Best Restaurants In Italy

I love Italy’s wonderful regional diversity; friendly, hospitable people who know how to enjoy life; and simple, delicious food and wine. Every time I go, I make new discoveries, so this isn’t a definitive list of the best restaurants in Italy …

… just the ones I currently can’t wait to get back to. Some are frequented by tourists as well as locals and some are hidden gems. Some may get a Michelin mention and others just fly quietly under the radar doing what they do so well. All deliver food, wine and service that make them my ‘best restaurants in Italy’.

Antica Trattoria del Gallo Clusane (Lombardy)
This busy restaurant on Lago d’Iseo – just over an hour from Milan – is a series of rooms in an ancient building, full of locals digging into fish from the lake. A glass of Franciacorta (this is the region for it) and seafood antipasti is a great way to start. Followed by tench, perch (I like it crumbed), eel, or one of the other freshwater fish, ideally with a side of polenta cut with a string from a huge mound on a trolley wheeled from table to table.

Trattoria al Gatto Nero Burano, Venice (Veneto)
Max – the third generation of his family to run ‘the black cat’ on Venice’s colourful island of Burano – guides guests through a menu of lagoon-fresh seafood, while his father Ruggiero is in the kitchen. Seasonal seafood antipasto is a meal in itself, with the likes of king scallop in tomato sauce, tiny black mussels or razor clams in garlicky olive oil, steamed mantis prawns, octopus salad, and baccalà of snapper. Some of the best Venetian risotto too.

Ristorante Cocchi Parma (Emilia-Romagna)
One of Parma’s oldest restaurants is also one of its best with delicious traditional food, a deep and wonderful wine list and friendly professional service. I love a table in the atmospheric wine cellar. In a town where virtually every meal starts with a plate of salumi, it’s hard to find one that stands out – but here it’s all made from Parma’s famed black pigs and is the best I’ve had. Pasta is exceptional too as is the tagliata of rare Fassona beef.

Ristorante Buca Mario Florence (Tuscany)
Locals and tourists alike love this wonderfully atmospheric cellar restaurant in Florence’s centro storico (old city), with waiters who know how to turn on the Italian charm. This is the place to experience classic Tuscan cooking, from ‘la ribollita’ (bread and bean soup) and bistecca Fiorentina – ordered by weight and carved tableside – to luscious fresh egg pasta and a memorable dessert trolley.

Osteria la Gensola Rome (Lazio)
This simple, family-run osteria on a cobbled piazza in bohemian Trastevere serves Sicilian and Roman dishes. Seafood arrives daily from the south coast and desserts, including an authentic cassata, come from Sicily twice a week. I dream of the deep-fried artichokes (carciofi alla giudìa), superb tiny tuna meatballs in a tomato and smoked provola sauce and the best rigatoni coda alla vaccinara in pasta-loving Roma.

Da Enzo al 29 Rome (Lazio)
I hate queuing and virtually never go to a restaurant where I can’t book – this rustic trattoria in Trastevere is the exception! Their carciofi alla Romana are one of the best things I’ve ever eaten, along with a simple green radicchio salad with puntarelle anchovy dressing and superb fried zucchini flowers. Produce is grown on their own farm just outside Rome. Arrive by 11:45am on a weekday and you won’t wait too long. It’s worth it!

La Villa Melfi (Basilicata)
Michele Sonnessa opened this agriturismo (farm-restaurant) in the small town of Melfi in northern Basilicata in 1999. Today one son, Vito, is in the kitchen with Michele, while his brother Gabriele runs front-of-house. The menu is surprisingly modern Italian, yet deeply rooted in the ingredients and traditions of the region. One of the tasting menus (3, 4, 7 or 10 courses) with paired wines is the best way to explore the local cuisine.

Updated 25 Oct 2026

Italian Food & Wine Tour Highlights

How to Eat in Italy FAQ

How do you eat like a local in Italy?

Italians eat dinner later than in some other countries. Many restaurants don’t open until 7:30/8pm. Earlier opening times are often for tourists.

While Italians often share food (such as antipasti), pizza is usually ordered one per person. Especially at lunchtime, pizza al trancio (by the slice) is popular.

It’s a compliment to the chef if you mop up the sauce on your plate with a piece of bread. This is called scarpetta.

Even for a quick meal, Italians show their respect for the food and the cook who’s prepared it by taking their time to sit and enjoy it, usually with a glass of wine and a coffee to finish.

Where are the best places to eat in Italy?

It’s easy to eat well in Italy – and affordably – even in towns with lots of tourists, if you follow a few simple rules.

Avoid restaurants with a tourist menu (‘menu turistico’) or a waiter standing out front asking passers-by to come in.
Get away from the main thoroughfares and explore smaller laneways and piazzas.
Look for casual restaurants (called an osteria or trattoria) where locals are eating.
Especially at lunchtime, many restaurants offer a great-value ‘menu of the day’ (menù del giorno), usually 2 or 3 courses, often including water, coffee and a glass of wine.
Cucina casalinga (home cooking) or cucina tipica (regional dishes) are good words to look out for on menus.
Short, hand-written menus are a good sign too as they indicate frequent changes to feature whatever ingredients are fresh and best on the day.

