84 Best Restaurants in Italy

Dine on exquisite Gargano fare at this atmospheric eatery set in a natural grotto just next to the cathedral in the heart of the old center. The menu is dominated by locally caught fish, and although dishes draw on traditional recipes, you can expect the occasional innovation. The wine cellar, visible through a glass window in the restaurant floor, contains an exhaustive selection of great Pugliese producers. There's a smaller, more intimate room downstairs that serves as restaurant and piano bar. Dimora del Dragone offers five modern rooms and a lovely suite, all with fab views.

The well-spaced tables and the ancient brick vaulting in this small, bright space set the stage for game, meat, fish, and seafood dishes served with creative flair. The level of service is very high, even by demanding Turin standards.

Founded by three friends with a passion for wine and fine food, Antico Arco attracts diners from Rome and beyond with its refined culinary inventiveness. The location on top of the Janiculum Hill makes for a charming setting, and inside, the dining rooms are plush, modern spaces, with whitewashed brick walls, dark floors, and black velvet chairs. Its wine cellar houses over 1,200 labels, all nestled in the cantina carved into the ruins of the catacombs of San Pancrazio.

Overlooking rows of olive trees that seem to run into the sea, this superb eatery is away from the throng, halfway between Sant'Agata and Massa Lubrense. Two huge, beamed dining rooms with brick archways, old chandeliers, antique mirrored sideboards, hundreds of mounted plates, and tangerine tablecloths make for an atmospheric place to dine.

The heaping seafood antipasti alone is reason enough to visit this classic seafood-focused eatery close to the Biennale—think tuna and swordfish carpaccio, spider crab, clams, crab pâté, and a variety of fish. But you'll also want to stay for the excellent mains, particularly soft-shell crab, mixed grilled fish, and spaghetti vongole, plus the lovely courtyard setting.

Amid its own terraced vineyards with inspiring views to the island of Ischia and beyond, this is much more than just a well-reputed restaurant. The owner's mother was a friend of Axel Munthe, and he encouraged her to open a food kiosk, which evolved into Da Gelsomina; today the specialties include pollo a mattone (chicken grilled with bricks) and locally caught rabbit. It has an immaculately kept swimming pool, which is open to the public for a small fee—a buffet is served as you lounge here. Close to one of the island's finer walks as well as the Philosophy Park, it's an excellent base for a whole day or longer. There's also a five-room pensione, with free transfer service by request from Anacapri center.

This beautifully remodeled restaurant and wineshop serves a light menu that pairs nicely with the lovely wines here, the main draw. Upon entering, you descend a staircase to a tasting room filled with rustic wooden tables. The menu includes typically Tuscan ingredients such as pigeon, and bistecca in a Brunello wine sauce, with a wide choice of vegetarian options. Adjacent is a small dining area with a splendid view of the hills far below, and outside is a lovely little terrace perfect for sampling Brunello di Montalcino when the weather is warm.

Chef, artist, and visionary Massimo Bottura has joined forces with the creative folk at Gucci to develop a marvelous menu that is both classic and innovative. Though he trained with Ducasse and Adrià, his major influence was his grandmother's cooking. His protégé, Karime Lopez, helms the kitchen.

Renowned for its simply crafted dishes made with the freshest seasonal catch, Cosenza's best seafood restaurant has (appropriately enough) a minimalist, blue-and-white, nautical-theme interior. Guided by a waiter, you might start with a selection of antipasti to share, followed by a classic pasta allo scoglio (spaghetti with mixed seafood) and a main fritto misto di mare (medley of fried seafood).

The trusty Hostaria (open since 1954) has rustic fireside dining downstairs and more elegantly decorated rooms upstairs, where there's also an intimate terrace under the Duomo. It's a great place for sampling regional specialties such as orzotto (barley prepared like risotto), delicious cjalzòns (ravioli from the Carnia), and seasonal meat dishes, accompanied by a fabulous wine list. Service is pleasant and attentive.

In a contemporary villa built entirely of wood on the outskirts of Asti, chef Enrico Pivieri uses a mix of local and international ingredients to create new takes on traditional dishes with a global flair. The Shaken Horse is especially strong in seafood—rare for meat-heavy Piedmont—with such creative plates as gnocchi with cuttlefish ink in miso broth with smoked sardines and fried Sicilian anchovies with giardiniera (pickled vegetables in vinegar).

Divine, cutting-edge food and Tuscan classics are served in this one-room space, where in winter, there's a roaring fireplace and, in warmer months there's outdoor seating on a pretty little piazza. If mushrooms are in season, try the tacchoni con funghi, a homemade pasta with mushrooms and a native herb called nepitella. A local favorite during winter is the coniglio con olive (rabbit stew with olives).

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.

This clubby spot, whose name means "carousel," 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.

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.

With its sparkling spiaggia views and seafood freshly caught by local pescatori, it's hard not be lured by the siren charms of this prime place in Marina di Cantone. Expect lots of grilled fish, platefuls of small-bite antipasti di casa, and possibly the creamiest spaghetti alla Nerano on the planet.

