32 Best Restaurants in The Amalfi Coast, Italy

On a little beach where pirates once built and launched boats (the pirates are long gone, but their descendants now operate a free ferry to and from Positano every half hour in the morning), this laid-back trattoria has long been a favorite. Sit on the wooden terrace beneath a straw canopy to enjoy totani con patate (squid and potatoes with garlic and oil), then sip white wine with peaches until sundown. Da Adolfo gets busy, so ask your hotel to book a table for you: personal reservations are often not honored.

Ravello's best and most popular ice cream is so good it seems to make your baffone (mighty moustache) curl. All the fave flavors are here and pack a punch, including dark chocolate, stracciatella, caramel, and pistachio, as well as novel recipes like cheesecake, caffè, lime cream, and lemon crumble. Served here is the traditional Sicilian specialty of scoops of gelato in a split brioche roll, a popular breakfast-time sweet.

Featuring, as its name suggests, stunning views of sky, sea, and land and run by the fourth generation of the famiglia Cavaliere (sommelier Giuseppe, front-of-house manager Antonio, and chef Marco), this restaurant just outside of town serves exquisite dishes made with fresh local produce—often from its own orto garden and the sea below. Many diners opt for the aromatic theater al tavolo of the signature spaghetti al cartoccio dal 1965 (spaghetti with clams, olives, capers, tomatoes, and oregano), which the ever-smiling Antonio removes from baking paper, mixes, and serves.

Established in 1958, this buzzy family-run place pairs generations of tradition and genuine love of hospitality with ever-evolving innovation, reflected in the exceptional takes on classic Neapolitan dishes and the stylish, up-to-date yet rustic decor. Expect warm banter with busy staff, who greet passersby while introducing a menu with both sea and robust land mainstays such as grilled octopus, linguine with anchovies, lamb chops with braised artichokes, and eggplant Parmesan.

Wrought-iron gates open from scenic Via Pasitea into Next2's bianco e nero–chic courtyard, replete with a cocktail bar and a cozy salon filled with wine bottles and prime window seats for sunset views. Calmly charming Carmela and her friendly crew, including a young, talented chef in the semi-open kitchen, deliver elegant, subtly flavored creations including: grilled octopus antipasto with green beans and potato foam, a flavor-packed Datterino tomato spaghettoni and—spigola al vapore (steamed seabass wrapped in an eye-catching zucchini jacket served with baby vegetables).

Amalfi's famed historic pasticceria (est.1830) is a must-visit for a breakfast capuccino and sflogliatella or lip-smacking limoncello with delizia al limone dessert. For the full indulgence grab a table outside, but remember it's a lot cheaper and atmospheric consuming al banco (at the bar) watching the patrons and smartly attired baristi.

Although open for lunch, this reliable restaurant and its wonderful staff—tellingly popular with the Positanesi—truly comes into its own in the evening. Living up to its name, the ambience is distinctly Moorish without being kitschy; wood-fired pizza and hearty costiera seafood dishes dominate the menu. The outside tables are on the opposite side of Via Pasitea—great for experiencing the bustle that is Positano, but if you're sensitive to the smell of car exhaust, sit inside or away from the street.

Atrani's most reliable option (since 1986), where each day's fare depends entirely on the seafood catch and is elegantly presented, is an intimate place on the main walkway at the back of the piazza. White coved ceilings and immaculate linens are offset by a colorful naive-art mural of fishermen mending paranze (trawler nets).

Locals along this part of the coast rave about this tiny restaurant a short stroll up from the harbor. The environment is modest—a spare interior with a few tables—but the seafood served is remarkably fresh.

Occupying part of a former convent, this restaurant opened in the 1960s receives glowing reviews for its varied and tasty preparations involving anchovies. For the adventurous there are dishes such as spaghetti con colatura (with a modern version of garum); less adventurous types can try one of the excellent pizzas made in a wood-fired oven. Book a terrace table or take a pew under the soaring arches and faded frescoes.

Amalfi's historic pasticceria is famed for its candied fruits and assortment of tempting Neapolitan pastries. If you have no time to linger and indulge at their piazza tables, order at the bar for a cheaper stand-up coffee and sflogliatella (shell-shaped pastry) fix.

Opened in 1930, this longtime favorite named for the Greek god of wine is, appropriately, run by the Cuomo wine family. The terrace has one of the coast's best views, and the menu features simple but delicious mountain and sea fare, including ferrazzuoli alla Nannarella (named after actress Anna Magnani, a past patron, and featuring fresh pasta with tomatoes, tuna, swordfish, and pine nuts) and vermicelli cu o' pesce fujuto, a dish with no fish despite its moniker (the flavor of the local tomatoes provides the piscine parfumo). They also have various comfortable accommodation options for a gastronomic stay. 

More than just a place to wait for the bus—it's at the main SITA Chiesa Nuova bus stop—Bar Internazionale is a meeting place for locals and visitors alike, a happy spot where you can read newspapers from several countries while nursing a creamy cappuccino. Many visitors experience Positano only in a tourism bubble, so this is good spot to mingle with working positanesi.

With an outdoor terrace overlooking the Spiaggia Grande, this is an ideal stop for a coffee, a sandwich, or an ice cream. By night, the latest music pumps from the stereo and the clamor of sporting events blares from the large-screen TVs, as movers, groovers, and soccer fans from around the globe sip cocktails after a hard day on the beach.

