1178 Best Restaurants in Italy

Walking through the gate of this little spot feels like entering a pizza speakeasy—it's located at the end of a cul-de-sac in the garden and ground floor of the owners' home (the name means "in a corner of the world"), and you'd be forgiven for thinking you've gotten the directions wrong. They use a slow, cold fermentation process to create crusts with deep flavors that they ply to turn out calzones and about 15 different pizzas each night. The menu is scrawled on a chalkboard (take a photo when you arrive for easy reference) and features beautiful combos, such as chicory with toasted breadcrumbs and black olives or pear and walnut with gorgonzola. 

Part of the Regina Isabella and set beside a suggestive bay (the restaurant’s name is inspired by the color of the sea just before nightfall), this Michelin-starred spot offers four degustazioni menus based on chef Pasquale Palamaro’s inspired use of fresh local ingredients. Try the ravioli with Genovese sauce, a typical onion-based Neapolitan dish, with red shrimp and pearls of tarragon, and for dessert, the mio mare, which looks like canned tuna but is actually made of caramelized muscovado cream, peppermint madeleines, wild strawberry gel, and fiordilatte transformed into a crispy fishbone.

With a chic, modern design featuring leather-and-velvet seats and 1960s lamps designed by Gae Aulenti, creative tasting menus by chef Heros De Agostinis, and special touches like a roving cart with a variety of delicious bread made in-house, this elegant restaurant inside the Anantara Palazzo Naiadi is a true five-star experience. The staff here go out of their way to explain every dish, find the perfect wine pairings, and ensure that guests have a wonderful time.

Grab a bite and/or a glass of wine after a visit to the nearby Uffizi. Only the very best ingredients go into owner Alessandro Frassica's delectable (if a bit pricey) panini.

Serving arguably the best panini in town, proprietor Alessandro Frassica sources only the very best ingredients. Located right behind the Uffizi, 'ino is a perfect place to grab a tasty sandwich and glass of wine before forging on to the next museum.

Kokalos pairs Sicilian cuisine with a picturesque view of the Valley of the Temples, especially at night. Fresh ingredients highlight traditional dishes like the outstanding tuna tartare or pistachio pesto pizza with fresh burrata. A terrace offers prime seating, but the glass-walled dining room is perfect for hot days or colder months. Although away from the city center, the restaurant offers ample parking. It's popular so make reservations.

Welcoming and rustic, this eatery set inside adjoining trulli is run by the ever nattily dressed and playful host Domenico alongside son Luca and a wonderful family team who deliver fabulous Slow Food-certified Pugliese dishes. Local ingredients figure prominently in the traditional, seasonal dishes: share the multi-dish feast-in-itself antipasto dell'Aratro, then the orrecchiete with anchovies and cime di rapa (broccoli rabe), and the hearty tiella di agnello (lamb casserole with, tomatoes, potatoes and wild onions).

Delicious regional specialties with tartufo-focused and fixed-price tasting menus are served at this bustling family-run restaurant in the center of Alba. Seasonal recipes emphasize local vegetables, nuts (particularly hazelnuts), and meats like rabbit and venison.

Food, service, and ambience harmonize blissfully at this casual but elegant restaurant inside a 12th-century building. The chef shows a deft hand with area specialties and shines with the fish dishes. If they have the chestnut ice cream, don't miss it. There are tasting menus, and a terrific cheese plate complements the amazing wines poured here. Patrons enter through a tiny wine bar, some pausing for a glass of wine before proceeding into the restaurant.

For a break from all the fish and seafood options in Venice, this is your place; the meat- and veggie-focused menu (inspired by the cuisine of the Venetian mainland) presents a new temptation at every course, and market availability keeps the dishes changing almost every day. The homemade desserts are all luscious (it's been said that La Bitta serves the best panna cotta in town), and you can trust the owner's selections from her excellent wine and grappa lists, which tend to favor small local producers.