This elegant formal hotel dining room with brick arches is one of the best restaurants in the region (with a Michelin star to prove it), serving refined variations of traditional dishes. You can marvel at a wine list of about 1,400 labels, and the service is exemplary.

Perched amid the clustered old houses in seaside Tellaro, 4 km (2½ miles) southeast of Lerici, this small, unpretentious family-run restaurant with wooden tables and plenty of windows has become a foodie destination. The imaginative seafood-focused menu changes often, and the pretty building also houses a small inn with seven charming and comfortable rooms.

Here's a novelty for Palermo in the form of a superb modern restaurant located within a museum dedicated to Steve Jobs and Apple products, a surprisingly successful combination; you not only have the ability to revisit ancient IT devices and learn about the history of the tech company, but the food is pretty excellent. Each of the dishes is a revelation, from the pumpkin with miso and fermented black garlic to the ravioli with stewed veal cheek and pigeon with red-wine scented quince. Vegetarian options are as good as any that Palermo has to offer—best sampled in a set tasting menu. The elevated prices are commensurate with the sophisticated cuisine . The venue is also extraordinary as the restaurant is housed within the Palazzo Castrone, one of the city's finest old palaces, just steps away from the Cathedral and entered through a beautiful courtyard.

This is arguably the best restaurant in Monterosso, specializing in tasty, fresh seafood dishes like grilled calamari and monkfish ravioli. If their catalana (poached lobster and shrimp with sliced raw fennel and carrot) happens to be on the menu, know that it's a winner. It has a beautiful little garden in the back, perfect for lunch on a sunny day. 

In front of the American embassy and a favorite of the design trendoisie, Michelin-starred Moma attracts well-heeled businessmen at lunch but turns into a more intimate affair for dinner. The kitchen turns out hits as it creates alta cucina (haute cuisine) made using Italian ingredients sourced from small producers. The menu changes seasonally, but might include dishes like chamomile risotto with smoked eel, honey, and oregano or pumpkin cappelletti with amaretti and provolone cheese fondue. At lunch, the more casual bistro area has fresh pressed juices and made-to-order sandwiches.

Carrying on a tradition of top-quality cuisine started by his father, chef Paolo Gramaglia and his wife Laila—the pastry chef and sommelier—run this Michelin-starred restaurant that consistently ranks among Campania's best. The presentation of every dish is beautiful, and service is impeccable; what's more, the restaurant sometimes hosts Roman-inspired banquets with musical accompaniment.

You might not expect to find a thoroughly contemporary restaurant on the slopes of Mount Etna, but Shalai, in the boutique hotel of the same name, is truly a modern oasis, where young chef Giovanni Santoro prepares updated and beautifully presented versions of Sicilian classics. For the full Michelin-starred experience, choose from the six-course meat or fish tasting menus; to finish, the deconstructed cannoli are a true delight. Wine pairings skew heavily toward Etna producers.

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.

This iconic eatery has occupied the space below the Santuario del Soccorso since 1936, when the original Umberto began to grill the local catch on the seafront. The setting is divine, with a terrace overlooking the Bay of Citara and the green tuff scogli innamorati (lovers' rocks). Grandson Umberto now presides over the kitchen, conjuring up gourmet dishes such as crudo di ricciola marinata (marinated raw Mediterranean amber jack) and paccheri dolcemare, a sweet pasta dish with squid, sultanas (golden raisins), pine nuts, and a touch of cinnamon. There are also 11 guest rooms, all with sea views.

Apricot walls hung with etchings of Pisa make this small, single-room restaurant warmly romantic. Husband and wife Damiano and Sandra Lazzerini have been running the place for two decades, and it shows in their obvious enthusiasm while talking about the menu (fish is a focus) and daily specials, which often astound. The ripieno di polpa di pesce a pan grattato con salsa di seppie e pomodoro (fish-stuffed ravioli with tomato-octopus sauce) delights. Seasonal ingredients are key throughout the menu; Sandra works wonders with tartufi estivi (summer truffles), artichokes, and market fish of the day. Remember to save room for desserts as they are scrumptious.

The first floor of an elegant town house in the center of Turin makes a fitting location for this sophisticated restaurant. There's an excellent wine list with regional, national, and international vintages well represented, and tasting menus, including a nine-course feast that covers the full range of the restaurant's cuisine and desserts.

Udine's very chic landmark restaurant is the one reserved most by locals for special occasions, and the menu features the freshest meat and fish in sophisticated dishes served with moodily lit culinary stagecraft. You might start with an antipasto of assorted raw shellfish, including the impossibly sweet Adriatic scampi, followed by the fresh fish of the day. Service is impeccable, as is the Friuli-focused wine list. Perhaps the best way to go is the multicourse tasting menu.

You could easily become a homemade-pesto snob at this restored 5th-century olive oil mill-turned-chic restaurant in the historical center of Finalborgo. The high prices are justified by excellent seafood and meat dishes as well as the pampering setting of clean white, arched and vaulted rooms that foster an air of space and tranquility. The five-course tasting menu is a great way to sample the dishes on offer.