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Milan
3 hours
Milan: Italian Cooking Class with Food and Wine
Join this cooking workshop and learn how to prepare 3 traditional dishes under the supervision of an Italian chef. Later, enjoy a meal in the dining...
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Italian cuisine is less a single tradition than 20 regional kitchens that share a few core grammars: simple ingredients in their season, restraint with seasoning, and a serious respect for pasta, bread, and the family table. The Italy that travels well , Roman cacio e pepe, Neapolitan pizza, Bolognese tagliatelle al ragù, Sicilian pasta alla Norma , is the regional Italy, not a single 'Italian cuisine.' Knowing the regional logic unlocks better menus everywhere from a Brooklyn osteria to a Tokyo trattoria.
The defining trick is product-first cooking. A great carbonara is guanciale, eggs, pecorino, black pepper, and pasta water , five ingredients and a sense of timing. A Florentine bistecca is one cut of Chianina beef, salt, fire. Italian cooking that reaches for more than five ingredients is usually less authentic, not more. When a kitchen calls itself Italian and presents an 18-component pasta, that's the cue to look at where its chef actually trained.
At the table, Italian meals follow a structure even casual places respect: antipasti, primi (pasta or risotto), secondi (meat or fish), contorni (sides), dolce, espresso. You don't have to order every course , most modern trattorias don't expect you to , but the menu's order is the rhythm.
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Rome
3h 30m
Exclusive Rome by Night: Golf Cart, Italian Dinner & Gelato
Explore the best of Rome at night on a sightseeing golf cart tour with hotel pickup. Enjoy an authentic Italian dinner that includes an appetizer,...
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Naples
Guided tour · 3 hours
Naples: Traditional Italian Food Cooking Class at Restaurant
Learn how to make traditional Italian food in a cooking class at an authentic restaurant in Naples. Enjoy a welcome glass of Prosecco and a glass of...
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Venice
1 hour
Venice: Prosecco & Italian Wine Tasting Experience
Taste Prosecco and Italian wines near St. Mark’s Square, paired with Venetian appetizers chosen to match each glass, with easy guidance from a...
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Top picks
The best-scored italian place in each of 12 cities.
Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli 3 ★ ★ 4.9
Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli took Verona's first three Michelin stars in 2024. TableJourney editor pick with address and booking notes inside the entry.
BookSix to eight weeks ahead
TipThe four-course lunch tasting is the best-value entry; book the chef's table six weeks out and arrive at 12:30 for the full service.
Glam Enrico Bartolini 2 ★ ★ 4.9
Glam Enrico Bartolini in Venice's Santa Croce holds the city's only 2 Michelin stars in the 2026 guide, run by Donato Ascani inside Palazzo Venart.
Book4 weeks ahead
Al Forno ★ 4.9
Al Forno on South Water Street invented grilled pizza in 1980 under Johanne Killeen and the late George Germon. Wood-fire kitchen, baked pasta.
OrderA grilled pizza Margherita and the baked penne with tomato cream sauce.
TipTuesday to Saturday only, 17:00-20:30. No reservations for parties under five; walk in by 17:15 or book on Tock.
Frasca Food and Wine ★ 4.9
Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder is Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson's James Beard-winning Friulian dining room since 2004, the kitchen.
OrderThe four-course Friuli tasting menu and the frico caldo to start.
TipBoulder is a 40-minute drive from Denver. Frasca Caffe next door runs walk-in pasta and aperitivo without a reservation.
Enoteca Pinchiorri 3 ★ ★ 4.8
Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence's Santa Croce district has held three Michelin stars since 2004 under Annie Feolde, with a 120,000-bottle cellar and a tasting.
Book6 weeks ahead
Salumeria Roscioli ★ 4.8
Roscioli in Rome's Centro Storico runs deli, restaurant and wine cellar as one room. Kitchen leans roman, salumeria. At Via dei Giubbonari 21.
OrderThe carbonara, the burrata with anchovies, and any cheese flight from the counter.
TipBook three weeks ahead for dinner. Lunch is the easier seating and the same kitchen runs both services.
Trippa ★ 4.8
Trippa in Milan's Porta Romana is Diego Rossi's offal-led trattoria, opened 2015 with cucina povera reimagined. Kitchen leans modern italian, offal.
OrderThe vitello tonnato, the trippa alla fiorentina and the mondeghili Milanese meatballs.
TipBookings open 60 days ahead on the website; sells out within hours. Walk-up bar seats open at 19:30 for early birds.
Del Cambio ★ 4.8
Del Cambio on Piazza Carignano in Turin has fed royal Piedmont since 1757. Chef Diego Giglio cooks one Michelin star at the Cavour-era table.
SignatureFinanziera Cavour, Modern vitello tonnato, Bonet
Antica Corte Pallavicina 1 ★ ★ 4.8
Antica Corte Pallavicina, Massimo Spigaroli's castle farm on the Po near Parma, has held a Michelin star since 2011 and ages culatello in its cellars.
OrderThe culatello vertical, sliced across several ageings from the cellars below.
Book2-4 weeks for weekends ahead
TipCome early and book the cellar visit: the culatello ageing rooms under the dining room are the point of the trip, 40 minutes from Parma.
Bay Cities Italian Deli ★ 4.8
Bay Cities Italian Deli, family-owned since 1925, bakes and stacks the Godmother on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica behind hour-long lunchtime queues.
OrderThe Godmother with the works, hot peppers included
TipOrder the Godmother online ahead and skip the queue; it is debit or cash only and closed Monday and Tuesday.
La Saletta ★ 4.8
La Saletta in Alghero has held its place in the Michelin Guide since 2023, with four tasting menus built on Sardinian produce a block from the sea.
OrderThe Radici menu, where Sardinian vegetables lead instead of the fish.
Rocca ★ 4.8
Rocca in Tampa Heights holds a Michelin star for Chef Bryce Bonsack's Piedmont-trained pastas, hand-pulled tableside mozzarella and modern Italian tasting.
OrderMozzarella pulled tableside followed by agnolotti del plin and the tagliatelle al ragu.
TipReserve four weeks ahead through Resy; Bonsack was named a 2026 James Beard Foundation semifinalist and the room books out the day reservations open.
Find a place
Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli 3 ★ ★ 4.9
Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli took Verona's first three Michelin stars in 2024. TableJourney editor pick with address and booking notes inside the entry.
BookSix to eight weeks ahead
TipThe four-course lunch tasting is the best-value entry; book the chef's table six weeks out and arrive at 12:30 for the full service.
Glam Enrico Bartolini 2 ★ ★ 4.9
Glam Enrico Bartolini in Venice's Santa Croce holds the city's only 2 Michelin stars in the 2026 guide, run by Donato Ascani inside Palazzo Venart.
Book4 weeks ahead
Al Forno ★ 4.9
Al Forno on South Water Street invented grilled pizza in 1980 under Johanne Killeen and the late George Germon. Wood-fire kitchen, baked pasta.
OrderA grilled pizza Margherita and the baked penne with tomato cream sauce.
TipTuesday to Saturday only, 17:00-20:30. No reservations for parties under five; walk in by 17:15 or book on Tock.
Frasca Food and Wine ★ 4.9
Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder is Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson's James Beard-winning Friulian dining room since 2004, the kitchen.
OrderThe four-course Friuli tasting menu and the frico caldo to start.
TipBoulder is a 40-minute drive from Denver. Frasca Caffe next door runs walk-in pasta and aperitivo without a reservation.
Trattoria Al Bersagliere ★ 4.8
Trattoria Al Bersagliere in Verona is the family-run 1928 trattoria in Borgo dei Filippini, where bigoli con l'arna and pastissada de caval are the plates.
SignatureBigoli con l'arna, Pastissada de caval, Tagliere
TipThe bigoli con l'arna and pastissada are reference Veronese plates; lunch with primo, secondo and a glass runs about €32.
Osteria del Bugiardo ★ 4.8
Osteria del Bugiardo in Verona is the Buglioni winery's tavern on Corso Porta Borsari, a cicchetti operation with Valpolicella. A 2026 editor pick.
SignatureTagliere, Lasagna al ragu, Polpette al sugo
TipArrive by 18:30 for aperitivo seats; the cicchetti board with a glass of Buglioni Ripasso runs about €12.
Enoteca Pinchiorri 3 ★ ★ 4.8
Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence's Santa Croce district has held three Michelin stars since 2004 under Annie Feolde, with a 120,000-bottle cellar and a tasting.
Book6 weeks ahead
Salumeria Roscioli ★ 4.8
Roscioli in Rome's Centro Storico runs deli, restaurant and wine cellar as one room. Kitchen leans roman, salumeria. At Via dei Giubbonari 21.
OrderThe carbonara, the burrata with anchovies, and any cheese flight from the counter.
TipBook three weeks ahead for dinner. Lunch is the easier seating and the same kitchen runs both services.
Armando al Pantheon ★ 4.8
Armando al Pantheon in Rome has cooked the four Roman pastas and the quinto quarto canon since 1961, a few steps from the Pantheon. Located in Centro Storico.
OrderCacio e pepe, coda alla vaccinara, and the abbacchio when it's on the carte.
TipBookings open exactly two months ahead on the website. Walk-up tables exist but only for lone diners and only at 12:30.
La Pergola 3 ★ ★ 4.8
Heinz Beck's La Pergola on Monte Mario holds three Michelin stars and the only rooftop terrace overlooking St Peter's at this level in Rome.
Book8 weeks ahead
TipBook exactly 60 days ahead via the hotel; jacket required. The €290 nine-course menu runs 3.5 hours.
Trippa ★ 4.8
Trippa in Milan's Porta Romana is Diego Rossi's offal-led trattoria, opened 2015 with cucina povera reimagined. Kitchen leans modern italian, offal.
OrderThe vitello tonnato, the trippa alla fiorentina and the mondeghili Milanese meatballs.
TipBookings open 60 days ahead on the website; sells out within hours. Walk-up bar seats open at 19:30 for early birds.
Ratana ★ 4.8
Ratana in Milan's Isola district is Cesare Battisti's modern Lombard kitchen, housed in a 19th-century railway building since 2009. Priced at €€€.
OrderThe risotto alla milanese with bone marrow, the cotoletta alla milanese and the ossobuco.
TipBookings open three weeks ahead. Lunch sittings 12:30 and 14:00; dinner from 19:30. The garden is the spot in summer.
Bu:r di Eugenio Boer ★ 4.8
Bu:r in Milan's Porta Romana is Eugenio Boer's modern-Italian fine bistro, the Dutch-Italian chef's flagship since 2018, holding one Michelin star.
OrderThe Bu:r tasting set; the herb tortelli and the slow-braised beef cheek are signature plates.
TipBookings open three weeks ahead. The lunch carte at 65 euros is the cheaper way in; vegetarian tasting available with notice.
Del Cambio ★ 4.8
Del Cambio on Piazza Carignano in Turin has fed royal Piedmont since 1757. Chef Diego Giglio cooks one Michelin star at the Cavour-era table.
SignatureFinanziera Cavour, Modern vitello tonnato, Bonet
Consorzio ★ 4.8
Consorzio in Turin's Quadrilatero Romano is a slow-food trattoria with a fine-dining wine list. Tumin ravioli, finanziera, agnolotti del plin.
Osteria All'Arco ★ 4.8
Osteria All'Arco near Rialto in San Polo serves cicchetti at €1.50 to €4 each, the canonical bacari budget meal with francobolli sandwiches and lagoon-fish.
TryCicchetti at the bar
TipSix cicchetti plus two ombre runs roughly €20 to 25 for a full meal. Closes after lunch.
Antica Corte Pallavicina 1 ★ ★ 4.8
Antica Corte Pallavicina, Massimo Spigaroli's castle farm on the Po near Parma, has held a Michelin star since 2011 and ages culatello in its cellars.
OrderThe culatello vertical, sliced across several ageings from the cellars below.
Book2-4 weeks for weekends ahead
TipCome early and book the cellar visit: the culatello ageing rooms under the dining room are the point of the trip, 40 minutes from Parma.
Bay Cities Italian Deli ★ 4.8
Bay Cities Italian Deli, family-owned since 1925, bakes and stacks the Godmother on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica behind hour-long lunchtime queues.
OrderThe Godmother with the works, hot peppers included
TipOrder the Godmother online ahead and skip the queue; it is debit or cash only and closed Monday and Tuesday.
La Saletta ★ 4.8
La Saletta in Alghero has held its place in the Michelin Guide since 2023, with four tasting menus built on Sardinian produce a block from the sea.
OrderThe Radici menu, where Sardinian vegetables lead instead of the fish.
Rocca ★ 4.8
Rocca in Tampa Heights holds a Michelin star for Chef Bryce Bonsack's Piedmont-trained pastas, hand-pulled tableside mozzarella and modern Italian tasting.
OrderMozzarella pulled tableside followed by agnolotti del plin and the tagliatelle al ragu.
TipReserve four weeks ahead through Resy; Bonsack was named a 2026 James Beard Foundation semifinalist and the room books out the day reservations open.
Lucia (Dinner) ★ 4.8
The second of Lucia's two fine-dining slots (dinner only), where the full a la carte menu runs with all house-cured and house-made items. At 287 N Bishop Ave.
Book2-3 weeks ahead
TipAsk for the cheese course at the end. It is not on the menu but the kitchen puts one together on request.
Bar Dough ★ 4.8
Bar Dough in Denver is Max MacKissock's wood-fired pizza and pasta room in Highland since 2015, with a Neapolitan-trained oven and house-made pastas.
OrderThe cacio e pepe and a Margherita pizza; the kitchen runs daily seasonal pasta specials.
TipWalk-in at the bar usually works; the patio is busy on summer weekends. Brunch on Sunday with carbonara is a draw.
Vetri Cucina ★ 4.8
Vetri Cucina in Philadelphia is Marc Vetri's 1998 Spruce Street townhouse tasting menu, a Michelin-recognised Italian room with the spinach gnocchi.
OrderSpinach gnocchi in brown butter and ricotta salata; the whole roasted baby goat for the table.
TipBook 60 days out on the venue's own site. The eight-seat counter is the room's quiet best seat.
Pizzeria Beddia ★ 4.8
Pizzeria Beddia in Philadelphia is Joe Beddia's Fishtown reincarnation of the Bon Appetit 2015 America's Best Pizza, with a margherita pie and a separate.
OrderMargherita with sungold tomatoes; a salad of every herb in the kitchen.
TipThe hoagie room books separately. Reserve it for groups of four to six who want lunch sandwiches.
Belotti Ristorante e Bottega ★ 4.8
Belotti on Rockridge's College Avenue cooks Piemonte cuisine in a Michelin Recommended trattoria. Tajarin and brasato are the cross-town dishes worth booking.
SignatureTajarin, Brasato
Luminosa ★ 4.8
Luminosa inside the Flat Iron Hotel in Asheville earned both a Michelin Green Star and a Bib Gourmand in the 2025 Michelin Guide American South, one of three.