La Bottega Ristorante may seem like a classic hotel restaurant on the surface, but it's a hidden gem inside the Relais Villa Giuliana. The menu, focusing on handmade pastas and local seafood, is excellent, made with refined ingredients and served in surprisingly generous portions. While the price is slightly above average for the area, you'll find the quality of the ingredients and service up to par. Don't miss the home-baked bread served with a selection of local olive oils; the wine list focuses on regional selections. 

This family-run trattoria is so popular that it's one of the few restaurants in Tellaro to stay open year-round, serving delectable dishes in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Do not miss the seafood antipasto with its assortment of marine treats, the homemade pasta dishes, and the always-recommended catch of the day.

Thought to be the oldest restaurant in Rome (a document dates it back to 1518), La Campana is well liked for its honest Roman cuisine and its old-school, slightly upscale feel—think white tablecloths and unflappable waiters in black tie who have been there since the beginning of time. This is the place to have one of the best coda alla vaccinara (oxtail stew) in Rome, along with other specialties like saltimbocca and pasta all'amatriciana (a classic Roman tomato sauce with bacon-like pork cheek).

Near the busy piazzetta and long one of Capri's most celebrity-haunted restaurants, La Capannina has a discreet flower-decked veranda that's ideal for dining by candlelight. Specialties change daily depending on the season, but the menu always includes ravioli capresi, linguine con lo scorfano (with scorpion fish), and an exquisite "Pezzogna" (sea bream cooked whole and topped with a layer of potatoes). They also own the nearby gourmet store and small lunch spot and late-night bar across the side alleyway.

Casalinga means "housewife," and this place, which has been around since 1963, has the nostalgic charm of a mid-century kitchen with Tuscan comfort food to match. If you eat ribollita anywhere in Florence, eat it here—it couldn't be more authentic. Paintings clutter the semi-paneled walls, tables are set close together, and the place is usually jammed. The menu is long, portions are plentiful, and service is prompt and friendly. For dessert, the lemon sorbet perfectly caps off the meal. Making reservations for this place isn't a bad idea.

Down a side street with relaxed seating inside and outside a handsome palazzo, this spot delivers hearty and tasty traditional Leccese food with the occasional international twist. Meaty mainstays include the chunky orrecchiettoni pasta with Scottona (heifer) ragù and various beef, lamb, and offal dishes.

Set on the tranquil shores of Lake Nemi, next to the Roman Ship Museum, La Fiocina has been serving local specialties, including lake fish and homemade gnocchi with porcini mushrooms, for more than 50 years. The interior is elegant and welcoming, with a roaring fireplace on cooler days; in warmer months, you can dine on the terrace overlooking the lake.

Sicily-born Parma transplant Angelo Cammarata makes magic in his small eatery on the ground floor of a 16th-century palazzo, where the menu teems with Parma classics as well as modern takes on Sicilian dishes. Creatures from the sea play a starring role—from a selection of raw seafood starters to Mezze maniche ai frutti di mare (mixed seafood pasta) and catch of the day al forno (baked). Their classic “Duchessa di Parma” (chicken breast stuffed with Parma ham and cheese) weds beautifully with marsala sauce. The interior is sleek and minimal with exposed brick complementing the pale, muted gray of the walls.

Passing by this restaurant at night, you may think there's a club beyond its doors, given the crowd gathering outside. Frequented by celebrities, its name means "carousel," and it was created by the late Prince Dimitri Kunz d'Asburgo Lorena and is now expertly run by Soldano, one of his twin sons. The ever-changing menu generally has vegetarian and vegan options. For dessert, this might be the only show in town with a sublime tiramisù and a wonderfully gooey Sacher torte.

With its dining room set in a cave above the harbor of Santa Maria La Scala, this rustic trattoria specializes in seafood. Try the insalata di mare (a selection of delicately boiled fish served with lemon and olive oil), pasta with clams or cuttlefish ink, or fish grilled over charcoal. The menu is small and simple, but expertly prepared.

