1149 Best Restaurants in Italy

Following a Slow Food philosophy, this restaurant strives to be a typical Sicilian neighborhood destination in every sense, with a scene set by vintage tables, chairs, chandeliers, and a plethora of lace. In the morning, you'll find just-from-the-oven breads, pastries, fresh-squeezed juice, and goat's milk yogurt at the front counter while the restaurant's main menu pays homage to the area's distinct culinary traditions, such as donkey steaks or donkey mortadella, pastas with anchovies and breadcrumbs, and macco soup from fava beans. There's also a small bodega (putia) that sells ingredients from the producers they use.

This steak house--pizzeria, with a stylish Spanish-theme dining area of fiery toro artwork and exposed brick, is a good alternative to Sorrento's many seafood-focused restaurants. As you'd expect from the name, it has plenty of meat dishes including burgers and pork ribs, as well as a good selection of vegetarian and fish options.

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).

Without traveling across the city, you can try the creations of some of the most well-known food purveyors in Milan. Follow neon signs with sketches of the type of food on offer to pick from standbys such as risotto from Sergio Barzetti and fish from Pescheria Pedol at Milan's version of the concept food hall that's also in Florence, Rome, and Turin. The two-level industrial space with contemporary decor in black, white, red, and graffiti on the ground floor of Milan's central train station is an ideal place to eat a fresh-baked pizza or grab a drink after a long day traveling. For a quieter meal, head upstairs for even more food options and larger tables that are ideal for groups.

This gourmet food hall is in the last place you'd expect—Termini Station—and it's great for a quick bite even if you're not catching a train. There are stalls from some of Rome's best food purveyors, including Stefano Callegari (of trapizzino fame), pizzaiolo Marco Quintili, and fritti by Arcangelo Dandini. In addition to pizza, pasta, and gelato, you'll also find sushi, empanadas, hamburgers, truffle dishes, and Sicilian specialties. 

This former fruit and vegetable market, established in medieval times and transformed into a covered market after unification, has now morphed into a fancy gourmet food hall. Various outlets offer quality Bolognesi classics plus some innovations, including tortellini, gnocchi, and tortelloni at DeGusto Coop; focaccia from Bologna Food Company; panini, pasta, and cold cuts at L'Antica Bottega; and fried fish and quirky fish hamburgers at Pescheria del Pavaglione.

Patrons of this local institution have included the filmmaker Federico Fellini and that truly Neapolitan comic genius and self-styled aristocrat Totò. It's in a fairly seedy area, but it's worth taking a taxi (especially at night) to get here and sample updated versions of such classics as grilled octopus or tubettoni (short, tubular pasta shapes) with sausage-meat, mushrooms, and provola cheese. There's often a short line of diners waiting to be seated, and the tables are somewhat squeezed together, but the atmosphere is lively. This is not so much a see-and-be-seen place as common ground for the famous and the unknown to mingle, feast, and be merry.

Established in 1936, this quartiere Chiaia favorite is the locals' choice for classic Neapolitan pastries like babà (rum-soaked sponge cake), torta caprese (chocolate-and-nut cake), pastiera (tart), and sfogliatelle (shell-shape pastry), freshly baked bread and panini for picnics and buffet/pastry trays for parties.

A winning combination of traditional and innovative dishes is the big draw at this colorful, contemporary restaurant with splashy modern art spread over two floors. Young chef Giacomo Garutti delivers Ferrarese classics like salamina da sugo con purè (salami atop creamy mashed potatoes) alongside fried and grilled seafood, and innovations like cappellacci pasta filled with pumpkin, orange, and ginger. There's a good wine list, too. The youthful staff are welcoming, attentive, and informative.

At this traditional restaurant located on a side street near the main piazza, you can sit on a tree-lined patio overlooking the sea or in the white-walled dining room and munch on free panelle (chickpea fritters) while waiting for your main dish, which will be served tableside, spooned from the cooking pots to your plate by the friendly staff. The fresh pastas and couscous are exemplary, and there are also a few seafood mains (tuna and baccalà often) and a glut of meat (lamb, beefsteak, and veal).

Don't let the name pizzeria con cucina fool you: Muro offers its mostly youthful clientele a varied menu and uses high-quality ingredients, taking its cue from its more refined sister restaurant, Muro Rialto. Select from excellent Venetian fare and pizza in classic and innovative forms—try the arrotolata amoretesoro (a rolled pizza) with bresaola (thinly sliced air-cured beef), scamorza (a delicately flavored melting cheese made from cow's milk), and radicchio. Chef Francesco adds dimension to the menu with classic Italian selections, along with the piatti unici, a single course fancifully combining elements of first and second courses. A wide selection of beer is on tap.

With an enviable terrace on the Zattere, Nico is the city's gelateria with a view. The house specialty is the gianduiotto, a brick of dark chocolate ice cream flung into a tall glass filled with freshly whipped cream. There's the more economic bar service if you'd prefer to saunter down the sunny promenade.

This neighborhood institution serves all the Roman-Jewish classics. Like most of the starters, the carciofi alla giudia (Jewish-style artichokes) are outstanding, and a perfect meal might also include the carbonara, which incorporates dried beef instead of guanciale, or the semolina gnocchi baked in a terra-cotta ramekin. The restaurant gets extremely busy, so don't expect service to be all that attentive; the food more than makes up for it, though.

Located on the spit of land between Ganzirri Lake and the sea, this earnest little trattoria serves the freshest fish possible. A young chef, Gaetano Borgosano, has taken over the restaurant, which has been around since the 1960s, and has smartly kept its iconic dishes, such as fried mussels (stuffed with breadcrumbs and fried on the half shell) and fish meatballs in a Messinese ghiotto (sauce of tomatoes, capers, and celery) while introducing his own updates such as swordfish agrodolce. The menu is merely a guide, as the waiter will bring a platter of fresh fish to your table so you can choose from the daily catch.