OrderWhatever the wood-fired oven is running, plus a hand-cut pasta and the day's whole fish.
TipBook on OpenTable through the Indigo Road site. The bar takes walk-ins and serves the full menu.
Sotto Enoteca ★ 4.8
Sotto Enoteca is intimate italian wine bar from the trattoria delia team; the room is tiny and the italian-only list runs deeper than its size suggests.
Why locals goIntimate Italian wine bar from the Trattoria Delia team; the room is tiny and the Italian-only list runs deeper than its size suggests.
TipClosed Mon-Tue and walk-in to the bar before 18:00 holds two seats most nights; the Italian by-the-glass list rotates weekly.
Salvatore's Tomato Pies ★ 4.8
Salvatore's Tomato Pies on North Livingston, the Madison branch of the Sun Prairie Trenton-style pizzeria, runs tomato pies with sauce on top of the cheese.
OrderA Trenton-style tomato pie and a Wisconsin tap beer at happy hour.
TipClosed Monday; 16:00-18:00 happy hour Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday with $5 off 10-inch pies.
Goose Pastabar ★ 4.8
Goose Pastabar on Eerikinkatu became a cult fresh-pasta spot: dinner only, no reservations, a short handmade-pasta menu and a tight wine list.
OrderWhatever pasta is the daily special; the menu is short and changes often.
TipNo reservations and dinner only, so arrive early or expect a wait. Cash and card; the line moves once seats free up.
Santa Elisabetta ★ 4.7
Santa Elisabetta in Florence's Hotel Brunelleschi holds two Michelin stars under Rocco De Santis, a 24-seat dining room inside a 6th-century Byzantine tower.
OrderThe pigeon and yuzu signature and the Mediterranean risotto from the tasting carte.
TipBook six weeks ahead. The 10-course tasting is €260; €170 for the shorter 7-course set.
Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura 1 ★ ★ 4.7
Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura in Florence's Piazza della Signoria is Karime Lopez's Michelin-starred kitchen above the Gucci Garden, with the Emilia.
Book6 weeks ahead
All'Osteria Bottega ★ 4.7
All'Osteria Bottega in Bologna's Saragozza is the Daniele Minarelli and Valeria Tonelli room, a tiny dining hall running the canonical Emilian carte.
OrderTortellini in brodo, tagliatelle al ragu, the salumi board of Bonfatti mortadella.
TipBook three weeks ahead by phone; the room seats 28 and the lunch service has the easiest tables.
Trattoria di Via Serra ★ 4.7
Trattoria di Via Serra in Bologna's Bolognina is the Flavio Fabbri and Tommaso Trifoni room, a 28-seat osteria with the city's most-cited tagliatelle al ragu.
OrderTagliatelle al ragu, tortelloni burro e salvia, friggione.
TipBook three weeks ahead online; the lunch service is the easier seating and the kitchen runs the same carte at both meals.
Ahime ★ 4.7
Ahime in Bologna near Via San Vitale is the Lorenzo Vecchia and Filippo Pennestri room, a 30-seat natural-wine bistro rooted in fermentation and Emilian.
OrderThe tortelli di erbette, the fermentation tasting plate, the trippa with parmesan crust.
TipBook three weeks ahead online; the natural-wine cellar is the city's most-cited and the carte rewrites weekly.
Scannabue Caffe Restaurant ★ 4.7
Scannabue on Largo Saluzzo in Turin's San Salvario is the Bib Gourmand bistrot for vitello tonnato, fresh tajarin and a fair Piedmont wine carte.
Trattoria Corte Sconta ★ 4.7
Trattoria Corte Sconta in Venice's Castello is the courtyard seafood room that locals and chefs in town quietly book first, the canonical hidden-courtyard.
OrderAntipasto misto, spaghetti vongole, granseola when in season.
TipBook three weeks ahead. The pergola courtyard is the seat to ask for in summer. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
Trattoria Ai Due Platani ★ 4.7
Trattoria Ai Due Platani in Coloreto holds Gambero Rosso's Tre Gamberi and a Bib Gourmand, ten minutes from Parma and booked out weeks ahead for tortelli.
OrderTortelli d'erbetta, then cream gelato from the 1964 Carpigiani machine.
TipReserve well in advance, even midweek. Finish with the house cream gelato, churned in a 1964 Carpigiani machine the owners refuse to retire.
Al Gatto Verde 1 ★ ★ 4.7
Al Gatto Verde in Modena is Jessica Rosval's one Michelin star kitchen at Casa Maria Luigia, cooking live fire dishes from the estate's own farm produce.
OrderThe Fassona Piemontese beef and the Smoked Meat Carrello, a tasting of house-smoked meats.
TipThe restaurant sits inside the Casa Maria Luigia country house in San Damaso; book well ahead for a table over the open fire.
Palazzo Petrucci ★ 4.7
Lino Scarallo's Palazzo Petrucci on Posillipo Hill in Naples holds one Michelin star and the seafront cliff terrace over the Bay, the city's most-told modern.
OrderLasagnetta di mozzarella di bufala and risotto alla pescatora with Bay views.
TipBook three weeks ahead via the website; the 145-euro tasting menu is the entry point. Terrace tables go first.
Josto ★ 4.7
Josto in Cagliari is Pierluigi Fais's Via Sassari dining room, an open kitchen working bottarga, mullet and Sardinian meat into minimal modern plates.
OrderThe tasting menu, bottarga and mullet included.
TipThe tasting menu runs 70 euro; Sunday is the one day the room stays dark, and the kitchen works Monday to Saturday.
Biànca ★ 4.7
Biànca brings modern Italian to Ada Lane off James Street, Fortitude Valley. Same Same crew project; hand-cut pasta, wood-fired pies, Italian regional wines.
SignatureHand-cut pasta, Wood-fired pizza, Seasonal antipasti
Pammy's ★ 4.7
Chris and Pam Willis run Pammy's as a New American-Italian trattoria between Central and Harvard Squares in Cambridge since 2017. Priced at $$$$.
OrderThe tagliatelle bolognese with brown-butter aged parmesan.
TipResy opens 30 days ahead and the room fills the same minute. Counter walk-ins from 17:30 weekdays.
Ristorante Lombardo ★ 4.7
Ristorante Lombardo on Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo is the Tuscan-influenced anchor of the city's Italian food row, family-owned since 1975.
SignatureHandmade pasta, Wood-fired pizza
Lucia ★ 4.7
Chef David Uygur's chef-owned Italian in Bishop Arts, where the pasta is made daily and every salumi is hand-cured. Open tue-sat 6pm-10pm, closed sun-mon.
OrderHouse-cured salumi board; foie gras-stuffed prunes; housemade cacio e pepe.
TipResy books out 2-3 weeks ahead. The short rib ragu changes monthly; ask your server what is housemade this week.
Bocca di Lupo ★ 4.7
Jacob Kenedy's regional Italian dining room on Archer Street in Soho London, opened 2008, plates dishes from Piemonte, Friuli, Calabria and beyond.
OrderSuckling pig porchetta with crackling on a soft roll, and a Lambrusco from the carafe list.
TipCounter seats face the open kitchen and take walk-ins. Tables in the back book a fortnight ahead through their site.
Tipo 00 ★ 4.7
Tipo 00 on Little Bourke Street serves house-rolled pasta in a tight CBD room. The squid-ink tagliolini and wagyu mafaldine have been selling out for years.
OrderTagliolini al nero with squid and bottarga
Roma ★ 4.7
Roma on Collins Street is Melbourne's most disciplined Roman trattoria: cacio e pepe tableside, proper tonnarelli and a small menu that refuses to overstep.
OrderTonnarelli cacio e pepe, tableside
Rita's Abbotsford ★ 4.7
Rita's in Abbotsford makes semolina-crusted pizzas with wood-fired char most pizza rooms approximate: small room, short menu, real consistency.
OrderSemolina-crusted pizza with anchovy and olive
Piccolo Forno ★ 4.7
Piccolo Forno on Butler Street in Lawrenceville serves Tuscan wood-fired pizza and pasta in Pittsburgh. A neighbourhood Italian room locals book on Tuesdays.
OrderA wood-fired pizza or the daily fresh pasta, with a glass of Chianti.
TipSmall and popular; reservations help on weekends. BYOB nights vary, call ahead.
Tavernetta ★ 4.7
Tavernetta in Denver is Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson's regional Italian dining room in Union Station's Crawford Hotel, the sister.
OrderThe tagliatelle al ragu and any whole-fish course.
TipBook the chef's counter for a view of the pasta station. The Italian-only wine list runs deep on Friuli and Piemonte growers.
Solo Italiano ★ 4.7
Solo Italiano on Commercial Street opened 2016 from Chef Paolo Laboa, with Ligurian cooking, hand-cut trofie pesto and house bread from a Genovese-style oven.
OrderTrofie al pesto Genovese with potatoes and green beans, the canonical Ligurian plate.
TipAwarded due forchette by Gambero Rosso in 2025. Reservations through their site; lunch from 12:00.
Leeward ★ 4.7
Leeward on Free Street opened 2020 from Jake and Raquel Stevens, with a chef-driven fresh-pasta program inside a brick-and-tile Italian dining room.
OrderWhatever shape the pasta-maker is rolling today, paired with a glass from the natural-wine list.
TipWednesday to Sunday 17:00-22:00. Resy reservations open 28 days ahead.
Amano ★ 4.7
Amano runs Italian-leaning seasonal cooking from a heritage brick warehouse on Tyler Street in Britomart, with a connected bakery next door in Auckland.
SignatureHouse-made pasta, Wood-fired sourdough, Whole fish
Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen ★ 4.7
Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman's Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen runs Italian cooking rooted in Southern ingredients from East Memphis since 2008.
OrderMaw Maw's potato gnocchi with red sugo, a recipe from Hudman's grandmother.
TipOpen Monday through Saturday for dinner from 16:30. Reserve on Resy two weeks out; the bar takes walk-ins.
Catherine and Mary's ★ 4.7
Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman's downtown Memphis room pairs Tuscan and Sicilian grandmother cooking with Southern ingredients in the Chisca on Main building.
OrderWhatever pasta they are rolling that night, plus the wood-roasted whole fish.
TipBooth seats in the bar mean walk-in dinner on most weeknights; the dining room books two weeks out on Resy.
Liverpool House ★ 4.7
Liverpool House is Joe Beef's brighter sibling in Little Burgundy, Montreal, pouring natural wine over Italian-leaning plates and lobster spaghetti.
OrderThe lobster spaghetti and a bottle from the natural list.
TipIt is a touch easier to book than Joe Beef and just as good; go for the same kitchen, lighter room.
Ambra ★ 4.7
Ambra in Philadelphia is Chris D'Ambro and Marina de Oliveira's 16-seat Italian tasting menu on South 4th in Queen Village, the city's most personal.
OrderThe full nine-course tasting; the four-seat kitchen counter rather than the main table when available.
TipBook at exactly 30 days out at 10am on the venue's site. Saturday seatings fill in the first 90 seconds.
Molinari Delicatessen ★ 4.7
Molinari Delicatessen in San Francisco is the 1896 North Beach Italian counter, with house-cut salumi, focaccia sandwiches and a line every weekday at noon.
Why locals goNorth Beach Italian counter since 1896, hand-cutting salumi for the sandwich line out the door; the building has not changed in three generations.
TipOrder the Special: salami, mortadella, provolone, sun-dried tomato on house focaccia. Bring it to Washington Square.
Bestia ★ 4.7
Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis's Arts District room set the tone for downtown LA's modern Italian cooking in 2012 and still pulls bookings six weeks out.
OrderCavatelli alla Norcina with house pork sausage and black truffle.
TipBook six weeks out for prime time; bar seats walk-in only from 17:30, and the menu is the same as the dining room.
Folk ★ 4.7
Philip Krajeck's casual East Nashville room in Nashville opened 2018, running naturally leavened pizza and a vegetable-forward menu with natural wine on tap.
OrderThe mushroom pizza and whatever bitter green is currently on the menu.
TipClosed Wednesdays. Walk-in seats at the long marble bar are the best move on a weeknight.
Rezdôra ★ 4.7
Chef Stefano Secchi's Flatiron pasta room runs Emilian hand-rolled pastas in New York City: tortellini in brodo, anolini, gramigna. Michelin star since 2022.
OrderThe Tour of Emilia: five hand-rolled pastas, $98.
TipReservations open 28 days out on Resy. The bar runs walk-ins from 17:30 and serves the same pasta tour.
Caputo's Market and Deli ★ 4.7
Caputo's Market and Deli on West 300 South, Tony Caputo's Italian deli and market since 1997, runs the largest craft chocolate selection in the country.
OrderThe Old School sandwich and a craft chocolate bar from the 300+ bar wall.
TipCounter sandwiches travel well; the cheese, cured meats and tinned fish stretch through holidays. Multiple metro branches.
Spinasse ★ 4.7
Spinasse in Seattle's Capitol Hill cuts its tajarin a millimetre wide at the marble counter every morning, a Piedmontese pasta room 17 years old and still.
OrderTajarin alla salvia, the 40-egg-yolk pasta cut a millimetre wide with brown butter and sage.
TipThe bar seats five and walks in 17:00; the small dining room takes Resy 30 days out and goes within an hour.
Cafe Juanita ★ 4.7
Cafe Juanita is a 30-minute drive from Seattle in Kirkland, the James Beard winning Holly Smith Northern Italian tasting room since 2000, omnivore.
Book4 weeks ahead
Kissa Tanto ★ 4.7
Kissa Tanto on East Pender from chef Joel Watanabe and Tannis Ling is a Japanese-Italian room with a 1960s Tokyo jazz cafe feel, Michelin-starred 2022.
OrderThe spaghettini vongole and the crispy tuna otsumami, the kitchen's signature crossover plates.
TipReservations open 30 days out on Resy; Tuesday is the harder seat. The bar takes walk-ins for spaghettini and a Negroni.
Boia De ★ 4.7
Boia De in Miami is the Michelin-starred 24-seat Italian counter at 5205 NE 2nd Ave, glowing under a neon exclamation mark in a Buena Vista strip mall.
OrderThe bone marrow toast with anchovy, then a pasta off the chalkboard.
TipReservations open one month ahead on Resy and vanish in minutes. Walk in at 5pm and try for the bar.
Sotto ★ 4.7
Sotto on East 6th Street downtown is David Falk's subterranean Italian room in Cincinnati, with hand-rolled pastas and wood-fired antipasti.
SignatureHand-rolled pasta, Wood-fired meats
Pepp and Dolores ★ 4.7
Pepp and Dolores on Vine Street in OTR is the Italian-American room from the Thunderdome group (the Lanni brothers' Italian-grandparent homage).
SignatureCavatelli, Sunday gravy
Esther's Kitchen ★ 4.7
Esther's Kitchen in Las Vegas is James Trees's seasonal Italian dining room in the Arts District, named USA Today Restaurant of the Year 2026 and the anchor.
