1178 Best Restaurants in Italy

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.

This salumeria shrink-wraps their own pork products, making it a snap to take home some salame di cinghiale (wild boar salami).

In addition to serving the usual array of sandwiches, salads, pastries, and gelato, this caffè—conveniently situated at the No. 660 bus stop on the corner of Via di Cecilia Metella—has teamed up with Bicycle Roma to rent bikes to use on the Appian Way and arranges guided tours (book via  www.bicycleroma.com). There's lots of outside seating in the back, where your meal will be accompanied by birdsong.

Located above the boat yard at the far end of the lungomare, this eatery's second-floor dining room offers a unique perspective on Aci Trezza. Light permeates the room thanks to the open balcony at the front of the building, which gives an alfresco feel even though you're indoors (a nice compromise in the heat of August). Go for the pasta and grilled seafood; the grilled calamari is particularly good. 

One of the next-gen pizzerias taking over the Eternal City, this place has locals buzzing about its superlative Neapolitan-style pies and colorful, punchy design. High-quality ingredients sourced from Campania, including mozzarella from Agerola and San Marzano tomatoes, top the pizzas, which range from a traditional margherita to the "tartufata" with mozzarella, truffle cream, porcini mushrooms, guanciale, and basil.

A short walk from the excavations—tucked away in the charming walled medieval borgo of Ostia Antica next to the Castello di Giulio II—this cozy trattoria is an ideal spot to restore your energy with some seasonal dishes and Roman specialties. On warm days, request an outdoor table.

The panoramas from this Michelin-starred restaurant atop the Palazzo Manfredi Hotel are undeniably stunning; it's the best unobstructed view of the Colosseum in Rome, so ask for a table on the terrace. With chef Giuseppe Di Iorio's tasting menus, each dish is an innovative twist on Italy's top cuisine. Service is attentive without being obtrusive, and it all adds up to a dining experience not soon forgotten.

On the southern tip of the island, the Asino Beach lido (beach club) is surrounded by palm trees and vegetation along a particularly beautiful stretch of volcanic sand. They offer everything from great pizzas (plus salads) and refreshing cocktails to beach chair and umbrella service.

While vegetarian and vegan restaurants are few and far between in Palermo, this airy spot in the modern town not only fits the bill but also will entice the most die-hard of carnivores. Spacious and contemporary in style, with a profusion of plants set against green walls and a gentle soundtrack of 1970s rock in the background, it offers dishes as diverse as vegetable lasagna, involtini alla Palermitana (seitan rolls stuffed with raisins and pine nuts), and curries, as well as a range of plant-based burgers. It makes the perfect stop for a light lunch or dinner.

If you need a break from Venice's abundant fish and pasta, head to this smokehouse for barbecue ribs, smoked pulled pork, pastrami, and chicken gyro. Vegetarians and vegans will enjoy the smoked eggplant with hummus on a bun, fried jalapeños, and more. A small outdoor countertop is the only option for eating on-site; otherwise your purchase is takeout.

For a hot-out-of-the-oven sfogliatella, Naples's tasty ricotta-filled pastry, try the justifiably famous Attanasio (you can grab one as soon as you get off the train). Note, though, that this place is slightly hidden away off Piazza Garibaldi and shouldn't be confused with the touristy restaurant of the same name on the piazza itself.

Often frequented by celebrities, whose photographs adorn the walls inside and out, the island's oldest restaurant offers courtesy and simpatia (irrespective of your star status), a sleekly minimalist interior, and tables outside along a chic thoroughfare. The cognoscenti start by sharing a pizza all'Acqua—thin-crust, with mozzarella and a sprinkling of peperoncino (chili)—but the gnocchetti al pesto con fagiolini croccanti e pinoli (dumplings with pesto, beans, and pine nuts) and homemade sweets are good, too. Often open until 2 am, the swanky Aurora Bar across the way serves aperitivi and light meals.

Cheese sprinkled with flower petals, jars of jewel-tone sauces, and dramatically lit salumi are just some of the high-quality products that dazzle behind Aventina’s swanky deli counter. Everything is available to purchase and take away for a gourmet picnic, but the best way to sample the spread is as a tagliere (meat and cheese platter) in the contemporary dining room before moving on to the standout pasta dishes. While there are some vegetarian options, the butcher counter offers a clue that the menu has a meat-y focus.

Located at the base of the Spanish Steps, this family-run English-style tea house has catered to the refined tea and scone cravings of travelers since 1893. The blends are carefully designed and can be brought to your homey table accompanied by a tower of tiny sandwiches, a fully loaded salad, a club sandwich, or curry. Linger over a slice of homemade cake, and ask the server about the history of the tearooms.

For good food at reasonable prices around the Trevi Fountain, this Paris-inspired brasserie—open for lunch, dinner, and everything in between—is a great bet. Although it emphasizes seafood, the extensive menu has something for everyone, from salads to pasta and entrées. For lunch, the lobster roll is a fan favorite. The full bar has an impressive list of poured or mixed drinks.

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. 

Named after a locally born 19th-century pirate, this maritime-theme enoteca and antipasto bar is popular with locals and tourists looking for typical regional dishes, soups, and fresh seafood. They also offer terrific sandwiches to go, and there's a lengthy wine list.

This unpretentious restaurant and beach club on Citara Beach offers a range of fresh, reasonably priced seafood served with lively local wine. If you want something light, this is the place to come—there's no need to order a full Mediterranean splurge.

This tiny café is located right in the square just below Castello di Sperlinga, and is an excellent place to grab a quick drink, panino, or light meal. The bar owner is also very helpful with visitors and acts as the unofficial tourist information office.

This corner of Campo Santo Stefano is a pleasant place to sit and watch the Venetian world go by. The café staff are in constant motion, so you'll receive your coffee, spritz, panino (a sandwich warmed on a griddle), or tramezzino (sandwich on untoasted white bread, usually with a mayonnaise-based filling) in short order; consume it at your leisure at one of the outdoor tables, at the bar, or at the tables in the back. As in most bars, it is better to stick to cold dishes.

At lunch and dinner time, this social hub for San Miniatans turns into a full-blown trattoria serving up local specialties. You can't go wrong with any of the wonderful panini, which are made with bread baked on-site and which you can eat seated at a table with a splendid valley view.

A steady crowd has kept Caravatti's baristas pulling espresso shots and mixing up its signature aperitif since 1865. The secret Caravatti concoction of wine and herbs—among them, white wormwood and hibiscus—is paired with snacks during the predinner aperitif hour; for breakfast, there's a wide selection of pastries and sandwiches. Grab an outdoor table facing Piazza del'Erbe for prime people-watching.