30 Best Restaurants in The Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia, Italy

This side-street eatery, lined with old wood paneling and decked out with musical instruments, serves traditional Veronese classics, like bigoli (thick whole wheat spaghetti) with donkey ragù and pastissada con polenta (horse-meat stew with polenta). Don't be deterred by the unconventional meats—they're tender and delicious, and this is probably the best place in town to sample them. This first-rate home cooking is reasonably priced and served by helpful, efficient staff. It's popular, so arrive early. Reservations are not always taken.

This bustling café-bar is famed for its excellent creamy coffee and freshly made brioche—pre-COVID, it was cheek-by-jowl al banco (at the counter/bar), but for now the Veronese patrons must spill outside. The narrow space on the charming Corso Borsari cobbles is packed with coffee- and tea-making pots and cups, as are its walls with colorful gifts and oddities according to the time of year.

A Triestino institution, this is the oldest and most esteemed of the many "buffet" restaurants serving pork and sausages around town, with a wood-paneled interior and seating outside. It specializes in bollito di maiale, a dish of boiled pork and pork sausages accompanied by delicately flavored sauerkraut, mustard, and grated horseradish. Unlike other Italian restaurants, buffets don't close between lunch and dinner, and tap beer is the drink of choice. For what seems to be a "fast food" restaurant, the service is surprisingly friendly and helpful.

In this cozy and atmospheric cross between a wine bar and a restaurant, you can put together a fabulous, inexpensive dinner from various classic dishes from all over Italy. Portions are small, but prices are reasonable—just follow the local custom and order a selection, perhaps starting with fresh burrata (mozzarella's creamier cousin) with tomatoes, or a selection of prosciutti or salami. Don't pass up the house specialty: lasagna—there are several kinds on the menu. Main courses are limited, but they include a savory Veneto stew with polenta.

Under the porticoes of gorgeous Piazza Matteoti, with its vibrant student and dialect-speaking locals, Grosmi is a reliable choice for excellent coffee, pastries, and people-watching. Although the brioche filled with chocolate, custard, or fruit jam are staples, some opt for a small cake or macaroon to accompany their caffeine fix.

The trusty Hostaria (open since 1954) has rustic fireside dining downstairs and more elegantly decorated rooms upstairs, where there's also an intimate terrace under the Duomo. It's a great place for sampling regional specialties such as orzotto (barley prepared like risotto), delicious cjalzòns (ravioli from the Carnia), and seasonal meat dishes, accompanied by a fabulous wine list. Service is pleasant and attentive.

Opened in 1981 by Elia Rizzo, the nationally renowned fine-dining Desco cuisine is now crafted by talented son Matteo. True to Italian and Rizzo culinary traditions, he preserves natural flavors through careful ingredient selection, adding daring combinations inspired by stints in kitchens around the world. For an extravagant gastronomic adventure, try the multicourse seasonal tasting menu. Il Desco's interior is elegant and colorful, with sculpture, paintings, and an impressive 16th-century lacunar ceiling.

A fabulous garden setting and warm yet unfussy country-style dining rooms elevate this family-run restaurant, renowned for Nino Baggio's elegant creative take on traditional cuisine. This is the finest restaurant in Asolo, and the prix-fixe menu (you can also order à la carte) delivers one of the best-value top-quality dining options in the Veneto.

This cozy 19th-century locale storico (historic hostelry) is steeped in Vicentina atmosphere, from the bar serving local wines and sopressa (premium salami) to the intimate dark-wood restaurant serving hearty classics. Grab a table out back for a sit-down meal of robust dishes like bigoli (thick, egg-enriched spaghetti) with duck, spaghetti with baccalà (cod), and, in spring, risi e bisi (rice with peas). Desserts include fruit tarts and the ubiquitous tiramisu.

An easy trip just outside town, this landmark trattoria—serving Triestino food with Slovene, Hungarian, and Austrian accents—has been in business since 1865. Sit by the dining room fire or relax on a huge terrace with a pergola, watching the sun set as you tuck into rich soups and roasts spiced with rosemary, thyme, and sweet paprika. Portions tend to be small, so if you're hungry, order both a first and second course, as well as an antipasto.