OrderWhatever house-made pasta is on the daily menu; the dough is rolled in the open kitchen.
TipBook at least two weeks ahead for a Friday or Saturday; the wine room runs a deeper Italian list than the floor.
Bazaar Meat by Jose Andres ★ 4.7
Bazaar Meat by Jose Andres in Las Vegas is the James Beard winner's playful Strip meathouse, relocated from SLS Sahara to the Venetian Resort in late 2025.
Book2 weeks ahead
TipSit at the live-fire counter; the suckling pig and tableside flambees are the show.
Bottega Restaurant ★ 4.7
Bottega Restaurant on Highland Avenue is Frank Stitt's 1988 Italian sibling to Highlands, in a Highland Park mansion with a wood-fired oven.
SignatureWood-oven pizza, House pasta, Pimento cheese
Bottega Cafe ★ 4.7
Bottega Cafe in Highland Park is the walk-in patio counterpart to Bottega Restaurant, with wood-oven pizzas and the Stitt-style casual Italian menu.
SignatureWood-oven pizza, Beef carpaccio, Chicken scaloppini
Broders' Pasta Bar ★ 4.7
The Broder family's Pasta Bar at 50th and Penn has run a Southwest Minneapolis Italian since 1994. Located in Linden Hills. At 5000 Penn Ave S.
OrderHouse-made tagliatelle bolognese and the gnocchi al pesto.
TipWalk-ins only; line forms by 17:30. Broders' Cucina deli across the street is the takeaway alternative.
Mucci's Italian ★ 4.7
Mucci's Italian in Saint Paul runs Tim Niver's house-pasta and montanara kitchen on Randolph Avenue, a 2025 James Beard hospitality nominee.
OrderThe pizza montanara, deep-fried then baked, with house-made mozzarella.
Why locals goOn Randolph Avenue a mile west of West Seventh, Tim Niver and Chris Uhrich's house-pasta room reads as a corner cafe, then earns 2025 James Beard hospitality nominations.
TipTuesday through Sunday, dinner only. Reserve via Tock; the 90 to 110 minute table cap means second-seating opens after 8pm.
Prato ★ 4.7
Prato on North Park Avenue in Winter Park is the wood-fired Italian restaurant with house pastas, hearth pizzas and a long Italian wine list.
SignatureWood-fired pizza, House-made pasta
Borsalino ★ 4.7
Borsalino on Zülpicher Strasse in Cologne's Kwartier Latäng serves affordable Italian pasta to students and locals; Carbonara or Bolognese under €10.
Il Ristorante - Niko Romito 2 ★ ★ 4.7
Il Ristorante - Niko Romito is the chef's two Michelin star dining room inside Bulgari Resort Dubai on Jumeirah Bay Island, cooking modern Italian food.
Nonna Tata ★ 4.7
Nonna Tata on W Magnolia Ave in Fort Worth is a cash-only Italian dinner spot seating around 25 people with no reservations and a short Northern Italian menu.
OrderHandmade pasta with butter and sage; tiramisu made fresh that afternoon.
TipCash or check only and BYOB; the queue forms outside before 17:30 on Fridays.
Lorenzo and Kakalamba ★ 4.7
Lorenzo and Kakalamba opened 2010 by an Italian husband, Serbian wife pairing. Florentine and Pirot dishes inside an Alice-in-Wonderland room.
SignatureFlorentine pasta, Tufahija dessert
Monk Pizza Counter ★ 4.7
Yoshihiro Imai's wood-fired pizza counter on the Philosopher's Path in Kyoto. 12 seats, daily 12-course Italian-Japanese tasting; the chef-pick of town.
Why locals goYoshihiro Imai's 12-seat wood-fired counter on the Philosopher's Path that books out 60 days in advance.
TipReservations open online 60 days ahead, on the 1st of each month at 09:00 JST.
Saint Bibiana ★ 4.7
Saint Bibiana inside Hotel Bardo opened September 2023, now led by executive chef Jim Anile; coastal Italian, house-made pasta, wood-fired plates, aperitivo.
OrderWhatever pasta is on the chalkboard tonight, plus a spritz on the courtyard.
TipBook Resy 2 weeks ahead for dinner; brunch on Friday to Sunday 8:00-14:00.
Ristorante Cocchi ★ 4.6
Ristorante Cocchi has fed Parma's bourgeoisie since 1925: anolini in brodo, the trio of tortelli and, from September to April, a serious bollito trolley.
OrderAnolini in brodo, then the boiled-meat trolley in winter.
TipThe bolliti run September to April only. Book a day ahead for Sunday lunch, when Parma families claim most of the two dining rooms.
Zemian Piccola Osteria ★ 4.6
Zemian Piccola Osteria in Modena packs a handful of tables on Via Fonte d'Abisso, plating classic Emilian dishes for its devoted local crowd.
OrderWhatever the chef built into that day's short tasting sequence of Emilian classics.
TipSeats are few and demand is high; call weeks ahead for a weekend table.
Franceschetta 58 ★ 4.6
Franceschetta 58 in Modena is Massimo Bottura's Michelin Guide bistro on Via Vignolese, pairing Emilian staples with contemporary small plates.
OrderThe tortellini in Parmigiano Reggiano cream and the aged pancetta with mostarda.
TipBook a few weeks ahead online; the short wine list gives Lambrusco a full page.
San Giorgio ★ 4.6
San Giorgio in Genoa's Foce district holds a Michelin star and serves contemporary Mediterranean cooking, backed by a prize-winning wine list.
OrderThe crudo di gamberi with chard, green olives and Vermouth sauce, on the October menu.
TipThe restaurant's own page lists it closed on Sunday and Monday; Michelin calls the wine list prize-winning at international level.
Osteria da Carmela ★ 4.6
Osteria da Carmela in Naples' Centro Storico near the Archaeological Museum has cooked the daily Neapolitan carte since 1967, a 25-cover room that remains.
OrderSeafood pasta of the day and whatever fritto they are serving from the morning market.
Why locals goA no-sign basement on Via Conte di Ruvo near the Archaeological Museum, Osteria da Carmela has fed locals since 1967 in a room that fits 25 covers and turns away walk-ins most.
TipBook two days ahead by phone (+39 081 549 9738); the room fills with regulars by 13:15 and 20:30.
Musciora ★ 4.6
Musciora is a small family room on Via Mazzini in Alghero where a father and son serve tasting menus split between the sea, the land and a full run.
OrderThe Vera Esperienza Musciora menu, narrated plate by plate at the table.
Picchi 1 ★ ★ 4.6
Picchi opened in 2007 and moved to the Regent Park on Oscar Freire in 2014. Chef Pier Paolo Picchi has held a Michelin star here since 2017 in Sao Paulo.
OrderTasting menu of family recipes reworked with Brazilian produce
BookOne to two weeks; book directly with the restaurant ahead
TipThree tasting menus run alongside the a la carte list: a 12-course, a 6-course classic, and a 4-course pasta-only option.
Fratelli Paradiso ★ 4.6
Italian institution on Challis Avenue, Potts Point, Sydney since 2001. Pasta of the day, deep Italian wine list, booking ahead recommended on weekends.
SignaturePasta of the day, Steamed snapper, Tiramisu
Gelato Messina Darlinghurst ★ 4.6
Gelato Messina's Darlinghurst flagship on Victoria Street, Sydney. House-churned gelato, weekly special-flavour drops, walk-in friendly weeknights.
OrderTwo-scoop cup of salted caramel and pannacotta.
TipThe doughnut sandwich is a hidden Messina menu item, ask at the counter.
10 William Street ★ 4.6
Italian-leaning wine bar on William Street, Paddington, Sydney. Antipasti, daily pasta, the city's first natural-wine bar by-the-glass list since 2010.
OrderPasta of the day and a Lambrusco.
TipLimited bar stools; arrive early or settle for the bench seats outside.
Brocato's Deviled Crab Counter ★ 4.6
Brocato's Deviled Crab Counter (Italian) in Tampa: Order the party finger sandwiches (mini Cubans and mini deviled crabs) for groups; the counter is fast.
Why locals go1948 Italian-Cuban storefront on East Columbus with handmade deviled crabs and Cuban sandwiches, the original 1920s cigar-worker recipe.
TipOrder the party finger sandwiches (mini Cubans and mini deviled crabs) for groups; the counter is fast.
Mamma Maria ★ 4.6
Mamma Maria on North Square is the North End's fine-dining anchor in Boston, in a five-room brick townhouse since 1973. Kitchen leans italian.
OrderThe pappardelle bolognese; the kitchen makes the pasta in-house.
TipBook the upstairs Library room for a quiet conversation. The Sunday family menu at 17:00 is the easy walk-in seat.
Coppa ★ 4.6
Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette's Italian enoteca on Shawmut Avenue runs house-made charcuterie and Roman pastas in Boston's South End since 2009.
OrderThe charcuterie board, all five cuts, with the bagna cauda.
TipThe marble counter is the better solo seat. Walk in at 17:00 for the easy table.
Gemma ★ 4.6
Michelin Bib Gourmand bistro on Knox-Henderson with James Beard Award finalist hospitality recognition. Open tue-thu 5pm-10pm, fri-sat 5pm-11pm.
Book2 weeks ahead
TipBar seating is first-come first-served. The fried Castelvetrano olives with Texas pecans arrive unbidden at the start of every meal.
The River Cafe ★ 4.6
Ruth Rogers's Italian dining room on the Thames in Hammersmith London, opened 1987 by Rose Gray and Rogers, still the city's defining seasonal Italian.
OrderWhatever pasta dish is on the daily-changing menu, and the chocolate nemesis for two.
TipSit on the riverside terrace in summer. The lunch sitting from 12:30 is markedly cheaper than dinner with the same kitchen.
Manteca ★ 4.6
Chris Leach and David Carter's whole-animal Italian dining room on Curtain Road in Shoreditch London, opened 2021, charcuteries pork in-house and rolls pasta.
OrderPig's head fritti, cacio e pepe rigatoni and a glass from the all-Italian wine list.
TipBar seats and the counter overlooking the open kitchen take walk-ins. Tables book a month ahead through Resy.
Cesarina ★ 4.6
Cesarina in San Diego is Cesarina Mezzoni's Point Loma trattoria on Voltaire Street, a glass-walled pastificio where you can watch hand-rolled eggless pasta.
OrderThe tortelli di zucca with butter and sage; the tagliatelle al ragu finished tableside.
TipThe eggless dough is unusual; ask for it explicitly if you want the canonical Cesarina experience.
Buona Forchetta ★ 4.6
Buona Forchetta in San Diego is Matteo Cattaneo's South Park pizzeria on 30th and Beech since 2011, the Naples-style wood-fire room that holds the Gambero.
OrderThe pizza Sofia with prosciutto and burrata; the margherita is the test of the dough.
TipNo reservations on the patio; arrive by 5:30pm or after 8:30pm to skip the worst of the line.
Bobboi Natural Gelato Kettner ★ 4.6
Bobboi Natural Gelato Kettner (Italian) in San Diego: Ask for a half-and-half scoop pairing; the seasonal Miso Orange Maple flavour rotates in autumn.
OrderPistachio gelato, the Miso Orange Maple seasonal
Why locals goItalian-trained gelato chef Monica Maccioni works out of a small Kettner Boulevard shop with 18 daily flavors, collaborations with city chefs and vegan options.
TipAsk for a half-and-half scoop pairing; the seasonal Miso Orange Maple flavour rotates in autumn.
Ever Andalo ★ 4.6
Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown's Ever Andalo in NoDa is a Michelin-recommended Italian room built in four weeks above their other NoDa kitchens.
OrderWhatever fresh pasta is on the menu; the kitchen makes the dough in house every day.
TipThe bar takes walk-ins. Sit at the counter and watch the pasta line, then book a proper table next time.
Ortolana ★ 4.6
Ortolana sits on the corner of Tyler Street in the Britomart pavilions in Auckland. Italian bistro by day and dinner; the name means market gardener.
SignaturePappardelle with lamb ragu, Market fish, Chicken cotoletta
Pulito Osteria ★ 4.6
Pulito Osteria in Belhaven is Jackson's Michelin Recommended Italian, with handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza, and seasonal preparations by chef Chaz Lindsay.
OrderHouse-made tagliatelle with short rib ragu, or the Margherita wood-fired pizza
TipBar seats are first-come and worth grabbing for the casual, buzzy energy without a wait.
Mama Santa's ★ 4.6
Mama Santa's on Mayfield Road in Little Italy, the family-owned Sicilian pizzeria since 1961, runs hand-tossed pies and homemade pasta on the Italian block.
OrderSicilian sausage pizza and a plate of the manicotti to share.
TipTakes reservations and walk-ins; the patio opens in warm months. Closed Sunday.
Fox in the Snow Italian Village ★ 4.6
Fox in the Snow Italian Village on North Fourth Street is the second Columbus Fox shop, with the egg sandwich and a quieter morning room than original.
Why locals goOn North Fourth Street north of the brewery row, the second Fox cafe is quieter than German Village in the morning.
TipWeekday mornings are easier than the German Village original.
Felix Trattoria ★ 4.6
Evan Funke's Venice pasta room rolls every shape by hand in a glass-walled laboratorio. Felix Trattoria is the busiest dinner reservation on Abbot Kinney.
OrderCacio e pepe finished tableside in a wheel of pecorino.
TipReservations open 30 days out and disappear in the first hour; counter seats overlooking the pasta room are walk-in from 17:00.
City House ★ 4.6
Chef Tandy Wilson's Germantown room in Nashville serves blue-collar Italian and Southern cooking since 2007. Kitchen leans italian southern.
OrderBelly ham pizza with mozzarella, oregano, chiles and pickled peppers.
TipBradley Midgett took executive chef duties in March 2025; the menu stays Wilson's. Sunday Suppers are the easy seat.
Yolan ★ 4.6
The Joseph Hotel's Italian fine-dining room in Nashville opened August 2020 with refined regional cooking. Located in Downtown. Priced at $$$$.
OrderPasta tasting and the whole fish; pair with the Italian-leaning wine list.
TipThe espresso bar on the ground floor serves the same kitchen at half the price for an aperitivo.
Via Carota ★ 4.6
Jody Williams and Rita Sodi's Grove Street West Village room serves Tuscan-leaning food in New York City. Priced at $$$. Kitchen leans italian.
OrderInsalata verde, cacio e pepe, chocolate budino.
TipWalk in at 17:00 sharp for the first seating, or join the list around 20:30 for the second wave.
Altura ★ 4.6
Altura in Seattle's Capitol Hill is Nathan Lockwood's weekly-changing Italian tasting room: Acquerello DNA, Pacific Northwest ingredients, three James Beard.
Book3 to 4 weeks ahead
Ask for Luigi ★ 4.6
Ask for Luigi in Railtown since 2013 is J-C Poirier's Italian handmade-pasta room, the same kitchen behind St Lawrence, Michelin Bib Gourmand 2022.
