30 Best Restaurants in The Dolomites, Italy

Just off of the Strada del Vino (Wine Road), this charming eatery and wine bar lets you indulge in seasonal dishes while sampling some of the biodynamic wines produced by one of the Trentino area’s most well-known vintners. When the weather’s nice, dining in the pretty courtyard among lemon trees, with mountaintops visible just behind, really lives up to the “paradise” name.

Renowned Italian chef Norbert Niederkofler, formerly of three-Michelin-star St. Hubertus in San Cassiano, creates zero-kilometer cuisine out of alpine ingredients in an historical villa owned by the Moessmers, a prosperous textile family. The “Cook the Mountain” menu includes 14 dishes that change with the seasons; pair them with fantastic local wines or unique house-made nonalcoholic beverages.

This warm, wood-paneled upstairs dining room, under the arcades of the pedestrians-only town center, serves creative Tyrolean dishes made with ingredients grown in the city's monastery gardens. Owner/chef Florian Fink creates seasonally rotating three- to five-course tasting menus along with satisfying plates using local vegetables, meat, and fish, such as black bread ricotta dumplings with venison ragout.

Inside an elegant country house perched atop a steep hill and set among the vineyards, about a 10-minute drive south of Trento’s center, talented chef Edoardo Fumagalli creates thoroughly modern cuisine that pairs perfectly with the Lunelli family’s sparkling Ferrari wines. Choose from three tasting menus, which feature local ingredients such as Garda lemons, ricotta from the surrounding farm, and Dolomite trout roe; for lighter appetites, the more casual bistro next door offers à la carte dishes.

South Tyrol native Egon Heiss uses ingredients from Castel Fragsburg’s gardens as well as produce from nearby organic farms, and meat and fish from area producers, to create his beautiful versions of hyperlocal dishes. Delicious items on Prezioso’s five-course tasting menus may include potato dumplings with Alpine cheese, Alpine salmon, and lamb from the Funes Valley—traditional cuisine elevated by modern preparations and artful presentations.

In a pretty art deco setting inside Hotel Elephant, wunderkind chef Mathias Bachmann whips up beautifully presented and creative Italian cuisine with an Asian flair in his nightly six-course tasting menus. Dishes change with the seasons, but if they're on the menu, don't miss the nori tartlet with asparagus or Hokkaido Wagyu with miso and black applesauce.

From town, take the Col Alt cable car—or a snowcat (by reservation only) for dinner on Wednesday and Friday—to this surprisingly modern restaurant with amazing panoramas from 6,562 feet. The wide-ranging menu features everything from salads to hearty fried potatoes, eggs, and bacon (perfect after a morning of skiing), and the interesting wine list is heavy on natural producers, since the affable owner is a fan and often has local winemakers in for tastings.

Most of the ingredients, including fabulous handmade cheeses and butter, used at this charming Michelin-starred organic dairy-turned-eatery (whose name means “healthy pasture”) come from the family farm, Agriturismo El Brite de Larieto, perched 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) above the sea. Out of this local bounty, chef Riccardo Gaspari and his wife Ludovica craft impressive and highly personal dishes you’ll find nowhere else in the Dolomites, such as the signature spaghetti with mountain pine oil and scent of the forest ice cream.

The sterile surroundings of this restaurant, a short walk from Via dei Portici, belie its culinary delights—namely, rustic regional dishes reenergized and prepared with precision. Three-, five-, and seven-course tasting menus change according to the chef's whim and the season, but they usually include a modernized vitello tonnato (veal with tuna sauce), delightful homemade pasta and dumplings, and decadent meat dishes such as veal stewed in Lagrein, the area's renowned red wine; vegetarian options are also available.

In a laid-back, welcoming setting at the Rosa Alpina hotel, chef Norbert Niederkofler oversees one of the Alto Adige's most highly regarded restaurants, where seasonal products sourced exclusively from the region are transformed into delicacies on a 12-course tasting menu. Servers thoroughly explain the provenance of the seemingly simple yet multilayered dishes, which can be paired with wines from all over the world, though there's a slant toward small local producers.

The more casual little sister to long-standing favorite Vögele serves coffee and croissants for breakfast, plus all manner of focaccia, ice cream and cake, and aperitivo (think stuzzichini, or savory Italian snacks, and Aperol spritz) all day long. The prime spot on bustling Piazza Walther is perfect for people-watching while catching some rays.