What is 'coperto' on an Italian menu? What does ‘pane e coperto’ mean?

Most Italian restaurants list a cover charge (coperto) on their menus and bills, which includes oil and other condiments placed on the table – and usually bread too (often written as ‘pane e coperto’).

The exception is Lazio, including Rome, where a 2006 regional law bans coperto – though many restaurants charge for bread (pane) instead. Others get around it by charging ‘tovagliato’, a fee that covers the linen (tablecloth and napkins), which is permitted.

Do you need to tip in Italy?

Tipping in Italy is a thank-you rather than an obligation, as table service is built into restaurant prices.

If the bill shows ‘servizio incluso’ (more common in touristy areas), service is already covered. Otherwise, Italians usually round up the bill or leave a few euros – up to 10% for great service.

What’s the difference between a ristorante, trattoria and osteria in Italy?

Generally, it’s about degree of formality, and can often give a clue to pricing too.

Traditionally, a ristorante is the most formal, with a longer menu, a wine list and polished service.

A trattoria is a casual, often family-run restaurant, serving home-style regional dishes. The plural of trattoria is trattorie.

Historically, an osteria (plural: osterie) was an inn or tavern where travellers stopped for a glass of wine, often bringing their own food. Osteria del Sole, which has been pouring wine in Bologna’s Quadrilatero market district since 1465, continues this tradition, serving only drinks and encouraging patrons to bring their own food from surrounding shops.

Today the lines have blurred and many smart restaurants call themselves osterie to indicate cooking founded in authentic regional traditions – for example Massimo Bottura’s Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana. So now the name is a clue rather than a rule.

How many courses in a traditional Italian meal?

A traditional Italian meal has four courses:

antipasto – literally ‘before the meal’, often cheese, salumi and vegetable dishes which may be served as a single dish (antipasto) or a selection of dishes (antipasti misti);
primo – first course, usually pasta, risotto or soup;
secondo – main course of meat or fish, accompanied by contorni (side dishes) usually ordered separately;
dolce – dessert, often followed by coffee and a digestivo.

Today Italians don’t typically eat four courses at every meal – a primo and a contorno, or an antipasto and a secondo, is a perfectly normal meal, especially for lunch.

What Other Travellers Say

I’ve been on three of Roberta’s food and wine tours and each has been an amazing well-organised experience. From remarkable Venice and the surrounding Veneto region to historic Rome and Pompeii, the spectacular Amalfi Coast, and the charming villages of Switzerland – each tour offers something special. Then there’s the food in fabulous places where you can truly eat like a local – inspired travel through great food, wine and company. I’m already looking forward to the next one!

Had a fabulous time on Roberta’s back to back tours of Southern Italy and Veneto – good to revisit some places I knew well, like Rome and Venice, and discover new ones, like Matera and Padua. Fantastic and varied food experiences, great cooking classes, met interesting wine makers, restaurateurs and other food artisans and drank some beautiful wines. Highly recommend both tours – and doing them together. I’ll definitely be doing another tour with Roberta.

My wife and I joined Roberta's Emilia-Romagna tour. We enjoyed all the temptations offered and learned a lot about that part of Italy, especially its food and wine culture. What was most impressive was Roberta's local knowledge of people and places. The planning and effort she put into making the whole experience seem effortless was remarkable.

Roberta’s passion for Italy shone throughout an unforgettable food and wine tour. She introduced us to family-owned artisanal producers, where we experienced everything from attic-aged balsamic to small-batch wines, Parma ham and Parmigiano-Reggiano. The local guides were equally passionate, and the excellent transport and accommodation made the trip effortless. This tour captured the region’s traditions, flavours and people, and thanks to Roberta’s deep knowledge we left with wonderful memories. A truly authentic culinary adventure.

Relaxed, organised and well-paced – I enjoyed a wonderful small group tour starting in Rome, then travelling down the Amalfi Coast to stay at a family estate where we were treated like old friends. It included some hidden gems too, notably on our way to Matera, a fascinating town built into the side of a mountain. We finished with Naples and Pompeii – with plenty of wine and more new tastes. Roberta is a specialist and very personable as she hosts and explains every detail of the food and wine experience.

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to the Veneto and Venice. Roberta creates wonderful bespoke small group tours with her incredible knowledge of food and wine and adds great accommodation and points of interest. It’s like travelling with your ‘besties’ – including one who’s done all the hard work researching and discovering the best and most interesting places to go, especially to eat and drink. Come with an appetite! Also factored in is time for you to do your own exploring and discover your own gems.

We had always travelled independently, so a small group tour felt like a risk, but by day 2 we knew it was the right choice. Roberta knows people and places far from the tourist trail: winery lunches, a family lemon grove high on the Amalfi Coast, a third-generation cheesemaker, an amazing cave hotel in Matera. We'll definitely travel with Roberta again.