We are staying in Montepulciano for 3 nights and would love to hear of any recommendations for a favorite restaurant. Thanks!

La Grotta - next to the white church just outside of town to the west (towards Pienza).

Stu Dudley

Stu beat me to it--I totally concur--as usual. The church is San Biagio.

Another big thumbs up for La Grotta. Be sure to make reservations.

Not in the same league as La Grotta but we liked Osteria Acquacheta. Polizano was nice for breakfast.

La Grotta - no question!

The view from Caffe Poliziano was spectacular at lunch, and we enjoyed the dining room with its tall ceilings, big french doors, and banquettes.

Caffe Poliziano was beautiful and so were the views but the sandwiches we had a lunch were awful. We LOVED La Grotta, charming and delicious.

I agree with the above posters about Poliziano...the food was really a disappointment.....however, the owner has his wonderful art collection on all the dining room walls....I concentrated on that!

What's the average cost of a meal at La Grotta, excluding wine?

For a nice casual lunch--great ribollita soup, pasta and some good game dishes, we like Diva e Maceo. Just in from the main porta on the left side heading up the hill. Nothing fancy--just the sort of food you'd get at grandma's house.

We loved Il Cittina! We went there twice during our stay. It's very small and casual, but the food is delicious.

We loved A GAMBE DE GATO.....very small place run by a husband and wife...she does the cooking and he waits on you. Along with the fabulus food you get an education of local foods and wines. Very resonable and delicious. Definitely need reservations.

Maybe its because Osteria Aquacheta has been so close to the apartment we have rented on several occasions or maybe its because I finally broke down and tried their bistecca fiorentina and realized what the fuss was all about--but its been our favorite for many years. Not refined dining by any stretch of the imagination but in meeting locals who have driven quite a distance to this eatery, we have been convinced of its value and quality. Would not miss a chance to return and am looking forward to it in June.
Now about La Grotta--looks and sounds good--what is the expected fare per person without wine?

I agree about Osteria Aquacheta. It's my favorite.

Thank you for all your responses. We will definitely visit La Grotta, Osteria Aquacheta,and Gambe de Gato. We'll try breakfast at Poliziano!

From my 2008 trip report:

In Montepulciano, we ate at:

1. Diveo e Maceo: I had seen negative posts about this place but we had no complaints. The food was a bit plain. I would call it a success... but a middling one. Not a huge amount of atmosphere. Hearty cooking e.g. : tagliatelle with sugo al cinghiale (wild boar sauce); ribollito with ceci, cabbage and tomatoes; lamb chop with wilted spinach as contorno.

2. Osteria del Conte: Lovely room, very nice service. Its rather remote location to one side of the Piazza Grande, high atop Montepulciano, may be a disincentive. Anyway, it was not overfull the night we dined there.

They do nice grills, eg grigliata di maiale (sausage, chops and ribs) served with a green salad. With 2 course, wine, water, cantucci (NA = biscotti) and vin santo, we paid 61 Euros.

3. Osteria del Cagnano: Super-popular place -- many go for the pizzas but this is a full-service restaurant with great food.

I salivate on re-reading what we ate the first night: Tagliatelle all anatra (with artichokes + large chips of duck); pici all aglione (very garlicky pasta);

(NOTE: sthg has gone wrong with my keyboard and it has switched over to French, hence I have no access to apostrophes; Yes, I know all aglione needs an apostrophe)

Seconds: Stracciate di manzo -- strips of beef with tiny tomatoes and arugula; Abbachio al forno.

With these seconds, we ordered grilled melanzane (eggplant), zucchini and peperoncini + cipolle glissate (sp. -- perhaps glassate) -- onions in a rich vinegary brown broth.

Another night our main course was a mixed grill for two: chicken, beef, lamb chops and pork sausage -- again we ordered the contorni listed above.

Two abundant courses, wine, water, 2 contorni + a digestif offered by the owner = 53 Euros.

3. Le Logge del Vignola: Some say it is the best food in town. This is a little temple of gastronomy -- very serious, very correct but not at all stuffy, in fact very friendly and solicitous.

You start with sparkling wine before the meal and an amuse-bouche (a tiny cup of cauliflower chowder with a minute crisp or tuile).

Sample main course: Carre of lamb on a bed of black Venere rice, cooked with black olives + a sformata (flan) of zucchini.

4. Acquachetta: Well, everyone has heard of this outlandish place, where the ponytailed owner does-says-serves what he likes and locals and tourists alike flock to enjoy it.

The place was packed; we found ourselves at a table for 4 with a nice local couple, who were enjoying themselves but were not overwhelmed by the food. Neither was I -- except for an exceptional side-dish of fennel in a Bechamel sauce.

But it is very well run, lively, inexpensive -- a fun evening, especially in a group.

My DH and I enjoy Ristorante Fattoria Pulcino, about 1.5 km outside Montepulciano on Strada Statale 146. It has a wine & speciality food shop attached to the restaurant (and a food/wine store in the town of Montepulciano). We ususally have the cheeses/salumi, pici (a thick spaghetti) with sauce, a grilled meat and their vino nobile.

Another thought if you really want to treat yourself is La Chiusa in Montefallonica (12km from Montepulciano) It is expensive, but you can sit at a beautiful table outside and your view is Montepulciano.

I have my list. Thank you all-I will make a note of our favorites and add my opinions when we return!