza place on a pretty piazza with magnificent rubber trees and wisteria-draped walls. Sit outside or eat on the go. The pizzas include…
Matera
Proudly proclaiming itself to be the first of its kind in Sasso Barisano, this informal restaurant set in arched whitewashed rooms has been trading since…
Salerno & the Cilento
Easy to find on the main road through town, this bright, spacious restaurant with exposed stone walls has a small front terrace flanked by scarlet…
Palermo
Tables line the footpath and colourful children's paintings beam down from bright-red walls at this bustling family-run trattoria, in business since 1944…
Vieste
Tucked away in a picturesque narrow alley in the heart of the old town, this welcoming osteria has a cosy cave-like interior and outdoor seating under a…
Aeolian Islands
Numbering among Alicudi's few year-round residents are this local fisherman and his wife, who can arrange simple but tasty home-cooked meals any time of…
Syracuse
Bella Vita combines culinary traditions and modern polish, translating into thoughtfully presented dishes like ravioli stuffed with tuna and olives,…
Bari
With domed ceilings, archways and medieval-style artwork on the walls, this restaurant oozes atmosphere, and a quiet (justified) confidence in its classic…
Syracuse
With its cosy front porch opposite Ortygia's waterfront, this is a handy place for aperitivi after a dip in the sea. It also serves food, whipping up a…