OrderHandmade pappardelle with rabbit ragu, the kitchen's reference pasta from chef J-C Poirier.
TipNo reservations; walk-in line from 17:00. The bar opens 30 minutes earlier.
Savio Volpe ★ 4.6
Savio Volpe on Kingsway from chefs Mark Perrier and Paul Grunberg since 2016 is a Roman trattoria with a wood-fired grill, Michelin recommended 2022.
OrderHand-cut tonnarelli cacio e pepe with the wood-grilled lamb chops.
TipReservations on OpenTable open 30 days out; the bar walks in for grilled antipasti.
The Obstinate Daughter ★ 4.6
Jacques Larson's The Obstinate Daughter on Sullivan's Island opened in 2014. Italian-Lowcountry crossover with wood-fired pizzas and seafood pastas.
OrderThe Old Danger pizza with house-pulled mozzarella and the Geechee Girl pasta.
TipBook on Resy. Lunch is the easier seat; dinner books out 30 days ahead.
Johnnie's Beef ★ 4.6
Johnnie's Beef in Elmwood Park is the suburban-edge Italian-beef counter on North Avenue since 1961, known for the combo (beef and sausage) and the Italian.
OrderCombo, dipped, hot peppers. Italian lemonade in the lemon-and-ice flavour, large.
TipCash only. Two lines: one for sandwiches, one for Italian lemonade. They are not the same staff.
RARE Italian ★ 4.6
RARE Italian dry-ages its steaks in-house at College and Mountain in Fort Collins, pairing them with handmade pasta and a farm-fed seasonal menu.
OrderA dry-aged cut with handmade pasta on the side
TipHappy hour runs Monday to Friday 16:00-18:00; USA Today has named it among America's best steakhouses.
Hawks Restaurant ★ 4.6
Hawks Restaurant in Granite Bay is the Sacramento fine-dining suburban anchor, refined French Italian technique with the region's deepest Cabernet list.
OrderThe Chef's Tasting Menu, the Wagyu and the Cabernet pairing
TipMonday to Thursday 17:00-21:00, Friday to Saturday 17:00-22:00. Book on Resy.
Allora ★ 4.6
Allora on Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento is a Michelin Recommended modern-Italian room with a Wine Spectator award list and weekly pasta tastings.
OrderThe handmade pasta tasting, Wagyu carpaccio, the Brunello flight
TipDinner only Tuesday to Saturday. The chef's counter takes the wine pairings; book the dining room for date night.
Talea by Antonio Guida 1 ★ ★ 4.6
Talea by Antonio Guida is a Michelin-starred Italian restaurant at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, serving family-style cucina di famiglia from its chef.
OrderOssobuco and vitello tonnato, plus the truffle bruschetta and spaghetti carbonara the hotel calls signatures.
TipLunch is served on Saturday and Sunday from 12:30 to 15:00, and the hotel publishes a separate weekend lunch menu and an Italian Evenings menu.
Trattoria Delia ★ 4.6
Trattoria Delia opened on Saint Paul Street in 1993 inside the historic Vermont House; its Italian wine list is Wine Spectator-recognised every year.
OrderWhatever the hand-cut pasta of the day is, plus a glass of regional Italian off the bottle list.
TipOpen daily 17:00-21:00; book Resy 1-2 weeks ahead for prime weekend slots. The pasta-of-the-day board is the move.
Emilia ★ 4.6
Emilia on Market Square, chef Matt Gallaher's Emilia-Romagna-inspired Italian room since 2016, runs handmade pasta and house-pulled mozzarella a block off.
OrderWhichever pasta the kitchen is rolling that day, plus a hand-pulled mozzarella plate to start.
TipReservations open about three weeks out; Tuesday through Thursday dinners turn faster than weekend Saturdays.
Osteria Stella ★ 4.6
Osteria Stella on West Jackson, the Aaron Thompson and Jessica King Italian room above Brother Wolf, runs Italian dinner service in the Old City.
OrderWhatever the kitchen is rolling for pasta that night, plus a glass off the Italian-leaning wine list.
TipSunday dinner is the quieter night; pair the meal with an aperitivo at sibling Brother Wolf downstairs.
Cento ★ 4.6
Cento on West Mifflin, the Food Fight group's downtown Italian under chef Michael Pruett, runs handmade pasta and wood-fired pizza in an open kitchen.
OrderWhatever pasta the kitchen is rolling that day plus a wood-fired pie from the brick oven.
TipThe chef's table seats up to 12 with a custom tasting; Tuesday-Thursday dinners stay quieter.
Maramao ★ 4.6
Chef Freddy's Maramao runs a tiny courtyard kitchen on the edge of Kapana. House-made bread, pasta, cakes and Italian classics with authentic products.
SignatureHouse-made pasta, Tiramisu
Flour House ★ 4.6
Flour House bakes Pizza Napoletana and rolls fresh pasta in downtown San Luis Obispo, and 50 Top Pizza has ranked it among the top 50 pizzerias in the USA.
OrderA blistered Neapolitan pizza from the copper-clad oven, then a house-made pasta.
TipMeter Monday puts a metre-long pizza on the table; bring three friends and split it.
Fiola Mare ★ 4.6
Fiola Mare in Washington DC is Fabio and Maria Trabocchi's Georgetown waterfront seafood room on K Street, a Potomac-facing dining hall with a crudo bar.
OrderThe crudo platter to start; the kitchen builds it from whatever was unloaded that morning.
TipThe patio runs from April to October; Sunday lunch on the water with a glass of vermentino is the room's editorial best moment.
Alleia ★ 4.6
Alleia turns out handmade pasta and Neapolitan-style pizza in the old Harrington Building on E. Main Street, Daniel Lindley's rustic Italian in Chattanooga.
OrderGnocchi from the handmade pasta list, then the duck.
TipDinner only and closed Sunday; Saturday service starts at 16:45. Reserve on Resy for the candlelit main room.
Gocciolina ★ 4.6
Gocciolina is Durham's handmade-pasta destination with fresh and dried pastas, a natural-wine list and precise cooking. Named Best Italian by Indy Week 2024.
SignatureCacio e pepe, Strozzapreti with lamb ragu, Tiramisu
8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana 3 ★ ★ 4.6
8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana at Alexandra House in Hong Kong is the only three Michelin star Italian restaurant outside Italy, with chef Umberto Bombana.
OrderWhite truffle tasting menu in autumn (October to December).
Book3 to 4 weeks ahead
TipWhite truffle season runs October to early January; book at least three weeks ahead during that window.
Coltivare ★ 4.6
Coltivare in Houston is the Heights Italian room on White Oak Drive from Ryan Pera, with wood-fired pizzas, on-site vegetable gardens and a small-plates menu.
OrderMargherita pizza, whichever pasta is on the daily board, the salad from the back garden.
TipWalk-in only, party of six max. Get there before 6pm or wait an hour.
Ristorante Bartolotta dal 1993 ★ 4.6
Ristorante Bartolotta dal 1993 on State Street in Wauwatosa is the Bartolotta Group's flagship Italian room, with house pastas and Northern Italian classics.
Book2 weeks ahead
Bar La Grassa ★ 4.6
Isaac Becker's Bar La Grassa on Washington Avenue has run the North Loop's defining Italian in Minneapolis since 2009. James Beard Best Chef Midwest 2011.
OrderSoft egg and lobster bruschetta and the gnocchi with cauliflower.
TipBar walk-ins open at 17:00; the bruschetta menu prints 12 options daily. Order three to share.
Emporietto ★ 4.6
Emporietto is the Italian osteria up a courtyard off Rue Adolphe Moitié in Nantes, seasonal pasta set against about 100 natural Italian wines.
OrderSquid ink pasta with pistachio cream and bottarga
Why locals goThe door sits at the back of a courtyard off Rue Adolphe Moitié, in premises that were a fine-foods shop before they were an osteria, so the street gives nothing away.
TipBook for the evening; lunch is a shorter, cheaper card and the room is small enough that walk-ins rarely work.
Acqua ★ 4.6
Acqua brings Sardinian technique to Kalim Bay above Patong, Phuket, where chef Alessandro Frau cooks pasta, wood-fired pizza and an Italian tasting menu.
Toscanini ★ 4.6
Toscanini has been Amsterdam's reference Italian since 1985, a Jordaan room running its own bread, its own pasta, and a list weighted toward small producers.
OrderWhatever the pasta of the day is; the bread basket is also their own bake.
TipReserve two weeks out for weekends. The room is loud, in the best Italian-trattoria sense.
Racines ★ 4.6
Racines is italian-belgian dining room on chaussee d'ixelles with natural-wine pairings and hand-rolled pasta; bib gourmand listed but books a week ahead.
Why locals goItalian-Belgian dining room on Chaussee d'Ixelles with natural-wine pairings and hand-rolled pasta; Bib Gourmand listed but books a week ahead.
TipClosed Sunday and Monday. The bar seats face the open kitchen; lunch is the budget pick.
Fiotto 1 ★ ★ 4.6
Fiotto is a husband-and-wife Italian restaurant with one Michelin star on Dalmaji Hill in Busan, running a pasta-led tasting menu from a tiny kitchen.
OrderThe pasta courses built on vegetables from the owners' own family farm.
TipDinner only, five nights a week; the counter suits couples better than groups.
Etto ★ 4.6
Etto on Merrion Row in Dublin, Liz Matthews and Simon Barrett's Italian-leaning Bib Gourmand wine bar, the city's best by-the-glass list at the counter.
OrderThe mackerel and whatever fresh pasta is on, with a Sicilian white from the by-the-glass list.
TipThree counter seats by the open kitchen are first-come; the rest is reservation. Book through the website not OpenTable.
Bæst ★ 4.6
Christian Puglisi's Bæst on Guldbergsgade in Nørrebro pulls sourdough pizzas from a wood oven, cures its own charcuterie, makes mozzarella from Danish milk.
OrderThe Margherita with house mozzarella, plus a plate of charcuterie from the in-house salumeria.
TipReserve weekend evenings online. The 18:00 service is easier than the 20:00 turn.
Monk ★ 4.6
A wood-fired pizzeria and tasting counter on the Philosopher's Path, run by chef Yoshihiro Imai with a daily-changing 12-course Italian-Japanese menu.
OrderChef's omakase course including the night's signature pizza
TipOne seating, 12 seats; reserve 60 days ahead on the website.
Ava Gene's ★ 4.6
Duane Sorenson's Italian dining room on SE Division in Portland, with Italian wine list, market-driven pastas and a vegetable-led tasting menu.
Book2 weeks ahead
TipThe bar takes walk-ins for the full menu. Order the vegetable antipasti as a starter even if the menu pushes pasta first.
Da Vittorio 2 ★ ★ 4.6
Da Vittorio at the Bund Finance Centre holds two Michelin stars for the Cerea family's Italian cooking, now led by chef Leonardo Zambrino in Shanghai.
OrderOrder the Paccheri alla Vittorio and the Egg "a la egg", the kitchen's two best-known dishes.
TipZambrino took over the kitchen in 2025, the sixth year of an outpost carrying a Cerea family name with about 60 years of legacy.
Tratto ★ 4.6
Tratto in Phoenix is Chris Bianco's Italian trattoria at Town & Country, a white-tablecloth room of handmade pasta built around seasonal Southwest produce.
OrderWhatever pasta is on the day's handmade list; the menu turns with the season.
TipTratto runs Tuesday to Saturday dinner only, next to the Town & Country Pizzeria Bianco; reservations fill fast.
Trattoria Rosmarino ★ 4.5
Trattoria Rosmarino, a Bib Gourmand trattoria a few steps from Piazza De Ferrari in Genoa, serves Ligurian dishes such as brandacujun and trofie al pesto.
OrderBrandacujun and trofie al pesto, the two dishes Michelin names first.
TipMichelin says booking well ahead is almost always essential; the restaurant's page also lists a WhatsApp number.
Veritas Restaurant ★ 4.5
Gianluca D'Agostino's Veritas in Naples' Chiaia is the one-Michelin-star room reopened after a 2023 refit, with a 95-euro modern Campanian tasting menu.
OrderThe seven-course Tradition tasting menu with the lamb and risotto pescatora courses.
TipClosed Sunday and Monday. Book a fortnight ahead. The lunch tasting at 65 euros is the value entry.
Sa Domu Sarda ★ 4.5
Sa Domu Sarda on Via Sassari is the Cagliari address for cucina regionale di terra, the inland Sardinian side of the island rather than the harbour.
OrderWhatever the inland menu is running that day.
TipBook for dinner, the two plain rooms fill with locals; the kitchen runs straight through from 12:30 and again from 19:30, seven days a week.
Capo ★ 4.5
Capo is Bruce Marder's almond-wood-fired Italian room on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, open since 1998 with a cellar of more than 2,500 wine selections.
OrderRigatoni with white truffle meat sauce and something off the wood fire
TipThe wine list has held Wine Spectator's Grand Award every year since 2015; budget accordingly.
Marmo ★ 4.5
Marmo runs an owner-led Italian kitchen and wine bar in Bristol's old Guardian Assurance building on Baldwin Street, holding a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
OrderThe day's fresh pasta with a low-intervention European wine from the list.
TipThe wine list leans organic and biodynamic and doubles as a bottle shop; lunch is the quiet way in on Fridays.
Little Hollows Pasta ★ 4.5
Little Hollows rolls its pasta by hand on Chandos Road in Redland, Bristol, and holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand alongside starred neighbour Wilsons.
OrderThe day's stuffed pasta; the menu swerves the standard penne pomodoro.
TipIt sits two doors from Wilsons, so Chandos Road can cover aperitivo, pasta and a starred tasting menu in one street.
Sonny Stores ★ 4.5
Sonny Stores fills a former Southville corner shop in Bristol with River Cafe-trained Italian cooking from Pegs Quinn and Mary Glynn, named for their son.
OrderThe day's pasta, then poached cod acqua pazza if it is on.
TipJay Rayner's Observer review filled the books for months; the weekday set lunch is the easiest table to land.
Al Refettorio ★ 4.5
Al Refettorio sits in Vicolo Adami in Alghero, where Cristiano Andreini cooks tagliolini with bottarga and pecorino and runs a gourmet pizza oven.
OrderTagliolini with bottarga and pecorino, then the suckling pig with potato millefoglie.
Gioia's Deli ★ 4.5
A James Beard America's Classics winner on The Hill, Gioia's slices its house Hot Salami onto fresh-baked bread, a sandwich St. Louis treats as a rite.
OrderThe Original Hot Salami sandwich.
TipThe Original Hot Salami is the order, made from Gioia's own fresh sausage. The line moves fast at lunch.
Fame Osteria 1 ★ ★ 4.5
Fame Osteria hides behind an iron door between a gym and an ice cream shop. Chef Marco Renzetti cooks a single nightly tasting menu in Sao Paulo.
OrderAgnolotti Mantovani and Arroz de polvo com tutano
BookBook ahead; a deposit is charged at booking ahead
TipOnly four counter seats face the open kitchen, and the tasting menu starts at the same time for every guest, so arrive on time.