Udine's very chic landmark restaurant is the one reserved most by locals for special occasions, and the menu features the freshest meat and fish in sophisticated dishes served with moodily lit culinary stagecraft. You might start with an antipasto of assorted raw shellfish, including the impossibly sweet Adriatic scampi, followed by the fresh fish of the day. Service is impeccable, as is the Friuli-focused wine list. Perhaps the best way to go is the multicourse tasting menu.

At this rustic, wood-rich family-style osteria, it's worth giving the robust local specialties, such as tripe, snails, or stewed game, a go—many of them served with polenta. Less adventurous diners can go for other homey options, such as goulash, polenta with cheese and mushrooms, or one of Bacaro's open-face sandwiches, generously topped with fresh salami, speck, or other cold cuts. Although the restaurant caters to tourists—as is the case with most eateries in Asolo—the food here is better than average.

At this warm and sophisticated seafood place, going strong since 1966 near Piazza Unità d'Italia, you'll find exquisite dishes that honor the traditions of the Mancussi family. Although now run by the Leonardi family, Roberto Mancussi's culinary ethos remains: integrating nouvelle ingredients without overshadowing the freshness of whatever local fish he bought in the market that morning. Al Bagatto is renowned for its excellent wine cellar and a selection of distilled spirits from around the world.

This little old brick trattoria on a beguiling piazza with views of the Santa Maria Maggiore church is a favorite among locals and tourists, who flock to its cozy wood-trimmed interior. The menu changes daily but always features well-executed versions of simple local dishes, from risottos and pastas to a variety of seafood and meat dishes.

This well-thought-of osteria-trattoria lands the freshest seafood and creates exquisite, beautifully presented plates; the chefs constantly delight with new things to try such as homemade spirulina grissini, unusual flavor combos, and vibrant garnishes. Dine in the rustic yet refined dining room with its exposed stone, wooden beams, and coved ceilings, or outside on the gorgeous terrace with piazza views. 

Deep in the atmospheric Sotto Salone market, this busy bar does a fab selection of filled tramezzini (triangular sandwiches), panini, and other snacks. It's a great place to hear the local dialect and mingle with the market workers and shoppers any time of day; grab a breakfast coffee and brioche, a glass of Falanghina, or a bit later—after 11 am perhaps—an apertivo with snacks. Ask behind the bar or one of the locals about the various wines and snacks chalked on the board.

Adventurous foodies should book a table in this stylish blue-and-wood-accented dining room, located behind Treviso's Palazzo dei Trecento old meat market, for an experience that marries Trevigiano culinary traditions with contemporary elegance. The owner's parents, Alba and Ado, invented the famous dessert tiramisu in the 1960s, and the Beccherie, opened in 1939, still makes it to the original, feather-light recipe. Expect a varied seasonal menu, with lighter summer seafood and vegetable dishes such as calamarata (clams with cherry tomatoes) and scarola greens giving way to hearty risottos and meats, including lamb and game, in fall and winter.

Serving delicious and generous portions of traditional Triestino buffet fare, such as boiled pork and sausages with savory sauerkraut, Siora Rosa is a bit more comfortable than many buffets. In addition to ample seating in the simple dining room, there are tables outside for when the weather is good. The restaurant is frequented mainly by Triestini, including students and faculty from the nearby university. You may be the only tourist in the place, but the helpful staff generally speak English.  This buffet closes for a brief time between lunch and dinner.

This central coffee bar serves lots of different espressi and cappuccini—topped with chocolate and cream and other enhancements—as well as a cornucopia of great-value tramezzini sandwiches, piadine (Italian flat-bread wraps), and panini. Pop in most times of the day (closes at 7:30 pm) for a selection of classic pasta primi and secondi, as well as healthy juices and vegan options.

Gastronomically adventurous diners who visit this quirky restaurant filled with stylish midcentury furnishings will find cucina povera (peasant food) given an inventive twist. The chef is a passionate Slow Food champion, so expect local and seasonal meat and vegetables, as well as excellent seafood and an extensive wine list from Italy and farther afield.

