20 Best Restaurants in Umbria and the Marches, Italy

You won’t see many tourists inside this lively bistro-style eatery tucked into an alleyway of Perugia. But you will find tasty Umbrian cuisine, such as Chianina beef tartare and strangozzi pasta, spruced up with an innovative flair and served with a fine choice of wines, including many made by natural producers.

“The Alchemist" is an apt name, as the chef's transformations are magical, and everything can be paired with wines from the restaurant's extensive selection. Though pasta, veggie, and meat dishes change seasonally, the homemade gnocchi in Sagrantino wine sauce, always on offer, wins raves from guests, plus all the delicious desserts are made on the premises.

This charming wine-and-olive-oil shop with a restaurant (featuring vaulted ceilings and exposed brick) tucked into the back offers up small plates using ingredients with a "zero-kilometer" philosophy: everything comes from local and artisanal Umbrian producers. Regional cheeses, homemade pastas, and slow-cooked meats steal the show, and, as might be expected, the selection of wine is top-notch.

Hip service and sophisticated presentations attract locals, who enjoy Italian cuisine with unusual twists (think porcini mushroom risotto with blue cheese and blueberries), a nice selection of salads—unusual for an Umbrian restaurant—plus sushi options and intriguing desserts. The enthusiastic young team keep things running smoothly and the energy high.

This charmingly rustic restaurant in Todi’s historic center specializes in “dishes of the past” made from local ingredients. Choose from a fine selection of meat and cheese antipasti, house-made pastas and soups, and hearty meat dishes—accompanied by truffles in season—along with tempting daily specials, served with well-priced wines from a comprehensive list.

Low wooden ceilings and flickering candlelight make this monastery from the 10th and 11th centuries Spoleto's most romantic spot; in warm weather, you can dine under a canopy on the piazza. The kitchen serves sophisticated, innovative variations on local dishes, including long, slender strengozzi pasta with such toppings as cherry tomatoes, mint, and a touch of red pepper or (in season) porcini mushrooms or truffles.

One of the city's most famous taverns has a menu that includes such indulgences as lasagna made in the Gubbian fashion, with ham and truffles, and the suprema di faraono (guinea fowl in a delicately spiced sauce); save room for the excellent desserts. The restaurant also has two fine wine cellars and an extensive wine list.

Both the food and the service are outstanding at this popular small, brick-vaulted eatery next to the Duomo. Particular attention is paid to adapting traditional Umbrian cuisine to the modern palate, and there's also a nice variety of seafood dishes on the menu, both à la carte and in good-value tasting menus—the pacchero (pasta with smoked eggplant, cod, and scampi) is a real treat.

In summer, dine in a cool green garden; in winter, under the low brick arches of the cozy cellars. The unique settings and the first-rate (though straightforward) fare make this central restaurant one of Assisi's busiest; try the namesake homemade spaghetti alla buca, served with a roasted mushroom sauce.

Favored by Perugia's university students, this casual spot with vaulted ceilings is fun, crowded, and inexpensive. Fixed-price meals change with the season and include starters, pasta, a main meat course, and dessert; each day of the week brings some new creation dal cocco (from the "coconut," or head) of the chef.

As the name indicates, dishes prepared with truffles are the specialty here—don't miss the risotto al tartufo. Incorporating the ruins of a Roman villa, the surroundings are rustic on the ground floor and more modern upstairs; in summer, tables appear outdoors, and the traditional fare is spiced up to appeal to the cosmopolitan crowd attending (or performing in) the Festival dei Due Mondi.

In charming shabby-chic environs, this welcoming eatery near the Arco di Druso (ancient Roman arch) serves up Italian with a subtle twist. Along with an extensive selection of thoughtfully chosen Umbrian wines, you'll find lots of veggie options, mounds of truffles in season, and, to finish things off, a superlative version of Spoleto sponge cake.

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.

Dine inside tufa caves under central Orvieto, where the two windows afford splendid views of the hilly countryside. The traditional Umbrian food is reliably good, with simple grilled meats and vegetables and pizzas—oddly, though, the food is outclassed by an extensive wine list, with top local and Italian labels and quite a few rare vintages.

In summer, the handful of outdoor tables are in high demand at this rustic trattoria, which is situated in a hotel of the same name at the lower part of the old town near the main square. The menu features simple local specialties, including capocollo (a type of salami), stringozzi (Umbrian wheat pasta), and lasagna tartufata (with truffles).

A small garden filled with lemon trees in the heart of Spoleto's medieval quarter provides one of the most appealing settings you could wish for. Dishes, which change throughout the year, might include pastas served with asparagus or mushrooms, as well as grilled meats; more expensive dishes prepared with fresh truffles are also available in season.

Medieval steps lead to a rustic two-story space where wine bottles and artful clutter decorate the walls. The regional menu features lots of delicious homemade pastas and grilled meats prepared by chef Claudio and served up in substantial portions, plus generous shavings of truffle in season.

Todi's most popular restaurant for more than four decades is reliable for its sturdy country food and the wonderful view from its terrace; because it has only 16 tables outside, make sure you reserve ahead. In winter, try lentil soup, risotto with saffron and porcini mushrooms, or wild boar with polenta; steaks, accompanied by a rich dark-brown wine sauce, are good any time of year.

The vaulted, plant-filled dining area—where white walls are adorned with paintings, antique vases, and other knickknacks—makes a congenial setting for this small, rustic-style trattoria, which is lauded for its homemade pasta, perhaps with an artichoke, duck, or wild-boar sauce. Roast lamb, veal, and pork are all also good, and the desserts are supplied by Orvieto's most eminent pasticceria (pastry shop).

At this homey, family-run trattoria with a crackling fireplace and stone walls, the women do the cooking and the men serve the food; try the strangozzi alla pallotta (thick spaghetti with a pesto of olives and mushrooms). Connected to the restaurant is an inn whose eight rooms have firm beds and some views across the rooftops of town.