Castelões ★ 4.5
Castelões has baked its wood-fired pizza on Rua Jairo Gois in Sao Paulo's Bras district since 1924, now run by third-generation owner Fabio Donato.
TryPizza Casteloes (thin-sliced artisanal calabresa and mozzarella)
Graziano Brothers Italian Grocery ★ 4.5
The soul of Des Moines' south-side Italian-American community, Graziano Brothers has been producing house-made Italian sausage, cured meats and Italian
Worth the queueItalian sausage by the pound, Italian beef sandwich
Moltivolti ★ 4.5
Moltivolti in Palermo's Ballaro is the city's coworking and solidarity restaurant since 2014, employing refugees from 15 communities. Located in Albergheria.
OrderAnelletti al forno or the Senegalese mafe, with a glass of Grillo.
TipBook ahead. The Ballaro courtyard fills first in spring; lunch is the value entry.
Osteria Mercede ★ 4.5
Osteria Mercede on Via Sammartino in Palermo's Politeama runs a 25-cover seafood-only fine-dining room with raw plates, ricci di mare pasta and grilled red.
Book1 week ahead
TipBook a week ahead at weekends. The 8-course tasting tracks the day's market catch.
Rosmarino ★ 4.5
Rosmarino tucks into McLachlan Street in Fortitude Valley. Italian wine bar, house-made pasta, refined antipasti and deep regional Italian list.
SignatureHouse-made pasta, Refined antipasti, Italian by the glass
Trattoria La Strega ★ 4.5
A Michelin Guide-listed Italian trattoria in Vasastaden with a daily-changing menu of local organic produce and natural Italian and French wines.
OrderThe daily pasta, which is always made in-house and anchors whatever seasonal narrative the kitchen is running.
TipNo standing menu; arrive knowing the kitchen will surprise you. The wine list rewards asking for the sommelier's pour.
Rada Gelato ★ 4.5
Rada Gelato near Haga is Gothenburg's finest Italian ice cream shop, churning small-batch gelato from seasonal Swedish fruit and imported Italian dairy.
OrderSeasonal fruit sorbet, Pistachio gelato, Stracciatella
DiAnoia's Eatery ★ 4.5
DiAnoia's Eatery in the Strip District serves house-made pasta and Italian breakfast in Pittsburgh. A corner room often voted the city's best Italian.
OrderWhichever hand-rolled pasta is on the board, with a cocktail and a pastry from the cafe case.
TipOpen early for breakfast and lunch; dinner books up on weekends. The bakery counter runs separately at the front.
Stagioni ★ 4.5
Bruce Moffett's Stagioni on Providence Road is a Moffett Restaurant Group Italian dining room set inside a 1920s Eastover home, with seasonal menus.
OrderWhichever fresh pasta the kitchen is making. The seasonal rotation drives the menu.
TipOutdoor seating on the front porch in spring and autumn. Reserve on OpenTable.
Pici ★ 4.5
Pici hand-rolls pasta in Shop 22 of St Kevins Arcade on Karangahape Road in Auckland. Tuscan-style cooking, natural wines, a queue-only counter.
SignatureHand-rolled pici pasta, Cacio e pepe, Beef ragu
Cinghiale ★ 4.5
Cinghiale in Harbor East is Tony Foreman and Cindy Wolf's northern Italian enoteca, pairing house-made pasta and magret of duck with a deep Italian list.
OrderA plate of house-made pasta and the magret of duck.
Book1 to 2 weeks ahead
TipThe osteria side takes walk-ins; the enoteca dining room is the full kitchen experience.
Convivio Italian Artisan Cuisine ★ 4.5
Convivio in Carmel runs an open kitchen with a live pasta shop. Artisan Italian pasta and pizza, the most-talked Italian room in the Indianapolis suburbs.
Book1 week ahead
Hog and Hominy ★ 4.5
Ticer and Hudman's wood-fired pizza and charcuterie room in East Memphis runs a Southern-Italian playbook on a covered Brookhaven Circle patio since 2012.
OrderThe pizza of the night and a board of house salumi.
TipBrunch on Saturday and Sunday runs 10:30-14:00 with biscuits, ricotta and bacon-fat doughnuts. Patio first.
Nora Gray ★ 4.5
Nora Gray is Emma Cardarelli's dim, clubby southern-Italian room on Saint-Jacques in Montreal, pouring amaro over hand-cut pasta and a cult wine list.
OrderThe pasta of the night and a negroni to start.
TipThe bar seats are first-come and the easiest way in on a busy weekend.
Moccione ★ 4.5
Why locals goA thirty-seat Villeray trattoria hand-rolling pasta on upper Saint-Denis, well outside the tourist map yet booked out by in-the-know Montrealers.
TipBook ahead or aim for an early weeknight; the fresh pasta of the night is the thing to order.
Sult ★ 4.5
Sult in Botafogo cooks Italian dishes with Brazilian ingredients from an open kitchen, and it is a Michelin Bib Gourmand pick in Rio de Janeiro.
OrderThe meat lasagne with Grana Padano fondue and breadcrumbs, the chef's signature dish
TipThe pirarucu fillet with tucupi and jambu risotto is the Amazonian counterpart; the wine list leans to small, low-intervention producers.
Sotto Mare ★ 4.5
Sotto Mare in San Francisco is the North Beach Italian seafood room that does the city's best cioppino, a 12-table room that takes a few reservations.
OrderThe cioppino for two; the kitchen's whole reputation in one bowl.
TipWear an apron, no exceptions; the cioppino is not negotiable on splatter.
Cotogna ★ 4.5
Cotogna in San Francisco is Michael Tusk's casual Italian next to three-star Quince, with a wood oven turning out pizza and a Piedmontese pasta board.
OrderThe agnolotti dal plin with brown butter and sage, on the daily pasta list.
TipWalk in at 17:30 for the bar seats; the dining room books two weeks ahead.
Buca King West ★ 4.5
Buca King West has run modern Italian on the King strip since 2009, chef Rob Gentile's pastas and house-cured salumi in a converted laneway warehouse.
OrderThe salumi board and a long pasta from the seasonal list.
TipSister Bar Buca next door at 604 King is the walk-in spritz counter. The full dining room books well ahead Friday and Saturday.
Sotto Sotto ★ 4.5
Sotto Sotto on Avenue Road has run Roman-style Italian below street level in Yorkville since 1993, chef Massimo Renzi's fresh pasta in an exposed-brick room.
OrderA handmade pasta of the day and the veal piccata.
TipDrake's photo hangs on the wall and he eats here. Book ahead; the room seats 50 tightly.
Osteria Giulia 1 ★ ★ 4.5
Osteria Giulia on Avenue Road is chef Rob Rossi's Ligurian-leaning pasta and seafood room, Michelin star 2022 through 2025, Canada's 100 Best #17.
BookBookings open 60 days out ahead
Mother Wolf ★ 4.5
Evan Funke's Roman follow-up to Felix runs out of a 1930s Citizen News building in Hollywood. Mother Wolf serves Roman pasta in a marble-and-gold room.
OrderSuppli al telefono, then the tonnarelli cacio e pepe.
TipThe bar room serves the full menu without a reservation, but you need to be in line by 17:15 on a Friday.
Carbone ★ 4.5
Major Food Group's red-sauce Italian-American room on Thompson Street in New York City turns 1950s tableside service into theatre. Priced at $$$$.
OrderSpicy rigatoni vodka and the veal parmesan to share.
TipReservations are notorious; the bar runs walk-ins from 17:30 and serves the full menu. Don't skip the Caesar.
Stoneground Italian Kitchen ★ 4.5
Stoneground Italian Kitchen on East 400 South, chef Paulie O'Connor's downtown room since 2000, runs wood-fired pizza and house-made pasta with an Italian.
OrderA wood-fired pizza plus a house-made pasta for the table.
TipSecond-floor entrance; the patio runs in summer. Lunch turns the room faster than dinner.
Veneto Ristorante Italiano ★ 4.5
Veneto on East 900 South, owner-sommelier Marco Stevanoni's Veneto-region Italian room, runs an 800-label wine cellar and a Wine Spectator Best of Award.
OrderA regional Veneto pasta with a pour from the sommelier's by-the-glass selection.
Book1-2 weeks ahead
TipClosed Mondays. Reserve via OpenTable; the sommelier-led wine classes on Saturdays book ahead.
Cucina The Italian Kitchen ★ 4.5
Francesco Castrovillari's Cucina runs Bucharest's most ambitious Italian fine-dining room on the first floor of the JW Marriott, with an open kitchen.
OrderHandmade pastas; daily tagliata; tiramisu finished tableside.
Book1 week ahead
TipHotel-guest priority bookings; ask for the open-kitchen counter and a glass of Vermentino to start the meal.
Wild Olive ★ 4.5
Wild Olive on Johns Island has run handmade pasta and Italian-Lowcountry plates from a converted barn on Maybank Highway since 2009. Priced at $$$.
OrderWhatever house pasta the kitchen is running tonight; rotates with the season.
TipReservations required almost every night. Book at wildolive.com.
Monteverde ★ 4.5
Monteverde in Chicago is Sarah Grueneberg's Italian dining room on Madison Street in the West Loop, a pasta-led menu with all the dough rolled in the open.
OrderThe cacio whey pepe; the kitchen ferments its own pecorino whey for the sauce.
TipSit at the pasta-counter seats if they're on offer. The kitchen rolls dough at eye level.
Daisies ★ 4.5
Daisies in Chicago is Joe Frillman's Logan Square pasta-and-vegetable dining room on Milwaukee Avenue, with grain and produce sourced directly from Illinois.
OrderCavatelli with whatever ragu is current; the focaccia first, while you wait.
TipBrunch is the underrated meal here. The same pasta program with eggs and patio seating in summer.
MAMA Oakland ★ 4.5
MAMA Oakland on Grand Avenue runs a Michelin Bib Gourmand three-course Italian dinner for under forty dollars. No reservations, menu changes weekly.
BookWalk-in ahead
Majka Pizzeria & Bakery ★ 4.5
Majka on 15th Street, midtown Sacramento, is Alex Sherry and Chutharat Sae Tong's Michelin Recommended naturally-leavened pizza counter and bakery.
OrderThe seasonal naturally leavened pizza, focaccia, and the morning pastry case
TipLimited indoor seating. Walk-up or pre-order via Toast. Bakery hours run morning into afternoon.
Crusco ★ 4.5
Crusco in the River Arts District opened in summer 2025 from Kat Kearney and former Cucina 24 staff, cooking hand-rolled pasta and wood-grilled meats.
OrderWhatever pasta the kitchen is running, plus a glass off the food-friendly wine list.
TipBook on the restaurant's site. Dinner runs Wednesday through Sunday from 17:00. Bar walk-ins for cocktails.
Pascolo Ristorante ★ 4.5
Pascolo Ristorante returned to its original subterranean Church Street home at 83 Church in January 2026 after three years up the block at 120 Church.
OrderWhatever pasta is on the daily board, plus a Wood Mountain Fish crudo to start.
TipThe wine bar pours by the glass with no minimum and serves the full antipasti menu. Bar holds walk-ins.
Nicola's Ristorante ★ 4.5
Nicola's Ristorante in Over-the-Rhine is a longtime Cincinnati fine-dining institution, an elegant Italian room of handmade pastas and breads.
Book1 to 2 weeks ahead
Locanda De Gusti ★ 4.5
Rosario Sartore's Dalry Road kitchen in Edinburgh, opened in 2013, a family-run Neapolitan dining room running pasta, seafood and wood-fired pizza.
OrderPesce all'acqua pazza (whole fish in tomato broth) and the homemade pappardelle with wild boar.
TipThe lunchtime three-course express menu at £18 is one of the city's best Italian-value deals.
ItalX ★ 4.5
ItalX rolls scratch-made pastas in Lexington's City Center, chef Jonathan Lundy's Italian room with reimagined small plates and a sommelier-built wine list.
TipLunch runs Wednesday to Sunday, a rarity downtown; dinner from 16:00 suits pre-show Rupp Arena tables.
Lombardino's ★ 4.5
Lombardino's on University Avenue, the west-side Italian dining room reborn under Michael Banas in 2000, serves classics in a mural-painted room.
OrderA wood-fired veal preparation, plus an order of the house-made pasta to start.
TipFirst-come, first-served seating Thursday through Sunday; arrive by 17:30 to avoid the wait on football Saturdays.
Il Paradiso ★ 4.5
Il Paradiso on Rue de la Pleau in Carmes is the family Italian trattoria with hand-rolled pastas, a wood-fired pizza oven and a small natural wine list.
SignatureHand-rolled pastas, Wood-fired pizza, Tiramisu
TipThe lunch pasta of the day at €13 is the value entry; book ahead for Friday and Saturday dinners.
Il Tegamino ★ 4.5
Il Tegamino hides in Carmel's Court of the Golden Bough off Ocean Avenue, a small family-run room cooking Italian comfort food behind a candy shop.
OrderThe night's baked tegamino, the namesake pan dish.
TipFind the courtyard entrance tucked behind the Cottage of Sweets; the room is tiny, so book before you plan the rest of the evening.
Jianna ★ 4.5
Jianna runs a modern Italian and oyster bar on a second-floor space at South Main and Augusta, with house pasta and a small but real raw bar.
SignatureHouse-made pasta, Raw bar oysters, Burrata
Naked Pasta ★ 4.5
Naked Pasta is tiny artisan pasta shop on cedar lane road making fresh pasta with pastured eggs and american + italian 00 flour blend. open weekdays only.
Why locals goTiny artisan pasta shop on Cedar Lane Road making fresh pasta with pastured eggs and American + Italian 00 flour blend. Open weekdays only.
TipBuy the lasagna sheets and ravioli for the freezer. They go fast.
Estro 1 ★ ★ 4.5
Estro in Central is chef Antimo Maria Merone's one Michelin star Italian tasting menu room, ranked No. 32 on Asia's 50 Best 2026, with refined Southern.
OrderBottoni stuffed pasta, the chef's signature.
Book2 to 3 weeks ahead
TipSit at the kitchen counter to watch the pasta course built; book the chef's table for full omakase access.
Acquarello ★ 4.5
Mario Gamba's Acquarello in Munich Bogenhausen has held a Michelin star since 2000 on cucina del sole; the Italian list runs over 1,000 labels in the cellar.
OrderWhichever risotto is on the carte plus the chef's tasting menu.
TipLunch is a quieter and cheaper way in than dinner; the wine cellar tour is available for groups.
Antonio's La Fiamma ★ 4.5
Antonio's La Fiamma on South Orlando Avenue in Maitland is the family Italian restaurant with house pastas and an upstairs enoteca wine bar.
SignatureVeal saltimbocca, Linguine alle vongole
Primo by Melissa Kelly ★ 4.5
Primo at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes is James Beard winner Melissa Kelly's farm-driven Italian room, pulling produce from the on-property garden.