Ask locals where they like to dine out, and odds are they'll tell you Vögele, one of the area's oldest inns, where the menu features Tyrolean standards such as canederli (bread dumplings) with speck and venison. The classic wood-paneled dining room on the ground level is often packed, but don't despair—the restaurant has two additional floors.

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.

Locals hold animated conversations over pints of beer in this modern take on a traditional stube. Tasty South Tyrolean specialties include bierspeckknodeln (homemade beer bacon dumplings) and bauerngröstl (beef, onion, and potato fry-up), and there's also a wide menu of salads, pastas, and burgers.  This is a good place for a late bite, as food is served until 1 am most nights (midnight on Sunday).

A hip young crowd frequents the ground-floor bar of this modern bistro in the town's central arcade. Upstairs in the stylish dining room, an older crowd enjoys both contemporary cooking—heavy on beef, venison, and other meat specialties, including calf's liver—and attentive service.

Although most of Madonna's visitors dine at resort hotels, Italians consider an on-mountain meal in a remote, rustic refuge like this one to be an indispensable part of a proper ski week. You can drive or hike up in summer months, but in winter, you ski, snowshoe, or are collected by a Sno-Cat and ferried 10 minutes up the slopes; once there, you'll sit down to grill your own meats and vegetables over stone griddles.  You must call in advance to reserve a table and arrange transportation. 

Although it has a stylish black-and-white color scheme, this restaurant/wine bar nevertheless has the feel of a rustic, intimate chalet. Settle into pleasant surroundings for an après-ski aperitif or a light meal made with local ingredients and paired with the sparkling wines of Ferrari, a well-known Trentino vintner.

You’ll feel like you’re dining in a traditional Alto Adige hut at the Perla hotel's critically acclaimed restaurant, which features wood-beamed ceilings. Items in the seasonally changing six-course tasting menu are complex, modern takes on regional cuisine: even a simple veal dish might be served with reserve Alpine cheese and black truffle.

These Tirolean-style wood-paneled dining rooms near the Olympic ice-skating rink are a Cortina institution. Join the local clientele in sampling terrific pizza along with house specialties such as pork cheek in Barolo sauce.

For fresh, properly cooked regional food, this malga (Alpine hut) with great mountain views can't be beat—just make a reservation, especially in winter, when you must be transported over on a snowmobile by day and a shuttle at night (in summer, you can drive all the way). Salamis and cheeses are made on-site, and the bar serves both commercial and homemade grappas, many of which are brewed with local herbs; also try some capriolo (mountain goat stew), polenta, skitz (grilled cheese that doesn't melt), or fresh local mushrooms.

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.

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.

Trento's oldest trattoria (it's the descendant of a 14th-century tavern) remains one of its most popular lunch spots. Locals crowd into a simple, modern dining room to enjoy regional specialties like gnocchi with vegetables and baccalà (salt cod); an impressive (and inexpensive) selection of local wines is available.

A spacious, comfortable dining room near Via dei Portici is a dependable favorite with locals and visitors alike. A wide selection of Italian and German dishes are served to large tables of families enjoying their meals together.

This building was for centuries where justice was publicly served to accused witches, among others. Today, it's a great place to enjoy bewitching specialties like bresaola with rocket salad and Parmesan or pizzoccheri (buckwheat pasta) with garlic and winter vegetables.

To reach this charming eatery, which occupies an enviable position overlooking Merano and the peaks enveloping the town, climb the stairs behind the Duomo or hike up along the Passeggiata Tappeiner. The kitchen serves well-prepared dumplings, pasta, and other local specialties—just don't leave without trying the homemade breads.

More than 30 wines by the glass, accompanied by an excellent selection of local cheeses, are served in this chic eatery, which has outside seating in the piazza. Salads and regional specialties are prepared in the open kitchen by gourmet chefs; the downstairs room features graffito (graffiti) murals from local artist Luigi Senesi, while the Roman wall running under the Duomo is also in clear view.

If you have difficulty choosing from the long list of tasty pizzas here, ask the friendly English-speaking staff for help with the menu. You're unlikely to find a better selection of wine, or a more pleasant environment for sampling; you can also buy bottles of the locally produced vintages to take home.

Traditional Tyrolean opulence and attentive service set the stage for some of the best food in town. Appetizers might include potato blini with salmon caviar, and marinated artichokes with butter (not to be missed if available); main dishes, such as veal with black-truffle-and-spinach canederli, make use of ingredients from local valleys. This place is popular with local businesspeople.