15 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.