Book2 weeks ahead
Toto ★ 4.5
Toto occupies the Museum Tower next to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, where chef Yaron Shalev runs an Italian and French menu built on oxtail tortellini.
TipA fixed-price lunch of starter and main runs at midday; the oxtail tortellini and chestnut gnocchi are the long-standing signatures.
Reilly Craft Pizza and Drink ★ 4.5
Reilly Craft Pizza and Drink on East Pennington in Tucson runs wood-fired pies, house pasta and an underground cocktail club in a historic mortuary.
SignatureWood-fired pizza, House pasta
M'Tucci's Italian ★ 4.5
M'Tucci's Italian on Winter Haven Road on the Westside is the family Italian restaurant with house pastas, salumi cured in house and a serious wine room.
SignatureLinguine with clams, Veal Parmigiana
Alfredo ★ 4.5
Alfredo in Cologne's Altstadt is a Michelin-selected Italian restaurant near the Cathedral serving refined pasta and risotto in an intimate room.
OrderPappardelle with braised duck, the dish that has defined this room since the 1970s
Book1-2 weeks ahead
TipOn select Friday evenings the chef, a trained vocalist, closes dinner with an aria. Book the musical soirée for something extraordinary.
Diva ★ 4.5
Chef Ritu Dalmia's Diva has cooked Italian food in Greater Kailash 2, Delhi, since 2000 and marked 25 years in 2025 with a menu of its best-loved plates.
OrderDuck carpaccio, or the warm salad of prawns poached in Marsala and orange.
TipBook ahead for dinner in the M Block market; ask which dishes from the 25th-anniversary menu are still running.
San Morello ★ 4.5
San Morello inside the Shinola Hotel on Woodward serves Southern Italian wood-fired cooking in Detroit. Located in Downtown. At 1400 Woodward Ave.
OrderMargherita pizza from the wood oven and a plate of cacio e pepe.
TipBrunch runs weekends 10:00-14:00. Reservations on OpenTable; bar seats are first-come.
Borgo ★ 4.5
Borgo on Phibsborough Road in Dublin 7, Sean Crescenzi and Jamie McCarthy's neighbourhood osteria, a 2026 Bib Gourmand inside a former bank room.
OrderThe hake with confit datterini tomatoes and borlotti beans, the dish the Michelin inspectors flagged.
TipTuesday to Saturday dinner; the early window at 17:30 is the easier book. The bar counter sits four for walk-ins.
Mat Bar ★ 4.5
Mat Bar on Hverfisgata is a chef-driven Reykjavik kitchen blending Icelandic produce with Italian sensibility, a thirty-seat room of small sharing plates.
OrderThe three-course or five-course Best of Matbar sharing menu, or the pasta of the day.
TipSeven-time Best of Reykjavik medal winner. Open kitchen, intimate room, book ahead.
OTO ★ 4.5
OTO on Hverfisgata is a Michelin Guide listed Italian-Japanese kitchen in Reykjavik, serving a kaiseki-shaped tasting menu that is a hard table to book.
OrderThe chef's tasting menu, where the pasta and raw-fish courses bridge the two cuisines.
TipOpen Wednesday to Saturday from 17:30. The room is small and loud; book ahead online.
Carmelo Greco ★ 4.5
Carmelo Greco remains Frankfurt's reference Italian table, a Sachsenhausen dining room in the 2026 Michelin Guide with pasta made in-house daily.
OrderThe seasonal four-course menu with the fresh pasta course
TipWeekday lunch is the way in without a banking expense account; the vegetarian line is stronger than most Italians manage.
Cibus ★ 4.5
Levenshulme neighbourhood Italian on Stockport Road that grew from a market stall. Kitchen leans regional italian. At 847-849 Stockport Road.
OrderPizza of the week; the Italian-style Sunday roast on a Sunday afternoon.
TipClosed Mondays; book the back room on Saturdays for the wider tasting plates.
Snatch ★ 4.5
Snatch on Elizabetes in Centrs holds a Bib Gourmand three years running (2024-2026) for modern Italian pasta and small plates in a concrete-and-glass room.
OrderThe homemade pasta of the day, usually paired with one of the bespoke cocktails.
TipBook a window seat for the people-watching on Elizabetes; the kitchen closes at midnight on weekends.
Appia ★ 4.5
Appia in Bangkok's Sukhumvit 31 is Paolo Vitaletti and Jarrett Wrisley's Roman trattoria with house porchetta, cacio e pepe and a small-cellar Italian list.
OrderThe Sunday porchetta and a plate of cacio e pepe with the house-made tonnarelli.
TipSundays are porchetta-only feast service, book three weeks ahead. Weekday lunch is the under-the-radar value.
La Cantinetta ★ 4.5
La Cantinetta in Marseille's 6e on Cours Julien opened in 2006, a trattoria spinning northern Italian winter cooking and southern Italian summer plates.
OrderThe ravioli and tagliatelle in winter; shellfish and crustaceans in summer.
TipClosed Sunday; reservations strongly recommended for the patio.
Stein's Market and Deli ★ 4.5
Stein's Deli in New Orleans is the Magazine Street Jewish-Italian deli in the Lower Garden District, with $15 Reuben sandwiches and a long sandwich queue.
TryPastrami Reuben
TipThe Reuben sandwich is the cult order; the deli closes Monday and runs out of bagels by 11:00 on Sunday.
Puro 4050 ★ 4.5
Puro 4050 on Largo Sao Domingos in Porto is a mozzarella-and-burrata bar from an Italian-Portuguese duo, with Iberian cured meats, Sicilian cheeses.
OrderBurrata with chourico, tagliata di manzo to follow.
TipRoof terrace opens May to October. Aperitivo from 18:30 with prosecco and pizzette.
Bistecca Tuscan Steakhouse ★ 4.5
Best Steakhouse in Asia 2024; World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants 2025. Singapore's serious steak address since 2012, ageing Fiorentina cuts in-house.
OrderThe bistecca alla Fiorentina, dry-aged on the bone and served for two: the defining version in Singapore
TipOrder the steak for two minimum; the kitchen does not serve it as a solo cut and the portion is designed for sharing.
Trattoria Corazza ★ 4.5
Trattoria Corazza on Rörstrandsgatan in Stockholm's Vasastan is a small Italian trattoria a step from Sankt Eriksplan, plating fresh-filled ravioloni.
OrderThe spaghetti alla carbonara with guanciale, pecorino and pepper; the bufala-ricotta ravioloni on the side.
TipTiny dining room of about 30 covers; book ahead on weekends or aim for the first sitting at 17:00.
Osteria del Bai ★ 4.4
Osteria del Bai in Quarto, Genoa, stands on the Levante seafront in a former Saracen fort and holds 79 out of 100 from Gambero Rosso, assessed in 2025.
OrderCorsetti al pesto avvantaggiato (€16) or the cappon magro (€22) from the October 2025 menu.
TipWeekday lunch formulas start at €18 on the site's September 2025 lunch menu; the osteria is shut on Monday and Tuesday.
La Locanda dei Buoni e Cattivi ★ 4.4
La Locanda dei Buoni e Cattivi in Cagliari is a villa restaurant and guest house that trains young staff, cooking seasonal organic Sardinian plates.
OrderSunday's Sa Picchettada buffet lunch.
TipWeekday lunch runs a fixed-price menu alongside the carte; the garden and terrace are the reason to book ahead in spring.
Fia ★ 4.4
Fia fills a big garden dining room on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica with coastal Italian cooking, burrata with prosciutto and figs, raw fish and steaks.
OrderBurrata with prosciutto and figs, then the Wellington steak
TipThe garden brunch with pastries and bottomless pours is the weekend play; book OpenTable for patio seats.
Bacaro ★ 4.4
Bacaro on South Water Street has a Venetian-style enoteca downstairs and a full Italian dining room upstairs. Cicchetti, salumeria plates, Italian wines.
OrderA round of cicchetti at the downstairs bar with a glass of Lugana, then a pasta upstairs.
TipTuesday through Saturday, 17:00-22:00. The downstairs bar takes walk-ins; book the upstairs dining room.
Sarto ★ 4.4
Sarto returned to its downtown Dorrance Street room in 2024. Regional Italian with a 2024 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence list; weekend live jazz.
OrderA regional pasta off the rotating section, with a pour from the small-producer red list.
TipWednesday and Thursday 16:00-22:00, Friday and Saturday to 23:00; jazz on weekend evenings.
Pastaria ★ 4.4
James Beard winner Gerard Craft's Clayton Italian runs on handmade pasta and wood-fired pizza in a busy room. The most reliable Italian table off The Hill.
OrderHandmade pasta of the day with a wood-oven pizza.
TipIt books up at weekends; the bar and the patio take walk-ins. The next-door Pastaria Deli & Wine handles takeaway.
Lucca ★ 4.4
A refined East Village Italian room with handmade pastas at lunch and a weekly-rotating four-course prix-fixe dinner at $60. Reservations recommended.
SignatureFour-course prix-fixe dinner, Handmade pasta, Risotto
Graziano Brothers ★ 4.4
The heartbeat of Des Moines' Italian-American south-side community, Graziano Brothers has been supplying house-made Italian sausage, imported Italian
SignatureHouse-made Italian sausage, Imported Italian products
Ristorante Cin Cin ★ 4.4
Cin Cin on Via Manin off Via Liberta in Palermo is one of the city's senior fine-edge restaurants, a Sicilian seafood and meat carte ranked steadily.
OrderPasta con i ricci di mare and the carpaccio di tonno.
TipDinner only Monday to Saturday from 19:00. The wine list is entirely Sicilian; ask about Etna by the glass.
OTTO Ristorante ★ 4.4
OTTO Ristorante sits on the riverfront at South Bank in South Brisbane. Sister to the Sydney room, full Italian carte, deep regional wine list, river views.
SignatureHand-rolled pasta, Fritto misto, Tiramisu
Edo's Squid ★ 4.4
Edo's Squid runs Italian-seafood plates above a Fan corner store on Harrison. Ed Vasaio of the long-gone Mamma Zu opened it in 2013; no reservations, cash.
SignatureGrilled calamari, Hand-cut pasta, Whole fish
Dinamo ★ 4.4
Dinamo on West Cary is Ed Vasaio's casual Italian room near the Altria Theatre. Pasta-driven menu, Tuesday to Saturday for dinner, reservations recommended.
SignaturePasta, Seafood plates
Tappo Italian ★ 4.4
Tappo Italian on Ellicott Street downtown is the Pegula family's Italian-American room, with handmade pastas, veal saltimbocca and free Ferguson parking.
SignatureVeal saltimbocca, House pastas
Chef's Restaurant ★ 4.4
Chef's Restaurant at Seneca and Chicago downtown has been serving its cheese-blanketed spaghetti parm since 1923, a Billittier family institution.
SignatureSpaghetti parm, Italian sausage
Dolomiti Pizzeria and Enoteca ★ 4.4
Dolomiti's sourdough hybrid pies fuse Neapolitan technique with New York structure in Millwork Commons, with an Italian-focused enoteca wine selection.
OrderMortadella panino with a Northern Italian wine: the enoteca side of the menu is as strong as the pizza.
Avoli Osteria ★ 4.4
Avoli Osteria on Dundee's Underwood Avenue serves Northern Italian cuisine with house-made pasta and dry-aged Nebraska rib-eye, filling early each service.
OrderHouse-made pasta of the day: dough rolled fresh each morning, shapes rotating with Nebraska farm season.
Dante ★ 4.4
Dante is Nebraska's only AVPN-certified Neapolitan pizzeria, using locally sourced toppings on a wood-fired base with an all-Italian wine list in West Omaha.
OrderMargherita from the AVPN-certified wood-fired oven: Dante is Nebraska's top Neapolitan pizza kitchen.
Dish Osteria and Bar ★ 4.4
Dish Osteria on the South Side serves Sicilian-leaning Italian in Pittsburgh. A small candlelit room locals have booked for special nights since 2000.
OrderA seafood pasta and whatever Sicilian special the kitchen is running that night.
TipDinner only, no lunch. The room is small and books up; reserve ahead for weekends.
Little Mama's Italian ★ 4.4
Little Mama's Italian in SouthPark is a Michelin-recommended red-sauce Italian-American room making its own mozzarella, with a 2024 Rea Farms branch.
OrderThe fresh mozzarella to start and a baked pasta. The kitchen leans New England Italian-American 1960s.
TipThe SouthPark counter takes walk-ins; the Rea Farms branch needs a Resy.
Via Vecchia ★ 4.4
Via Vecchia on Dana Street in the Old Port, a brick-and-ivy small-plates Italian room with handmade pasta, Maine seafood and a velvet-booth wrap-around bar.
OrderA pasta course off the daily list plus a Negroni from the 20-seat bar.
TipMonday-Thursday from 16:00. Reservations via the site; walk-in bar seats most weeknights.
Tagliata ★ 4.4
Tagliata in Harbor East is Atlas Restaurant Group's Italian steakhouse, where chef Julian Marucci plates squid ink campanelle with blue crab and uni cream.
OrderThe black squid ink campanelle with blue crab and uni cream.
Book1 to 2 weeks ahead
TipThe dim, clubby room books out on weekends; the bar takes walk-ins for pasta.
Mama Carolla's Old Italian ★ 4.4
Mama Carolla's in Meridian Kessler, Indianapolis runs the canonical Italian-American room from a brick house on 54th. A reliable Indianapolis pick.
OrderVeal Marsala, the chicken Parmesan, the eggplant rollatini and the house garlic bread.
TipClosed Sunday and Monday. Reservations on OpenTable; the patio is the move in summer.
Vicino ★ 4.4
Vicino on Mass Ave in Indianapolis is a modern Italian room with hand-rolled pasta, regional Italian braises and a focused Italian wine list.
OrderThe day's pasta tasting, a braised meat main, a glass of Sangiovese.
TipReservations Tuesday through Saturday; the bar takes walk-ins.
Gero Rio ★ 4.4
Gero Rio is the Fasano hotel's Italian restaurant facing Ipanema beach, where chef Luigi Moressa cooks pasta, risotto and meats, in Rio de Janeiro.
OrderGnocchi di patate dorati with squid and scallops, or the spaghetti alla carbonara
TipSunday service runs straight through from 12:00 to 22:00, and Riotur lists the traditional bollito on the Sunday lunch menu.
Speck Italian Eatery ★ 4.4
Speck Italian Eatery on North High Street in downtown Columbus is the modern Italian counter for fresh pastas, wood-fired pizza and house salumi.
OrderWhichever house-rolled pasta is on the chalkboard, plus a slice of speck off the salumi list.
TipReserve on Tock for the prime 19:30 window; the bar seats face the pasta pulling line.
Melfi's ★ 4.4
Melfi's in Charleston runs upper-King-Street red-sauce Italian and Roman-thin-crust pizza out of a clubby tin-ceiling room since 2018. Priced at $$$.
