We shall be in Verona for 3 nights next week, with a day trip to Padua.
Any suggestions for dining out? We are staying at the Hotel Accademia.

There are many good places to eat in the city. I would ask at the hotel if I did not want to wander around and look at menus.

I could be more specific if I knew how you felt about the local specialties: horse and donkey. Donkey is mostly served braised or in a stew, horse may be dried as bresaola or braised.

I wouldn't ask the hotel.

I really enjoyed Al Bersegliere, which serves Veronese classics, which go far beyond horse and donkey, although that is what rivets most tourists. I never eat either, and there is plenty to eat in Verona.

http://www.trattoriaalbersagliere.it/UK/index.html

http://www.veronapartments.it/Dettag...IDLingua=en-US

You might also want to do a search on the Chowhound website's message board for Italy for recently threads concerning restaurant recommendations in Verona.

Thank you. Actually we do like to wander around and look at menus. And we will foregoing both donkey and horse.

"I wouldn't ask the hotel".

And why not?

I agree with zeppole on this one as I have been steered to some mediocre places by hotel staff, the exception being in Genova. Usually it's better by far to do your own research.

Where I would NOT eat: at almost any of those places located directly across the square from the arena. They look inviting enough but I've sometimes found the food to be rather mediocre at best. Others may have differing opinions, of course.

Salt and I will also be in Verona soon as we are heading to Venice for two weeks--May 27 to June 11.

We plan on visiting Verona as a day trip from Venice via train from Santa Lucia Station.

Anything interesting that we should see?

Tschuss,
Pepper

Pepper_von_snoot,

our favorite thing that might not be as obvious was the Roman Theater and Archeological Museum. In addition to being interesting, it was the most photogenic place we found.


socaltraveler,

Ristorante Torcolo di Luca Barca is within walking distance of your hotel and gives a chance to try typical Verona food. Here are the photos from our meal there. http://mightymac.org/europe12/12europe41.htm

"I wouldn't ask the hotel".

And why not?


Most of the times reception staff will send you to restaurants that they are working with and even take a commission...
Not the best recommendation that one can get unfortunately.

clausar is right.

Sorry. I have many friends in the hospitality business, and they don't do this.

How would the restaurant know who referred you if you don't tell them? They would know if the concierge made the reservation for you, but that is what concierges do.

I agree with Dukey1 on where not to eat, and the other must see sites after the Roman arena are the Scaliger Palace/Museum and San Zeno, one of the best preserved Romanesque churces in Italy.

PS: Even if a reception desk or individual is not taking a commission -- and many do -- the pressure on individuals to recommend friends, family or having reasons other than food to "support" a restaurant makes a reliable recommendation very hard to get from someone who is professionally in the hospitality business.

They will also assume a number of things without asking: That you don't wish to walk 5 more minutes for better food, that you would rather pay less than eat well, that you won't really want to eat the local cuisine but would prefer more generic "Italian" food, and that you will want atmospheric decor and an English-speaking staff or menu.

The experience of most hotel staff is that most foreigners fall into a certain category, and they'll recommend "typical tourist" places to be on the safe side of what you can afford and how much you can handle when it comes to dealing with the unfamiliar.

Verona has some really excellent food and outstanding wine. It is worth learning a bit about it in advance and even if you want to ask the locals, you'll be asking where you can try dishes that sound appetizing to you and that you can't get anyplace much outside of Verona.

Thank you Keith; your dinner looked delicious, will be taking notes for the restaurant.

Children, please, if you want to argue about hotel recs versus no hotel recs, please start another thread. We have used them in the past, but generally not, for the reasons that Zeppole has stated. Usually we just walk around if we don't have anything specific; found a great little place in Budapest that way.

Oh -- you are the OP!

Proves I never pay attention to who is posting, contrary to the belief some people I have that I pick on them.

Anyway, I will add to Ackislander that if her friends run hotels in Verona, ask them if clausar and I are right. If the friends aren't Veronese, then please appreciate that Verona is trade fair city and Italian business relationshops are based on family, clientalism and a whole lot of other things not the norm in America, so what Americans do is not a guide to what Italians do.

Yikes - I'll just stick to my recommendation:
we spent 3 terrific nights in Verona last fall, and absolutely loved it! Dinner one night in Osteria al Duomo - small, a lot of locals there, great food. We did try both the "cavallo" and the donkey, as well as other foods - all were really good, fairly inexpensive. Buon appetito!

We had lunch today at Osteria al Duomo, it was very good.

Pepper, if you are into Renaissance gardens, the Giardino Giusti is worth seeing (good view of Verona as it's high on the opposite side of the river.)

Approaching the Ponte Pietra from the south, there is a good wine bar just before the bridge, with a terrace overlooking the river.

Thank you, tarquin (reference to The Rape of Lucrece).

I do enjoy wine sooooo much! In Vino Veritas!

Thank you, socal for you reco for Osteria al Duomo.

Pepper

For Pepper,

We had dinner tonight at http://www.anticabottegadelvino.net/; amazing wine list.