Circus Maximus was a place for sporting entertainment, and now, just a few minutes’ walk from the ancient chariot track, Numa al Circo focuses on gastronomic spectacle. Carbonara pasta, melon-sized balls of mozzarella di bufala perched precariously atop massive platters of tomatoes, and traditional thin crust pizzas are the crowd favorites.

This enoteca serves wine by the glass and, in addition to the plates of salumi (Italian cold cuts) and cheese nibbles, has light food and not-so-light desserts. It's a great place for people-watching on Via San Marco, while indoors offers a more dimly lit, romantic setting; check out the impressive vaulted basement, where bottled wines and spirits are sold.

If you're trying to keep to a budget but want to enjoy a seafood feast alongside the yachts of the Borgo Marinaro harbor, head to this former tobacco store, now a family-run trattoria. While your eyes feast on all the pretty boats, the Lungomare hotels, the Castel dell'Ovo, and Vesuvius, you can savor classic Neapolitan seafood spaghetti or an impepata di cozze (mussels with pepper and garlic, available May–Aug.). Or just opt for the special made with the fish of the day.

Located in the Ognina port, the little Nitto empire has exploded: what began as a mobile market in the 1960s (from the back of a Piaggio Ape) is now a standing fresh fish market and series of restaurants. Locals line up outside the little market to get their daily catch, while next door the fast-casual restaurant serves some of the best-prepared seafood in the area, including squid ink pastas, skewers of grilled fish, and raw seafood platters.

In a departure from the local norm, meat dishes, not seafood, are the specialty on the menu at Oca Bianca. Choices include tasty pastas as well as mouthwatering preparations of beef, lamb, pork, and octopus. There's also an extensive wine list from its next-door cantina, and attentive service adds to the experience. The decor is a bit dated, with wood columns and upholstered chairs, but the food makes up for it.

Dine in the atmospheric arcaded canal-side vicolo on Odeon's superb-value pasta, meat, and seafood dishes, or amid the columns in the high-ceiling salone. As befits the intriguing historic setting and interiors, the menu showcases traditional Trevisano ingredients with the occasional flavorsome twist.

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. 

The craft beer movement has taken hold in Italy, and this stylish, sprawling space tucked down a tiny side road near Campo de' Fiori is headed up by the Baladin beer company. Staff members take their jobs—and brews—seriously, and they're helpful with recommendations from the more than 40 choices on tap and the over 100 options in bottles. For food, there are chicken strips, hand-cut chips, and savory burgers.

The name means "Hour of Air" and refers to the time of day when prisoners were let outside for fresh air—alluding to the fact that this gem began life across the street from an old prison. In the kitchen, gifted chef Marco Stabile turns out exquisite Tuscan classics as well as more fanciful dishes, which are as beautiful as they are delicious. Tasting menus give Stabile even greater opportunity to shine, and the carefully culled wine list is a treat.

Helmed by Colombian-Italian chef Roy Caceres, Orma boasts a modern mix of inventive gastronomy, sleek wooden interiors, and attentive service. The rotating prix fixe menus offer delicacies like egg tortelli stuffed with pig head and drizzled with roasted onion broth. Choose a five- or eight-course prix-fixe menu, or a mixture of dishes from both menus. At lunch, it offers more casual bistro fare.

Located on a nondescript side street, this friendly family-run trattoria serves tasty regional dishes like rufioi (homemade ravioli stuffed with savoy cabbage) along with a fine selection of pizza. The wine list is also dominated by regional selections, which pair well with items on the menu.

This friendly neighborhood restaurant named for the old well nearby offers a wide selection of favorite Italian dishes. The pizza is made with locally milled flour that is left to mature for two days, and the pasta is handmade every day. Recipes use seasonal ingredients; this could be your only chance to try a pizza with pumpkin cream or with truffles in the fall. There are lots of meat and vegetarian dishes, and very little fish.

What started out as a Tyrolean tavern around the time of the Council of Trent is today an intimate restaurant that adeptly serves superb innovative dishes, using both local and international ingredients. The menu changes throughout the year and offers a choice of a four-course meat, fish, or vegetarian menu (dishes are also available à la carte); decadent additions of fois gras and cheese are also possible.

This small trattoria in Campo Santa Margherita hides a historic secret: indoors are the visible underground remains of three medieval brick vats that were used for dying cloth, discovered during renovation work years ago. A menu for the whole family varies from cicheti (appetizers) to pasta to dessert. It's a fine place for a coffee or spritz under the umbrellas outside. It stays open continuously till 1:00 am, a rarity in Venice, perfect for early or late dinner, or good-night drinks or dessert.

It wasn't long after this lovely little wine bar (not a restaurant) appeared across from Squero San Trovaso that it became a neighborhood—and citywide—favorite. The Venetian owner has created a personal vision of what a good bar should offer: a variety of sumptuous cicheti, panini, and cheeses to be accompanied by just the right regional wines (ask for his recommendation). You can linger along the fondamenta outdoors, and there are places to perch and even sit inside, in front of a sunny picture window that brings the outside view in.

This family-run fish restaurant shaped like a fishing boat was made famous by its frequent appearances in the Inspector Montalbano novels. There is a daily fixed menu comprising mixed Sicilian antipasti, three "tastes" of pasta, and then a choice among deep-fried calamari, roasted prawns, or grilled sea bass or bream. Desserts usually include cannoli, gelato a pezzo (an old-fashioned slice of ricotta, pistachio, and chocolate ice cream), and lemon granita. Across the road, a papier-mâché figure of Camilleri has been placed at a desk, ready for selfies.