Reaching this beach club might take some effort—by boat or steep steps—but the seaside views, warm welcome, and simple but incredibly fresh crudo di mare (raw) and cooked seafood dishes (fried, grilled, and in pasta) are just rewards. By day, it's an enchanting spot for lunch or quick bites between dips; on summer evenings, there's often live music.

Although it caters to day-tripping coachloads, this nautically themed restaurant, whose waiters wear sailor uniforms, is a local institution that's hard to beat for its sceney location right on the Spiaggia Grande. The people-watching is good (Denzel Washington is reportedly a regular), and the friendly staff is happy to guide you through specialties such as zuppa di pesce (fish soup) and spaghetti con ricci di mare (spaghetti with sea urchins).

Diners in the know have sung the praises of this understated landmark since 1872. Imaginative sauces turn plates of risotto and paccheri pasta into one-off culinary experiences; tile floors, white tablecloths, and a terrace set above the main street create a soothing ambience.

Run by the owners of the Marina Riviera hotel, Eolo is one of the Amalfi Coast's most sophisticated restaurants, with fantastic views to match. The decor is calming if slightly unusual—with white-cove ceilings, Romanesque columns, mounted starfish—and many of the dishes are adorned with blossoms and other visual allures. Nothing, though, compares to the view of Amalfi's harbor from one of the tables in Eolo's picture-window alcove. If you don't land one of these, don't fret—the entire room is pretty enough as it is.

A landmark restaurant located in an equally well-known hotel on the Marina di Praia cove occupies a semi-rustic flagstone structure that once was a dry haul for boats. Expect especially eye-catching plates and imaginative flavor combinations in their antipasti and the seafood pastas, as well as a tasting-menu option for dinner. Outside, colorful boats, renovated fishermen's dwellings, and the chasm's sheer rock walls catch the eye.

Right on Piazza Duomo, this café is a popular pit stop for coffee, sfogliatelle pastries, and ice cream, as well as simple pasta dishes, salads, and pizze. With an alfresco area and three guest rooms, this is a favorite of locals and visitors alike.

In the tiny town square of Montepertuso, 1,500 feet up the mountainside from Positano (call for the free shuttle service to and from), the Ritrovo has been noted for its cucina for more than 20 years. The menu showcases food from both the sea and the hills: try the scialatielli ai frutti di mare accompanied by well-grilled vegetables; the house specialty zuppa saracena, a paella-like affair brimming with assorted seafood; and the lemon tiramisu, perhaps paired with one of 80 different kinds of a homemade liqueur, including carob and chamomile options.

Two bronze lions flanking the steps hint at a refined restaurant experience. Indeed, in its light-filled dining room or on its intimate terrace, La Cambusa serves lighter, more elegant seafood dishes (linguine with mussels and fish with potatoes and tomato sauce are favorites) than its "pack-em-in" Spiaggia Grande neighbors. However, you are still paying extra for its superb position. 

Under the old fishermen's arches of Atrani you can choose from an extensive menu that features great-value seafood scialatielli, paccheri, and other primi as well as 20-odd wood-fired pizza options. Get a table on the large beach-view terrace to lean over and see where your meal came from.

Open since 1949, this airy, popular restaurant on Amalfi's almost-emerald waterfront dishes out reasonably priced seafood and cucina tipica Amalfitana (Amalfi Coast cuisine) such as lemon and zucchine tagliatelle alla Nerano and excellent grilled fish. You can see the boats bringing in the day's catch, and at night pizza is served on the terrace amid the twinkling lights of hills, sea, and sky.

With classic Neapolitan seafood fare and a buzzy terrace with live music, this popular place on Viale Pasitea is a solid and enjoyable option. Dine outside amid a smart white and blue maritime-themed decor on salty staples such as spaghetti alle vongole (clams), calamari alla brace (grilled squid), and zuppa di cozze (mussel soup).

The exquisite contemporary Neapolitan food has splashes of visual and taste-bud-smacking vibrancy reflected in the sleek but stylish dining room and buzzy covered terrace. This relative newbie is a wee bit pricier than many of the more well-established places, but dishes like crispy pork belly with broccoli rabe and Annurca apple, and egg tagliolini with buffalo butter and black truffle, can make it worth the gamble. 

A long spacious terrace overlooking the sea is the main feature of this simple yet superb-value spot—part of the family-friendly Hotel Pupetto, most of whose guest rooms have lovely water views, too. Feast on fresh grilled seafood and tasty pizza under lemon trees along Spiaggio di Fornillo and almost within octopus-tentacle grasp of your lounge chair.

Adjacent to the Hotel Graal and sharing the same glorious view of the Bay of Salerno, this restaurant has a large terrace and a contemporary-styled dining area beside an open kitchen. Seasonal Campanian produce is transformed into some of the most exquisite plates in town, and the friendly staff knows their fagioli.

About 1,400 feet above sea level on the Path of the Gods, this low-key place in the dreamy hamlet of Nocelle delivers fortifying, superb-value plates to hikers and adventurous day-trippers. Try to get a window seat so that you can gaze over Positano, Li Galli islands, and the Fariglioni of Capri while sampling fresh pastas, seafood, and grilled meats; homemade desserts; or, on Saturday evening, exquisite pizza made in an olive-wood-fired oven.

With its white awnings and prime location on the beach (where you can rent sun beds), Stella Maris is likely the first restaurant you'll encounter on arriving in Amalfi. Dine or enjoy an aperitivo on the terrace, in front of the glass walls or on the beach—all the while gazing at the fishing boats bobbing in the bay or the sun worshipers tanning on the shore.