1149 Best Restaurants in Italy

Right near the Vatican Metro stop, the "Island of Pizza" is also known for its copious antipasti. Ask for the house appetizers, and a waiter will swoop down numerous plates of salad, seafood, bruschetta, prosciutto, and crispy pizza bianca to choose from. Though it's easy to fill up on starters—you can order just one, or a selection for a fixed price—the pizza is dependably good, and meat lovers appreciate the steak.

This innovative, charming place serves up remarkable food and is a must if you're looking for a sublime bistecca alla fiorentina. The wine list, as befits the love child of a fine enoteca, is divine.

Romans are starting to recognize Monteverde as a foodie hub, and this trattoria is one of the neighborhood's outstanding spots. The food ranges from the classics to carefully thought-out modern creations, but whatever you order, the quality of the produce shines. Dishes include hearty pastas, toasted veal tongue, and delicious onion soup. Desserts like cinnamon and pear cheesecake or tiramisu pair well with the selection of local dessert wines, like moscato from Terracina, a coastal town not far from Rome.

The candlelit tables on this romantic campo are inviting enough, but it's the intimate restaurant's imaginative kitchen that's likely to win you over; you can order consistently excellent pasta, fish, or meat dishes à la carte or opt for one of the rewarding tasting menus. The wine list is ample and well thought out, and the service is gracious, warm, and professional.

Locals crowd into this tiny place, which has a lovely view, to feast on lunches and dinners featuring treats from the sea. Antipasti such as raw oysters or code di manzancolle (deep-fried shrimp) are perfect starters, followed by delicious pasta dishes or succulent mixed fry. Finish your meal with sgroppino (lemon sorbet pureed with vodka) to help cleanse the palate.

At this perfect place for a lunchtime snack, you point to what you want in the tempting glass counter and pay for it at the cash desk. Among the specialties are the usual frittura, tangy cheese pies (sfoglino al formaggio), pizza scarola (an escarole pie with black olives), and omelets stuffed with spinach, peppers, or onions. If you can't find a seat, you can stand against the wall, as some customers do, or just get your order to go and enjoy your meal outside.

Under the same ownership as the Ristorante Museo Caruso, this budget alternative—in a tiny alley between piazzas Tasso and St. Antonino—offers the same wine list (about 1,700 labels) plus a bountiful choice of hearty Italian dishes. Its main salon is decorated with modern paintings of an erupting Vesuvius (there's outdoor seating as well), but the smaller room on the opposite side of the road is more romantic, with a tiny balcony overlooking the tortuous road to the harbor.

A quite subdued place, La Bettola has walls with wooden shelves full of Sicilian wine, white linen tablecloths, elegant cutlery, and service imbued with the ease of tradition. The focus, inevitably, is on local fish, including swordfish and anchovies, with seafood pasta and other seafood main courses, several featuring the red prawns for which Mazara is known. It is largely frequented by locals, although in the summer travelers will be attracted to the outdoor terrace. 

Lots of shaded outdoor seating makes this a pleasant place for lunch on a warm day. Pecorino cheese, spicy salami, and grilled vegetables sott'olio (preserved in olive oil) are served cafeteria-style. And, if you want something even spicier, the stuffed hot peppers are delicious. There is a good selection of wine, but the choice of desserts is limited, and they don't serve coffee.

Jazz plays softly in the background as you sip wine and dine either indoors, at rustic tables amid exposed brick-and-stone walls, or alfresco with a splendid view of the Piazza del Duomo. Typical wine-bar fare, such as plates of cured ham and cheese, shares the menu with a surprisingly sophisticated list of daily specials. For example, you might try insalatina con foie gras condita con vinaigrette (foie gras with dressed greens).

Inside a 13th-century palazzo, chef–owner Romano Magi prepares Tuscan and Arezzo specialities with a slow-food ethos. Beef is king with Magi sourcing high-quality IGP Chianina for all his raw, grilled, and roasted dishes. 

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. 

This well-known trattoria–wineshop sees everyone from foodies to students and professors from the nearby university. The menu on the wall's blackboard changes daily, but there is always a good selection of pasta, meat, fish, and vegetable side dishes. Go for a plate of pasta e fagioli or octopus salad and fried anchovies with a carafe of a good local wine.

Another of the island's hidden gems is the lovely restaurant at La Canna, a casual dining option that offers down-home cooking, a homey environment, and spectacular sea views. There is no menu as chef and hotel owner Grazia decides on a whim what she feels like cooking that particular day (based on what is seasonal and fresh) but whatever that ends up being is guaranteed to be packed full of flavor, as everything used is either from their very own garden on the premises or from local vendors from surrounding islands and in Sicily. It's open to nonguests.

This cozy former cantina with wood paneling, a fireplace, and local maritime memorabilia serves some of the best dishes in town. Using the bounty of the two bays that frame the village, its chefs create inventive menus with standout mains, which include expertly seasoned fish, as well as such starters as spaghetti with anchovies and gnocchetti alla Sorrentina (with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil) and some great desserts. The wine list is primarily Ligurian. The nearby Polpo Mario, on Via XXV Aprile, is under the same ownership and has the same menu.