For an unforgettable dining experience, head to Sala Comacina (a 10-minute drive south of Tremezzo) and take a five-minute speedboat ride to Lake Como's only island, Isola Comacina. Here you'll be treated to the same set menu that's been served at La Locanda since 1947: veggie antipasti; thinly sliced prosciutto and bresaola; grilled trout; fried chicken with salad; Parmesan cheese sliced from an enormous wheel; oranges or peaches with ice cream; and brandied coffee set afire with a dramatic flourish, while charismatic owner Benvenuto Puricelli regales you with tales of the island's history. The views are phenomenal, the stories are fun, and the food is better than it needs to be. Work off your meal afterward by hiking around the tranquil island.

International food magazines have lauded this restaurant, where the wine cellar is well stocked and renowned chef-owner Gaetano Alia incorporates local produce and imaginative twists into the Calabrese dishes on the changing menu. La Locanda also has guest rooms in its adjoining Alia Jazz Hotel, which is surrounded by a lush garden and has a swimming pool.

This old-school Roman restaurant traces its roots back to 1870, when a woman from the town of Amatrice in northern Lazio arrived in Rome and started to cook her town's renowned bucatini all'amatriciana near Termini Station. Whether the story is true or a legend, this is indeed a great place to try the famous pasta and other Roman specialties in an elegant space with white tablecloths, plates emblazoned with the restaurant's name, and courteous and formally attired waiters.

Open since 1987, La Nicchia is a Pantelleria institution, occupying an old dammuso and serving typical island dishes made with carefully sourced island ingredients: typically potatoes, cherry tomatoes, capers, almonds, and fresh herbs married with seasonal vegetables, fresh fish, and other seafood. In summer there are tables under the lemon trees in a traditional walled Pantescan garden. They also do good pizza, while their offshoot next-door, Dispensa Pantesca, serves a selection of informal light dishes to take away or enjoy with a glass of wine on the roof of the dammuso for amazing sunset views.

It's all about the views at this classic, informal wine bar–restaurant, where tables perched on the water’s edge are often filled with chatty patrons, particularly at lunchtime. The homemade pasta and fish dishes are highly recommended, and although they don't really serve dinner, a filling selection of cicheti is offered in the evening.

Dinner here is a truly spectacular and romantic event, with incomparable views across the city matched by a stellar dining experience that includes top-notch service as well as sublimely inventive fare. The difficulty comes in choosing from among Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck's alta cucina (high cuisine) specialties. Award-winning sommelier Marco Reitano will ensure you have the right wine to pair with your choices. Weekend reservations may need to be booked three months in advance.

The name means "the usual soup," but there's hardly anything usual about the soups on offer—as wait staffers often explain, this restaurant is committed to cooking seasonally, using what's currently available at the market. Expect wonderfully tasty soups and brilliant secondi (second courses), all served in a room with high vaulted arches dating from the 17th century.

Since opening its doors in 1869, this trattoria has been serving top-notch, unpretentious food to Florentines who like their bistecca very large and, of course, very rare, as that's the only way to eat it. The tartino di carciofi (artichoke tart) and the pollo al burro (chicken with butter) are signature dishes.

Tucked on a cobblestone street at the edge of Monti, this cozy little family-run restaurant is one of the best places to eat near the Forum. An eclectic collection of sketches, photos, and paintings decorates the walls, and the menu offers traditional Roman trattoria fare as well as some creative twists on the classics, like cacio e pepe, usually a simple dish of pasta in a peppery cheese sauce but here featuring black truffle, and burrata-stuffed ravioli.

Arancine—fried rice balls—are ubiquitous all over Sicily, but rarely do you find them prepared while you wait or offered in such a range as in this little snack shop near Porta Trapani. The menu lists more than 30 varieties, which include swordfish, smoked salmon, and curry fillings, as well as vegetarian and vegan options. They make ideal stomach-fillers at any time, not least as snack lunches on the go.