OrderThe Cacio e Pepe pizza and a glass of Chianti Classico.
TipBook on Resy. Walk-up bar seats serve the full menu.
Macchialina ★ 4.4
Macchialina in Miami Beach is Michael Pirolo's rustic Italian taverna at 820 Alton Road, open in South Beach since 2012 and built on house-made pasta.
OrderTagliatelle bolognese with the slow-cooked meat ragu.
TipSidewalk tables for breeze, dining room for noise; the Italian wine list runs deeper than the menu suggests.
Carbone Miami ★ 4.4
Carbone in Miami Beach is the South of Fifth Italian-American dining room at 49 Collins Avenue, the celebrity-magnet sister to the New York original.
OrderSpicy rigatoni vodka and veal parmesan; the table-side Caesar is the showstopper.
Book3 to 4 weeks ahead
TipResy opens at 10am one month ahead and the slots vanish in minutes. Bar seats sometimes walk in at 5:30pm.
Oenotri ★ 4.4
Oenotri's daily-changing southern Italian menu follows Napa Valley farm deliveries, with a wood-fired oven producing charred pies and house charcuterie.
OrderAsk the server what came in from the farms that day and order whatever they are most excited about.
TipThe menu changes daily based on availability. Go on a Thursday or Friday when the farmers market has just restocked the kitchen.
Mr. Dominic's at the Lake ★ 4.4
Mr. Dominic's at the Lake on Lake Ave serves Chicken French and Italian-American fine dining with patio views of Lake Ontario. Named Best Chicken French 2025.
OrderThe Chicken French, the dish Rochester's Italian-American restaurants made famous, executed at its most refined here.
TipPatio seats overlook Lake Ontario Park and the Port of Rochester. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Reservations recommended for Friday and Saturday dinner.
Restaurant Fiorella ★ 4.4
Restaurant Fiorella at the Rochester Public Market sources from market vendors, making pasta from morning-picked produce that most visitors never find.
TipLocated inside the market building itself. Reservations essential; the dining room is small. Saturday is the most seasonal menu day.
Ndujame ★ 4.4
Ndujame holds a werfkelder on the Oudegracht, the original before Seattle and Lisbon opened. Handmade pasta and Calabrian secondi. Wed to Sun.
OrderSeasonal handmade pasta with a Calabrian red wine
Civerinos Slice ★ 4.4
Michele Civiera's Hunter Square pizza counter in Edinburgh, opened in 2016, the Old Town slice-counter serving Roman al taglio square-tray pizza.
OrderThe salsiccia e friarielli slice and a square of margherita; eat at the counter or on the cobbles outside.
TipOpen till 02:00 on weekends; the only proper food on the Royal Mile after midnight that is not a kebab shop.
Valvona and Crolla Caffe Bar ★ 4.4
Valvona and Crolla's caffe-bar on Elm Row in Edinburgh, opened in 1934 (the bistro since 1996), the back-of-deli dining room for Scotland's longest-running.
OrderThe carbonara made with house-cured pancetta and the Pugliese antipasto board.
TipThe deli at the front sells the same dry pasta and tinned tomatoes the kitchen uses; shop while you wait for your table.
Eusebi Deli ★ 4.4
Eusebi Deli is an award-winning Italian deli-restaurant on Park Road in Glasgow's West End, serving fresh pasta, Roman-style bakes and Calabrian home cooking.
OrderWhatever fresh pasta is on the daily board, plus an arancini from the deli counter.
TipGrab focaccia and cannoli to go from the deli even if you are not staying for a full sit-down meal.
Lidia's Kansas City ★ 4.4
Lidia Bastianich's Kansas City room sits in a former railroad house just north of Union Station, opened in 1998 with the famous pasta trio service.
OrderThe pasta tasting trio, three handmade pastas served family-style with unlimited refills.
TipReservations on OpenTable open weeks out. Sunday Suppers and a holiday menu calendar are the moves.
Carollo's Italian Grocery and Deli ★ 4.4
Carollo's Italian Grocery and Deli on 3rd Street in Kansas City's City Market has run since 1989, with Mike Carollo serving specialty subs and imported.
OrderThe Romano sandwich on house bread, with a side of imported olives from the case.
TipOpen daily 10:00-17:30. Counter sandwiches go fast at lunch; pick up groceries while you wait.
Carollo's Italian Deli ★ 4.4
Carollo's Italian Grocery and Deli on 3rd Street in Kansas City's City Market has run since 1989 with specialty subs and imports. Located in River Market.
TryRomano sandwich
TipBuy imported olives and tomatoes for home while you wait for the sandwich.
Ferraro's Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar ★ 4.4
Ferraro's Italian in Las Vegas is the Ferraro family room since 1985, a long-running Paradise Road Italian dining room with one of the deepest wine cellars.
OrderThe osso buco Milanese with saffron risotto; on the menu since opening day.
TipThe wine cellar holds 1,500 labels; the staff sommelier will route a pairing menu on request.
Fresh Pasta ★ 4.4
Fresh Pasta runs an open pasta workshop in Kapana cutting noodles to order. Cosy small Kapana room, daily ravioli, eat-in seats fill fast, fewer than 25.
Why locals goPlovdiv's only counter cutting pasta in front of you, on a Kapana side street most tourists miss.
TipLunch midweek, twenty BGN cacio e pepe; daily ravioli changes by what arrives that morning.
Panino Divino ★ 4.4
Panino Divino makes Italian panini on olive-oil ciabatta at a delicatessen on Rue du Jard in Reims, with fillings such as pistachio pesto and mortadella.
TryItalian panini on olive-oil ciabatta
TipMost panini cost €8 on the current menu and vegetarian ones are listed; the delicatessen also sells Italian cheese and charcuterie to take home.
The Red Hen ★ 4.4
The Red Hen in Washington DC is the Bloomingdale Italian neighbourhood dining room on First Street, with the rigatoni-fennel-sausage pasta that has run.
OrderThe mezzi rigatoni with house fennel sausage; on the menu since opening and the room's most-ordered dish.
TipThe Sunday family-style pasta night is the value slot; book the upstairs bar counter for a quieter view of the wood grill.
Italie là-bas Ré ★ 4.4
Italie là-bas Ré is chef Italia Palladino's restaurant in the Hôtel de Caumont courtyard in Avignon, reopened there in February 2026 with Neapolitan roots.
OrderGragnano pasta or the €80 Menu Voyage, which the kitchen changes every month.
TipLunch is €28 from September to June; the monthly Menu Voyage is €80 and the Sunday menus are €45 or €55.
Vesuvio ★ 4.4
Vesuvio runs the Pepe family's wood-fired Neapolitan kitchen at 6th and Junipero in Carmel, with the rooftop Star Bar pouring above the dining room.
OrderWood-burning-oven pizza or the truffled gnocchi.
TipThe rooftop Star Bar takes no reservations; it closes at 22:00 on weeknights and runs to 23:00 on Friday and Saturday.
AMA Ristorante ★ 4.4
AMA Ristorante on the 25th floor of 208 Johnston Road in Wan Chai is chef Paolo Monti's Roman room, with imported Italian ingredients and skyline views.
OrderMaccheroni amatriciana with imported pancetta.
TipSit at the counter for the chef's gricia tableside; the happy hour from 16:00-18:30 is the value play.
Da Marco ★ 4.4
Da Marco in Houston is Marco Wiles's Italian dining room on Westheimer since 2002, with hand-rolled pastas, a salt-baked branzino and Houston's most serious.
OrderWhatever pasta is on the daily blackboard. The salt-baked branzino if available.
TipSit upstairs in the smaller dining room. The downstairs window seats are the loudest in the house.
Onesto ★ 4.4
Onesto on North Broadway in the Third Ward runs an Italian menu of hand-rolled pastas, wood-fired pizzas and natural-wine pours, opened by the Cibo team.
OrderWhichever pasta is being rolled in the open kitchen and the Margherita off the wood oven.
TipSister room Cibo nearby; both share the same pasta program and chef.
Ezope ★ 4.4
Ezope bakes its sourdough focaccia daily on Rue Léon Blum in Nantes, splitting it around rotating seasonal vegetable fillings for around €10 a serving.
TrySourdough focaccia sandwiches
TipThe filling combinations rotate with the market, so the board changes week to week; lunch queues peak at 12:30.
Five Olives ★ 4.4
Five Olives is a Michelin Selected pizzeria in Cherngtalay, Phuket, where a Thai chef-owner fires Neapolitan pies in a wood oven and makes pasta in house.
OrderOrder a Canotto pizza with its puffy, char-flecked rim from the wood-fired oven.
TipChoose the cool air-conditioned room or the leafy terrace, and add the light braised seabass with clams to a Canotto pizza for the table.
Time Market ★ 4.4
Time Market on East University in Tucson is the wood-fired pizza counter, deli, coffee bar and grocer that has served Sam Hughes since 1920.
SignatureWood-fired pizza, Italian deli sandwich
Vicio Il Mastro Pastaio ★ 4.4
Vicio on Bilderdijkstraat is the Amsterdam Sicilian pasta room, professional pasta makers from Sicily turning out busiate, ravioli and a daily-changing.
OrderWhatever the fresh pasta of the day is, with a Sicilian wine pour to match.
TipSmall room, books up fast on weekends. Lunch is the quieter window.
Mauri ★ 4.4
Mauri serves Puglia-inspired Italian dishes on Jl. Petitenget in Seminyak, Bali, with a la carte and tasting menus and an aperitivo bar on the mezzanine.
SignatureParmigiano ravioli, Merluzzo pizzaiola, Tiramisu
Giada Garden 1 ★ ★ 4.4
Giada Garden on the third floor of China World Hotel holds one Michelin star for Northern Italian cooking in a Claudio Silvestrin interior in Beijing.
OrderOrder the veal Milanese and the hand-made agnolotti, or take the set menu for the full experience.
TipDesigned by Claudio Silvestrin, the restaurant has a sky garden and a white spiral staircase that links it to the Giada boutique.
Il Ristorante - Niko Romito 1 ★ ★ 4.4
Il Ristorante - Niko Romito at Bvlgari Hotel Beijing holds one Michelin star for modern Italian cooking in a room of marble and Murano glass chandeliers.
OrderStart with the vitello tonnato, thinly sliced veal in a tangy tuna sauce, reworked in a modern style.
TipThe 70-seat room at Bvlgari Hotel Beijing has Murano glass chandeliers, high ceilings and views over the garden; Sunday lunch is a brunch.
Cor Pasta Bar ★ 4.4
Cor Pasta Bar seats about ten at an open kitchen counter up a Jeonpo alley in Busan, a Bib Gourmand pasta room with a compact, seasonal card.
OrderThe ravioli, then the bisque pasta; the short menu changes with the market.
TipCounter seats book out on Catchtable days ahead; solo diners have the easiest time.
Roberto's ★ 4.4
Roberto's in Gate Village, DIFC, Dubai, is homegrown Italian fine dining under chef Danilo Valla, with a cocktail lounge and an outdoor terrace.
SignatureCrudo bar seafood, Contemporary Italian pasta
bar Vetti ★ 4.4
bar Vetti in Louisville pours Italian wines and pulls house-made pasta from the AC Hotel corner of East Market and Shelby Street in NuLu. Priced at $$$.
OrderWhatever pasta is on the daily list, plus the Caesar salad for the table.
TipBook on Resy. Bar seats and the patio take walk-ins early in the evening.
Volare Italian Ristorante ★ 4.4
Volare in Louisville pours seasonal Italian dinners with house-made pasta on Frankfort Avenue, three years running the Louisville Magazine readers' best.
OrderThe sea bass piccata, the kitchen's most-ordered plate.
TipBook the dining room online. The bar opens at 16:30 and pours a sharp aperitivo list.
Villa Cipriani ★ 4.4
Villa Cipriani serves Italian cooking on the clifftop terrace at Reid's Palace in Funchal, revisiting Italian classics with the Atlantic below the balustrade.
OrderA dish from the constantly renewed Italian carte, on the terrace.
TipThe terrace tables at the seaward rail are the ones to ask for when booking. Last orders are at 22:30.
Roostica Wood-Fire Pizzeria ★ 4.4
Roostica fires Neapolitan pies and pink shrimp scampi from twin wood ovens on Stock Island, the Mongellis' 2012 pizzeria a bridge away from Key West.
OrderHell's Kitchen pizza from the wood oven
TipCayo Hueso Brewing pours next door and shares the courtyard, so pair a Stock Island pint with your pie.
Racines ★ 4.4
Racines in Paris's Passage des Panoramas pours an Italian-leaning natural-wine list and serves hand-rolled pasta from Simone Tondo. Twelve tables, all dinner.
OrderWhatever filled pasta is on, a steak with rocket, the panna cotta.
TipThe Passage des Panoramas closes its gates at night; ring the bell to be let through.
Jaloux ★ 4.4
Jaloux hides Chef Hong's hand-rolled pasta behind greenery on King Street; four opening days keep this Penang Italian room permanently full.
SignaturePappardelle with oxtail ragu, Risotto
TipNo reservations and only four opening days; arrive at noon sharp or expect the pappardelle to be gone.
Mucca Osteria ★ 4.4
An intimate Tuscan and Central Italian room in downtown Portland with handmade pastas, a focused wine list and dinner reservations that book a week ahead.
OrderThe pici cacio e pepe
TipDinner only, closed Sunday and Monday. The wine list runs deep on Italian regions you can't find elsewhere in Portland.
Marino Bistrot ★ 4.4
Marino Bistrot on Poznańska 50/2 in Jeżyce, Poznań is a Polish-Italian family room with chef-owner Livio Marino on the pass, an exposed-brick basement.
OrderGnocchi with gorgonzola, pear and walnuts.
TipThere is no pizza. Come for the pastas and the seafood mains; the dessert is the tiramisu.
Casa de Carli ★ 4.4
Casa de Carli holds a Michelin star in the 2026 Czech guide. Located in Stare Mesto. Order the the handmade tortellini in broth, then the secondi.
OrderThe handmade tortellini in broth, then the secondi.
Il Ristorante - Niko Romito 1 ★ ★ 4.4
Il Ristorante Niko Romito on the 47th floor of the Bvlgari Hotel Shanghai holds one Michelin star for Italian fine dining above the city skyline.
OrderFine dining Italian cooking curated in partnership with three-Michelin-starred chef Niko Romito of Reale.
TipWeekend brunch runs alongside the regular lunch and dinner service; book the window seats for the skyline view.
Semina ★ 4.4
Chef Toshifumi Tanaka's rustic northern-Italian dining room, opened 2017 on the Odori central avenue. Priced at ¥¥¥¥. Tasting menu ¥15,000-22,000.
OrderAged Tokachi wagyu primal cut with house-made mozzarella di Okoppe.
Book3 weeks ahead
TipReserve in advance; the Friuli-Venezia Giulia influence shows in the antipasti.