This mix between a traditional bacaro (wine bar) and an osteria is a local institution, opened in 1922. Stand at the bar with a cross section of Padovano society, from construction workers to professors, and peruse the reasonably priced menu of simple casalinga (home-cooked dishes), plus salads and a selection of cheeses. Portions are ample, and no one will look askance if you don't order the full meal. The place is packed with loyal regulars at lunchtime, so come early or expect a wait, and don't expect to have an intimate conversation.

Traditional Veneto recipes are given a highly sophisticated and creative treatment here, and the whole theatrical tasting-menu experience and gorgeous table settings can seem by turns revelatory or overblown at this high-profile place. Owner-chef Massimiliano Alajmo's creative, miniscule-portion dishes, passion for design (bespoke lighting, carved wooden tables, and quirky plates), and first-class wine list make this an option for a pricey celebratory meal.

Il Magazzino is a great spot to grab a snack any time of day, as this well-run, modern place covers all the bases, from coffee and brioche breakfast fixes, to brunch panini and plates of pasta or risotto with a glass of wine later. Check out their fab selection of brioche pastries with novel fruit and nutty fillings, as well as heaped salads.

Hidden halfway up the hill to the Castello di San Giusto, in what the Triestini call Zità Vecia (Old City), this informal little restaurant specializes in simply prepared seafood. Amid whitewashed wooden walls and nautical ephemera, you can sample the freshest catches—bluefish, sardines, mackerel, mussels, and squid—accompanied by salad, potatoes, polenta, and house wine. The consistently tasty dishes, especially the fish soup and the sardoni in savor (large sardines with raisins, pine nuts, and caramelized onions), show what a talented chef can do on a limited budget.

Dine in the atmospheric arcaded canal-side vicolo on Odeon's superb-value pasta, meat, and seafood dishes, or amid the columns in the high-ceilinged salone. As befits the intriguing historic setting and interiors, the menu showcases traditional Trevisano ingredients with the occasional flavorsome twist. 

Located in the heart of what used to be Padua's Jewish ghetto, this friendly trattoria serves almost exclusively traditional Veneto dishes, and it does so with refinement and care. Everything from the well-crafted dishes to the unfussy ship's dining cabin–like decor and elegant plates reflect decades of Padovano hospitality. The liver and onions is extraordinarily tender, and even the accompanying polenta is grilled to perfection. The desserts are nothing to scoff at, either. This tiny place fills up quickly, so reservations are a must.

Opened in 1904, this ever-reliable osteria serves hearty traditional cucina veneta in wonderfully homey, rustic surroundings. Take a seat under the dark wooden beams or in the leafy courtyard, and let the friendly staff guide you through a menu, dominated by meat dishes and seasonal soups, that has barely changed in decades. Expect the finest Slow Food--approved seasonal Veneto produce, as well as cucina povera like liver Venetian-style or egg-rich bigoli pasta with salted sardines.

Many of Vicenza's wealthier residents spend at least part of the summer in the Alps to escape the heat, and the dishes of this popular and friendly trattoria reflect the hearty Alpine influences on local cuisine. The house specialty, stinco di maiale al forno (roast pork shank), is wonderfully fragrant, with herbs and aromatic vegetables. Game dishes include venison with blueberries, and guinea fowl roasted with white grapes.

Vicentini of all generations gravitate to this popular self-service cafeteria for classic dishes that don't put a dent in your wallet. Expect hearty helpings of fare such as orzo e fagioli (barley and bean soup) and baccalà alla vicentina (stockfish Vicenza style).

Wood-paneled and with a 1930s-style interior, this bustling trattoria has a wholesome menu based on local Veneto cooking. The spin in the restaurant's name refers to the spine of the baccalà, one of several justly famous specialties (served without the titular spine); also try the sopa coada, a pigeon-and-bread soup.  Reservations are essential, even for lunch, since the word is out that this is the best value in town.