With a balanced array of land-based dishes, owner--manager Gaetano's unpretentious eatery attracts students and young professionals, mainly regulars from the school of medicine around the corner. It's busy and small (expect to share a table—and if your fellow diners are not shy, why should you be?), but the prices can't be beat, and the daily selection of a good dozen vegetable side plates merits a detour of its own, even if you're not a vegetarian.

On Sunday afternoon, this old-fashioned farmhouse-esque trattoria teems with lively Italian families. Grilled meats are the house specialty, and if you have room for dessert, the kitchen whips up a mean tiramisu. Eat in the dining room, or choose a shady table in the garden overlooking the vineyards.

Although it's not primarily a restaurant, a luncheon dominated by fresh seafood and vegetables in the covered pavilion of this legendary bathing lido of the Marina Piccola is Capri at its most picture-perfect. With two seawater pools, a rocky beach, and I Faraglioni in the distance, it was the erstwhile haunt of Gracie Fields, Emilio Pucci, Noël Coward, and any number of 1950s and '60s glitterati. There are five suites available, too, in case a day at the beach-club is not enough. Boats also depart from here for the more exclusive Da Luigi, the lido-restaurant at the base of I Fariglioni.

A large glass wall to the kitchen and massive skylight in the dining room hint at the contemporary leanings of this restaurant built atop the ruins of the Baths of Agrippa behind the Pantheon. The emphasis here is on high-quality ingredients and classic Italian culinary traditions interpreted for modern diners.

A meal at this restaurant, on the beach about a half-mile east of Corricella, encapsulates Procida's seaside simplicity. Lapping waves and views of the marina and Capri form the backdrop for the fresh seafood and vegetable creations. Access the restaurant either by foot down the steps from Via Pizzaco or by the free orange boat every two hours from the Corricella harbor front—phone the owner for times.

The celebrated site of oyster beds and fish farms in ancient times, Lake Lucrino is now the setting for this rustic trattoria. Quirky Ruggiero runs the dining room with a whimsical charm—don't be shocked if he addresses you through his megaphone or warmly embraces you when you leave—and his wife, Maria, lovingly prepares specialties from land, sea, and lake, much to the delight of the locals who tend to pack the place.

An elegantly restored monastery in the upper part of Montepulciano is home to this excellent enoteca (wine bar), which has a wide selection of wines by the glass.

The dining room here evokes the turn of the 19th century with its high ceilings, chandeliers, and damask drapes. The food shines, from the classic anolini in brodo di manzo e gallina (a local variation on tortellini in brodo) to the exquisite roast veal stuffed with prosciutto and Parmigiano-Reggiano. The friendly staff and a terrific wine list add to the enjoyment.

Although pizza made using flat, pan-cooked focaccia makes some purists wince, this place makes mouthwatering slices of the crunchy-bottomed creations with a variety of toppings. Skip the predictable tomato variations, and go for the delicious potato-and-rosemary focaccia with melted provola, perhaps washed down with a beer.

Doing a brisk trade with both stranieri and napoletani—always a good sign—this restaurant and pizzeria on the roundabout near the Circumvesuviana station is a 10-minute walk from the excavations of Herculaneum. Dishes vary according to season but always draw on local recipes: pasta e fagioli (with beans) is a winter favorite, and richly garnished schiaffoni (flat tube pasta) with seafood is a summer stalwart. If you're sensitive to traffic noise, avoid sitting at the outside tables.

Locals often crowd this small, two-room trattoria near the Piazza della Repubblica. The specialty is meaty country fare, such as coniglio (rabbit) and vitello alle noci (veal cooked with walnuts) or ai porcini (with mushrooms); there's also a good selection of pasta dishes.

Fraschetta is the name given to one of the casual, boisterous countryside spots just outside Rome, where the menu focuses on porchetta, the Italian version of roast pork. This is a city-styled version of such an establishment, and the atmosphere is typical, with waiters yelling across the room and frequently breaking into song. Order porchetta (of course) and a cheese and charcuterie board, and follow it with pasta carbonara or amatriciana. The tiramisu here, served in a jar, is worth saving room for. Don't bother asking for a wine list—the only choice is the daily house wine, served in a tumbler, as it would be at a true fraschetta.

The pizza at this neighborhood spot is Roman-style—with a thin crust, charred on the edges. All the standard toppings are available, from margherita to buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto, but try one of the newfangled combinations like ricotta and pancetta and edible wildflowers. The supplì here are outstanding, and the perfect start to a meal. There are close to 100 varieties of craft beers to choose from, and the desserts are all homemade.

You can assemble a perfect dinner, from soup to nuts, at this Florentine favorite, which specializes in whole and half chickens, grilled or roasted. Order takeout or eat in, which is what many locals do.

Little-known by tourists but popular with locals in the know, this small and select restaurant just down the street from Palazzo della Pilotta in the historic center offers up traditional Parmesan cooking with stylistic flourishes. The chef has a nice touch with classics like anolini ripieni di stracotto in brodo di cappone (dumplings stuffed with stewed meat in a capon stock) but also prepares innovative dishes. Though the dessert tray delivers stunners like a ricotta and pear pie, you might want to simply ask for Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, carved from a big wheel. Service is personal and friendly, in part because the place is tiny, and the unpretentious surroundings keep the focus on the food.