1149 Best Restaurants in Italy

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. 

The name doesn't exactly mean "old dive," but it comes pretty close. The recipes here come from "wise grandmothers" and celebrate Tuscan food in its glorious simplicity—prosciutto is sliced to order, grilled meats are tender, service is friendly, and the wine list is well-priced and good. This lively trattoria has been around only since 1979, but it feels as if it's been in existence much longer. Reservations are a good idea.

Renowned local culinary experts run this cove-ceilinged trattoria, where traditional Salentine cuisine is treated with both respect and originality. The white-walled interior is stark, but there's plenty of character in the simple, tasty fare and the gregarious chatter of local families. Menu mainstays include ciciri a tria (homemade pasta partly boiled and partly fried, with chickpeas), rice with potatoes and mussels, and crispy deep-fried squid.

Housed within a landmark Belle Epoque building—originally a lido—right on the beach, this semiformal restaurant offers a memorable dining experience, not least for its broad terrace with unrivaled views of sea and mountains. The menu is strong on seafood, including such dishes as couscous with seared whitefish simmered in a sauce of fresh tomato pesto and almonds, while among the meat choices is a fillet of beef cooked in red wine with a saffron potato mousse. A good selection of antipasti and salads is also available.

Though there's a full menu of pasta and fish or meat-based mains, those in the know head to this restaurant on Via Veneto specifically for the award-winning pizza. The decor is a bit over the top, and the prices are a little higher than at the average pizzeria, but it's a great option in this neighborhood. The Neapolitan-style pizzas come with a range of toppings, from standards like a margherita to creative pies like the Oro d'Ischia, which features two types of cheese, pollen, and fig jam from Ischia.

Alternative describes more than the decor and name at Altriménti. But there are the scarlet velvet Three Wise Monkeys (See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil) to greet you, evocative bright prints from contemporary Italian artists, that same scarlet for walls, stairs, and cushions, and fluted cardboard stools for resting handbags table-side in the bright main dining room that can seat 30. But in a neighborhood not known for its culinary prowess, the team behind Altriménti (with an impressive culinary resume with guidance by renowned chef Eugenio Boer) has also created a seasonally changing menu and wine list that takes the best of Italian regions such as baccalà mantecato (mashed cod, Veneto), crusco pepper (crunchy red pepper, Basilicata), and polenta (Piedmont) to create direct dishes with complex flavors, as nettles, lemongrass, and lime also grace white discs served on white linens. Alongside slow-cooked meats, seared seafood, and house made ravioli, there is Lombardy's classic risotto carnaroli allo zafferano (saffron risotto) with beef jus and Piedmont's vitello tonato (veal filet with tuna sauce). Mixed-to-order gelato and sorbet make dessert worth saving room for. 

Heralded as one of Italy's classic gourmet restaurants, Ambasciata (Italian for "embassy") emphasizes elegance in tiny Quistello, 20 km (12 miles) southeast of Mantua. Those who are willing to make the trek (and pay the bill) can order à la carte or opt for the tasting menu (from €80) with an ever-changing array of traditionally inspired creations, such as the famed tortelli di zucca (pumpkin tortelli with pumpkin cream, almond cookies, and Parmigiano-Reggiano), or mains like guinea fowl with mostarda, and roast pigeon with 25-year reserve balsamic vinegar.

Hidden in a piazzetta just down the street from the Ponte Vecchio, this colorful eatery has a variety of sandwiches (both hot and cold, most of which are served on five-grain bread), crostini, salads, and various tartares. Vegetarian and vegan options abound, but the kitchen also has a way with Italian cured meats. The cocktail list is impressive and includes a lengthy list of variations on the Spritz, served here in Mason jars.

Here, you can take your pick of the pizzas and pasta dishes, or ask the owners to whip up a panino incorporating some of the excellent cheeses, vegetables, and meats on display. The uniformly high-quality ingredients make up for the spartan surroundings.

The dishes vary depending on what's fresh and available, and all the ingredients (and the wines) are organic at this vegan's and vegetarian's paradise in a leafy courtyard off Piazza Bellini. The grilled seitan or the fried pumpkin in late summer are good bets, but if you want to try a bit of everything that's currently on offer, the piatto unico (mixed plate) has up to seven concoctions.

Inside the high-ceilinged courtyard of the department store T Fondaco dei Tedeschi, this café from the Alajmo brothers team, designed by Philippe Starck, makes for a refreshing respite from the Rialto hustle and bustle outside. Stop by for a coffee and dessert or an aperitivo, or for hungrier palates, a good selection of pasta, pizza, and salads.

Communal garden tables and atrium seating make for a pleasant stop for a coffee and pastry, light lunch, or aperitif. Baked goods, such as apple and frangipane (almond cream) cake and sourdough bread for sandwiches and tagliere plates (with local cheese, salumi, and lake fish), are made daily in-house. There's a friendly local atmosphere and the restaurant's staff are supported by the nonprofit organization Comet, which provides jobs for young adults and teens with disabilities. Proceeds from the cookies and pies for sale to take away also benefit the organization.

