Hi everyone! we are leaving on Saturday for italy and are soooo excited.

I have made my dinner reservations but do i need to make lunch ones as well?

TY

Hi D,

In general, no, unless you're planning lunch at a very high end place.

I would disagree again with Ira. We did not eat at "high end" places in Rome and we found that it was often, but not always, important to book ahead, even by calling the same morning. If you do not have a set idea of where you want to eat, you do not need to book ahead. But if, for example, you want to try a particular place, it is always better to book ahead. If you do not book ahead and want to be sure of a table, arrive early in the lunch period to be safe.

I guess it can't hurt? i'll have the hotel call for me once we get there.

Good idea...just have them call a day ahead or even that morning. Advance reservations often result in a better table as well..when you walk into a place unreserved, even at lunch, notice all the little reservation cards perched on many of the prime tables. I know I've said this a million times, but the SlowFood website is an excellent source for well-priced restaurants in both those cities and throughout the country. The site is a bit hard to navigate but press on...

www.slowfood.it

The only reason it would "hurt" is because you are then beholden to a specific location and time, when you may be sightseeing in another part of the city, or find you want to eat later, or find an appealing restaurant while wandering. I have spent a lot of time in Rome, and I have never made a lunch reservation (and have only made dinner reservations for a special place). While I haven't spent as much time in Florence, I have been there twice, and again, have never made lunch reservations (for example, I wouldn't want to be forced to leave a museum just to get to lunch). There are plenty of restaurants in both cities, and you won't starve if you neglect to make reservations.

I agree. You will not go hungry; make the reservations only if you know where you want to eat and it is likely to be a popular place (those listed in SlowFood often are since they represent good price-quality ratios and many Italians use the guides).

I know where I want to go and i've planned my "walking" around these locations. My goal is food first with sightseeing as a close second.

You sound like my kind of traveler. If you will forgive me shameless self-promotion, you can read my food reports for both destinations:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34931625

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34743272

Eks, i read your report and i LOVED it!! I am planning to go to several restaurants that you listed: Ditirambo, Osteria Dell Angelo, Armando Pantheon and Trattoria Monti.

Which of the restaurants do you think would be most "special" for our last night there?

Also, any opinion on Florence? we only have 2 days there. I have planned lunch at Quattro Leoni and dinner at La Giostra. I can't decide on dinner the second night...the hotel recommended Buca Mario but I have mixed feelings on it.

I plan meals like people plan church visits.

demmler67, just a comment but Quattro Leone has far more tourists than locals. It is not at all special, IMO.

Have a wonderful trip

K, thanks for the input! I know it does sound touristy, but I want to try the pear pasta. That's why we're going at lunch.

Demmler, of those mentioned, I would go to Monti. I did not eat at Osteria dell Angelo, however, despite Franco's enthusiastic recommendations. It is on my list for next time!

Ditirambo is really cute with excellent food as well. One of the few I found that are open for Sunday dinner.

In Florence, I will give strong recommendations to Il Guscio, the place I alluded to above in the Oltrarno, also mentioned in my Florence/Bologna report linked above. We ate there twice in a week last January. No tourists on the nights we were there. It is a pretty place with wonderful food that I have never seen mentioned here or in any of the usual travel guides that I have read lately.

Sorry, I did not mention Il Guscio in this thread..I mentioned it in passing on another related, ongoing thread about reservations and wrote about it in my trip report linked above. It is on the south side of the Arno in a neighborhood a little off the beaten path at #49, Via dell Orto. Open only for dinner, though. Closed Mondays.

Hi D,

>I know where I want to go and i've planned my "walking" around these locations. My goal is food first with sightseeing as a close second.<

Then you are not asking about lunch on the spur of the moment, and Yes, you should make reservations.

thanks eks!

You're welcome..I love any and all opportunities to enthuse about food and wine.

il guscio sounds great. changing my reservation...i'm always skeptical of hotel chains recommending places because i can't tell if they are getting kickbacks for sending to fancy places.

ekscrunchy,

Could you tell me generally how to get started on the SlowFood website? I can't seem to find any restaurant info so far.

I will try..hopefully you can make some sense of my instructions. Be aware that is not in English.

1. Go to www.slowfood.it

2. On the left-side, in the orange column, scroll down until you see "Scelti per voi." Cick on that.

3. Click on the orange print at the top, "Scelti per Voi..Le Osterie."

4. Select a region, for example, Veneto.

5. Select a province in that region. For example,
Padua.

6. Now you will see the 6 recommended osterie in Padua. Click on any one of these for the review and details of that particular place.

All of this information and the site itself is in Italian so you need at least some grasp to read the reviews but even if you have none, you can see the lists of recommended places.

Let me know if it works. Another option is to buy the SlowFood Osterie book once you are in Italy; it will be easy to find.