For a quick lunch, stop by this eatery right off the port. It specializes in sandwiches, fish burgers, and five different options for fritto misto. 

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.

Two warm young people with a passion for traditional Neapolitan and internationally influenced, innovative baking, make this a fab pit-stop pasticceria, with a sunny terrace. Among the quirky treats are Guinness cake, apple maple cake, and cute tiramisu cakes that can be eaten in the cheery, pastel-shaded space or on the sunny terrace.

Off the main concourse on one of the most tranquil fondamente of Cannaregio, this small, family-run osteria is the place to stop for artful seafood and meat dishes in a romantic setting. Book a table among the wooden tables, columns, and mosaic floor of the rustic yet elegant dining room or right by the calming canal.

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Santa Croce, with a few tables under an ivy shelter, the Antica Besseta dates from the 19th century, and it retains some of its old feel. The menu focuses on vegetables and fish, according to what's at the market, with some pasta and meat dishes, too. The fish is not all local, but it is served with a tasty sauce and is well prepared. The menu tends toward the elegant and original; speck made from goose, for example, or cheese foam, are not to be found everywhere.

Come for the beer—several varieties are brewed in-house and served in this charismatic beer hall—and stay for the meals that include wursts, meat and cheese platters, pizzas, and huge salads. Smaller wood-paneled dining rooms and a summer terrace allow for more peaceful dining.

Marble-top tables, cast-iron ovens, and walls adorned with turn-of-the-20th-century black-and-white photographs characterize this neighborhood bakery, celebrated for the Sicilian snacks and inexpensive meals it has been doling out since 1834. The big pot on the counter holds the delicious regional specialty pani cà meusa (boiled calf's spleen with caciocavallo cheese and salt), but the squeamish can opt for chickpea fritters or enormous arancini. There are tables in the piazza in front of the lovely facade of the church of San Francesco d'Assisi, as well as in the two capacious rooms upstairs.

Across the road from the Abbey of San Nilo is one of Grottaferrata's most esteemed restaurants, which has been run by the Consoli family since 1989. The decor is rustic but stylish, with plants hanging from the ceiling and rows of polished antique copper pans and molds decorating the walls. In the cooler months, a wood-burning stove adds to the cozy ambience. 

This food van, parked at the start of the main boulevard Viale della Vittoria, has been selling pane e panelle (soft bread rolls stuffed with deep-fried chickpea flour fritters) since 1954. If you are interested in other traditional street food, look out for the Grattatella van (ice shaved to order and served in cups with fruit syrups) and U Panuzzu Ca Meusa (soft rolls with spleen, lemon, and ricotta), both of which have no fixed place, but the Grattatella is often in the resort of San Leone in the summer, while U Panuzzo can be found at lots of local summer events.

For a cornucopia of baked goods, the Lamonica-Ricciardello family operates the best-value bet in Capo d'Orlando. There's no seating, so it's takeaway only, but you can feast your eyes and salivary glands on a bountiful choice of sweet treats like brioche and various biscotti, both soft and hard, as well as savory bites—including arancini and pizzette. 

This pastry shop, set on a pretty little piazza, is run by the sister of the town's most famous baker-nun, Maria Grammatico, and sells similar delectable treats.

Visitors to Caprarola's landmark Palazzo Farnese often round out the experience with a hearty meal at this celebrated trattoria. There's a cozy, familial atmosphere inside, and when the weather permits, a pleasant seating area outside.

This place, which has been in the Papei family for three generations, attracts both locals and visitors with basic but fine Sienese specialties and reasonable prices. Tucked away behind the Palazzo Pubblico in a square that serves as a parking lot for most of the day, the restaurant's location isn't great, but the food is; thanks to portable heaters, there is outdoor seating all year-round.

Vintage wooden furniture and peach-color walls evoke the homey charm of this small family-run trattoria in a pedestrians-only alley. A faithful clientele keeps the kitchen busy, so get here early to grab a table and order Ligurian specialties—fresh pasta, pesto, and vegetable and seafood dishes.

Both the food and the service are outstanding at this popular small, brick-vaulted eatery next to the Duomo. Particular attention is paid to adapting traditional Umbrian cuisine to the modern palate, and there's also a nice variety of seafood dishes on the menu, both à la carte and in good-value tasting menus—the pacchero (pasta with smoked eggplant, cod, and scampi) is a real treat.

The gilded Antico Caffè once served as an intellectual haunt for famous writers like D.H. Lawrence and Grazia Deledda, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1926. With its street-front terrace and polished-wood interior, it has anchored the base of the Bastione di St. Remy since 1855, serving as a social center from breakfast time until well after midnight; the menu features local fish and meat specialties. You can also get pastas, salads, and such desserts as tiramisu and elaborate artisanal gelato concoctions. 

One of the most refined restaurants in the Castelli Romani has been in the same family since 1882. Its dining room windows open onto a breathtaking view across Lake Albano to the conical peak of Monte Cavo. In winter a log fire blazes in a corner; in summer you can dine on the flower-filled terrace. Be sure to ask for a tour of their famous winding cellars, carved into the volcanic rock below the restaurant and home to a small wine museum.