Bokeria Kitchen & Wine ★ 4.4
Bokeria on Domaldova in Split runs the latest serious kitchen in the Old Town, shifting into a wine-bar pour service after 22:00 and on to 01:00.
OrderBone-in steak with the cellar's Plavac mali pour.
TipKitchen takes last orders around 23:30; the wine cellar keeps pouring until 01:00 most nights.
Esszimmer - Everybody's Darling 1 ★ ★ 4.4
Esszimmer - Everybody's Darling on Tuchlauben in Vienna's first district holds a Michelin star for chef Alexander Kumptner's modern set menu with Italian.
OrderThe full chef tasting; pre-order the vegetarian version if needed.
Book2 weeks ahead
TipThe street-side Tagesbar runs cocktails and snacks without the dining-room booking lead time.
Acero ★ 4.3
Acero plates handmade pasta and a deep, off-the-beaten-path Italian wine list in Maplewood. It is the quiet, grown-up Italian dinner locals favour.
OrderHouse-made pasta and a glass of an obscure Italian varietal.
TipThe wine list rewards trusting the staff with a regional pick. Reserve on Resy; the room is small.
Benne Pastabar ★ 4.3
Benne Pastabar serves generous bowls of freshly made pasta from around 130 $ in Linne, offering exceptional value for a sit-down restaurant meal in one.
OrderCacio e pepe, Seasonal pesto pasta, Mushroom ragu
Bavaro's Pizza Napoletana and Pastaria ★ 4.3
Bavaro's in downtown Tampa opened in 2009 as Florida's first traditional Neapolitan pizzeria, with wood-fired ovens and pastas from a Ferrara family recipe.
OrderMargherita pizza out of the wood-fired oven, the carbonara, and a Negroni at the bar before the wait clears.
TipThe corner room at Franklin and Twiggs takes walk-ins; the bar seats are first-come for solo diners.
Cosima ★ 4.3
Cosima in Mill No. 1 is a Sicilian and southern Italian room above the Jones Falls, plating house-made pasta and seafood with views of the old textile mill.
OrderA plate of house-made pasta and whatever seafood is running.
Book1 to 2 weeks ahead
TipThe Mill No. 1 setting and water views are the draw; ask for a table by the windows.
Pepe Nero ★ 4.3
Pepe Nero plates Italian-Moroccan dual menus in the courtyard of Riyad Al Moussika, a former pasha's palace five minutes from Marrakech's Jemaa el-Fna.
OrderPick the Italian or the Moroccan menu, not both; the kitchen executes each tradition cleanly when it commits.
TipClosed Sundays. Reserve courtyard seating; the indoor salon is the rainy-night fallback.
L'Italien par Simone Zanoni ★ 4.3
L'Italien par Simone Zanoni at Marrakech's La Mamounia plates the Italian chef's seasonal menu with Pierre Herme desserts, in a Pullman-grand dining room.
SignatureItalian tasting menu, Pierre Herme desserts, Italian wine pairing
TipSave room for Pierre Herme's pastry course; the L'Italien sweets travel from his Paris boutique recipes.
Artigiano ★ 4.3
Artigiano near Jardim de Alah makes more than 30 fresh pastas by hand in the Emilia-Romagna tradition, a Michelin Bib Gourmand pick in Rio de Janeiro.
OrderGarganelli with lamb ragù, or the zucchini flowers stuffed with mozzarella and anchovy
TipPastas, breads and desserts are made by hand daily and finished to order, and pizzas come from a wood oven, so ask what is fresh that day.
Trattoria on the Hill ★ 4.3
Trattoria on the Hill on Mayfield Road in Little Italy, an Italian-American dining room since 1988, runs hearty traditional pasta plates and veal mains.
OrderEggplant parmesan and chicken piccata, plus a slice of cassata cake to finish.
TipFirst-come, first-served seating most nights. Little Italy parking is tight outside the lot.
Seventh Son Brewing Late Weekend ★ 4.3
Seventh Son Brewing on North Fourth Street runs late weekends, the Italian Village brewery taproom until 02:00 Friday and Saturday since 2013.
TryBrewery snacks with house IPAs
Linea Closer to the Moon ★ 4.3
Linea Closer to the Moon sits atop the Victoria Department Store on Lipscani 17, the fifth-floor rooftop with the widest Old Town view in Bucharest.
OrderThe chef's daily plate; a sundowner cocktail on the open terrace.
TipIgloos on the terrace in winter; bookings essential after 19:00.
A16 Rockridge ★ 4.3
A16's Rockridge dining room runs the wood-fired Neapolitan pizza and southern Italian menu the brand built in San Francisco. Pizza is the entry point.
SignatureMargherita pizza, Maccaronara, Burrata
Fico ★ 4.3
Fico at Veilinghavenkade has a waterfront position over the harbour. Four to six-course menus of contemporary Italian-influenced cooking. Gault-Millau.
OrderFive-course menu with the house wine pairing
Strada Italiano ★ 4.3
Anthony Cerrato's Strada Italiano on Broadway Street in Asheville runs Piemonte, Tuscan, Campanian, Pugliese and Sicilian recipes alongside Italian-American.
OrderWhatever pasta is on the daily-cut sheet, plus a glass off the Italian biodynamic list.
TipBook on Resy. The rooftop Social Lounge upstairs takes walk-ins for cocktails and pizza late.
Sugo ★ 4.3
Sugo is a fast, loud fresh-pasta room on Mitchell Street in Glasgow's city centre, from the Paesano team, serving handmade pasta in the Lighthouse building.
OrderWhatever ragu is on that day, twirled through fresh pappardelle.
TipLike its sibling Paesano, it is walk-in only and turns tables quickly, so expect a short wait at peak times.
Joe Bologna's ★ 4.3
Joe Bologna's has baked pizza and garlic-butter breadsticks inside a stained-glass former synagogue since 1973, a Lexington institution near the UK campus.
SignatureGarlic breadsticks, Pan pizza
TipThe garlic breadsticks are non-negotiable; go before 18:00 on UK game days or expect a long wait.
Stella Modern Italian Cuisine ★ 4.3
Stella Modern Italian Cuisine in Oklahoma City serves a weekend brunch blending Italian and American flavors in an elegant Midtown dining room with cocktails.
OrderBreakfast pizza; bottomless brunch cocktail
TipThe Bellini brunch cocktail package is a popular add-on, book ahead as the midtown location fills up fast.
Giuseppe's Cucina Rustica ★ 4.3
Giuseppe's Cucina Rustica serves farm-driven Italian cooking in San Luis Obispo's 1876 Sinsheimer building, with produce grown on its own Edna Valley farm.
OrderThe cioppino, loaded with Central Coast seafood.
TipSince 1988 the kitchen has grown heirloom produce on the family farm; ask which vegetables came in that morning.
La Locanda ★ 4.3
La Locanda keeps an open kitchen on Garden Street in San Luis Obispo, rolling Northern Italian pasta by hand and shopping the farmers' market every week.
OrderWhichever handmade pasta special came off the market run that week.
TipCorkage is $22, so bring an Edna Valley bottle from an afternoon of tasting.
Officina Gusto ★ 4.3
Officina Gusto on Place Saint-Etienne is the Italian trattoria popolare with three rooms, since 2015 known across Toulouse for fresh hand-rolled pastas.
SignatureHand-rolled pastas, Wood-fired pizza, Italian small plates
TipSit on the Place Saint-Etienne terrace for the cathedral view; the pasta of the day is the reliable order.
Officina Gusto Late ★ 4.3
Officina Gusto on Place Saint-Etienne is Italian trattoria with late dinner service to 23:30, wood-fired pizza and a Sardinian-leaning small wine list on t.
TryHand-rolled pasta
TipOpen Sunday late which most of the centre is not; the pasta of the day and the tiramisu are the canonical late dinner.
Ristorante Ornellaia ★ 4.3
A refurbished former bank with sandstone walls and a serious Italian list: sleek design over historic charm, classic technique, Bindella-group polish.
SignatureTuscan tasting plates, Italian wines
Little Napoli ★ 4.3
Little Napoli plates Chef Pepe's southern Italian family recipes at Dolores and 7th in Carmel, with Bar Napoli pouring beside the dining room.
OrderWhatever pasta the kitchen calls a family recipe that night.
TipBar Napoli's happy hour runs Sunday to Friday 16:00-18:00, and weekend lunch from 11:30 is the only lunch service of the week.
Tony's Pasta Shop & Trattoria ★ 4.3
Tony's Pasta Shop & Trattoria hand-cuts pasta in the Victorian carriage house of the Bluff View Art District, a Chattanooga family staple above the river.
OrderMeatballs from a Sicilian family recipe over fresh-cut pasta.
TipGluten-safe pasta and pizza are on the regular menu. Queue early for a terrace table overlooking the Tennessee River.
Il Primo ★ 4.3
Il Primo runs a neighbourhood Italian dining room on Hixson Pike in North Shore Chattanooga, plating simple pastas, chicken piccata and well-made cocktails.
OrderChicken piccata with a negroni from the bar.
TipDinner only, Monday to Saturday from 17:00; the Ooltewah sibling in Cambridge Square keeps the same menu closer to the suburbs.
Tavola Italian ★ 4.3
Tavola Italian runs hand-rolled pastas and wood-fired pizzas at BridgeWay Station in Mauldin, twenty minutes south of downtown, with a smart wine list.
SignatureHand-rolled pastas, Wood-fired pizzas, Tiramisu
1932 Trevi ★ 4.3
1932 Trevi is an Italian restaurant in the lawns of Santha Bagh on JLN Marg, Jaipur, with hand-rolled pasta, Indian dishes and peacocks roaming the garden.
OrderHand-rolled pasta such as the Calabrian rigatoni, plus the jackfruit korma tacos.
TipAsk for a table outdoors in The Bagh or the Tuscan Alley; the bar room and the scarlet Vanity Room are the indoor options.
Ristorante Rinuccini ★ 4.3
The Cavaliere family has run Rinuccini opposite Kilkenny Castle since 1989, importing Italian produce and building a cellar of over 12,000 bottles.
OrderHomemade pasta with seasonal sauce; the Sunday lunch is the best-value sitting in the week.
TipOpen seven days, lunch and dinner. Sunday lunch runs until 17:00 making it a good late-afternoon option.
Osteria Italiana ★ 4.3
Osteria Italiana on Munich's Schellingstrasse has been the city's grand Italian since 1890; the dining room runs ceiling frescoes, classic pasta and Tuscan.
OrderThe handmade pasta of the day and the Florentine bistecca for two.
TipReservations by telephone only; Sundays closed.
Nota Bene ★ 4.3
Between the cathedral and Place Saint-Pierre, Nota Bene bakes a pizza pitched between Roman and Neapolitan on organic flour and natural leaven.
SignaturePizza between Roman and Neapolitan, Truffle pasta, House tiramisu
TipIt doubles as an Italian grocery, so the burrata and tartufo pizzas use the same stock sold over the counter.
Reilly Underground Late ★ 4.3
Reilly Underground on East Pennington in Tucson is the basement cocktail club beneath the pizzeria, open Tue-Sun until midnight with Italian-leaning drinks.
TryCocktails and wood-fired pizza
Caldi e Freddi ★ 4.3
Caldi e Freddi on Spuistraat is the Amsterdam Italian deli-trattoria you walk past once and book the next week, a tight room with fresh pasta and a wine list.
OrderWhichever pasta is fresh that day; ask the counter to name the ragù.
TipLunch is a counter scene; dinner is small-room booking Walk-ins usually OK.
Alavita ★ 4.3
Alavita is a brick-walled Italian trattoria making fresh pasta from Northwest flour and local eggs, turning Idaho seasonality into agnolotti and tortellini.
OrderHouse agnolotti or whichever handmade pasta uses that week's market produce
Il Vicolo ★ 4.3
Il Vicolo in Galway's Bridge Mills has the only riverside terrace in the city, with a nightly-changing Italian menu and an all-Italian wine list.
OrderThe seasonal pasta and whatever the day's risotto offers; the terrace table is the one to request
TipBook the riverside terrace at least a week ahead in summer; it fills within hours of becoming available.
Il Bacaro ★ 4.3
Il Bacaro pairs an Italian couple's handmade pastas with Venetian cicchetti inside the Campbell House hotel, Penang's most personal Italian room.
SignatureHandmade tagliatelle, Cicchetti
TipThe owners also run the hotel upstairs; ask what fish came in from the jetty market before choosing your pasta.
Battalion ★ 4.3
Battalion is an Italian restaurant in a converted downtown fire station on South Alamo, where house pastas and wood-fired pizza lead a small-plates menu.
OrderHouse pastas, wood-fired pizza and Italian small plates.
TipThe room, a converted fire station, is part of the appeal. Lead with the pastas and a bottle from the Italian list.
Indaco ★ 4.3
Indaco in Old Fourth Ward, Atlanta opened 2023 just above the Eastside BeltLine trail with wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, hand-rolled pasta and antipasti.
OrderA wood-fired pie, focaccia with honey butter and the bucatini.
TipPatio runs 45 seats with a built-in bocce court. Reservations on OpenTable; the bar takes walk-ins with the full menu.
Sammie's Italian ★ 4.3
Sammie's Italian in Austin is McGuire Moorman's downtown red-sauce room on West 6th, an old-school Italian-American card with veal and a martini bar.
OrderThe veal saltimbocca and a Sammie's martini to start; pasta course is family-style.
TipThe bar runs walk-in service; the dining room books a week out and goes faster on Friday nights.
Les Freres Barioz ★ 4.3
Les Freres Barioz in Lyon's 3e on Rue Duguesclin runs a lunch-only Italian sandwich counter with focaccia panini and rotating daily fillings from house.
OrderThe mortadella-and-pistachio focaccia plus a Tarocco orange juice.
TipLunch only; counter closes at 14:30 sharp. Cash and card Cash is faster than card.
Acquario ★ 4.3
Acquario sits on the sixth floor of Hotel Monopol in Wrocław, with glazed walls that frame the historic skyline. Kitchen leans italian seafood.
OrderThe crudo platter to start and whichever whole fish is on the day's chalk.
TipLunch service is quieter and the same kitchen runs a shorter daily menu at roughly two-thirds of the evening price.
Joe's Inn ★ 4.2
Joe's Inn on Shields has been a Fan standard since 1952. Italian-Greek-American plates, oversized spaghetti and a regulars-heavy bar, daily until midnight.
SignatureSpaghetti a la Joe, Greek salad, Souvlaki
Amerigo Italian Restaurant ★ 4.2
Amerigo Italian at Fondren's Duling School is a Jackson institution since 1987: fresh pasta, wood-roasted salmon, classic steaks for loyal regulars.
OrderHouse-made pasta of the day, or the wood-roasted salmon
TipNo reservations at this location; arrive before 11:30 or after 20:00 to avoid a wait.
Cafe Arabe ★ 4.2
Cafe Arabe on Rue Mouassine has plated Italian-Moroccan fusion in Marrakech's medina for over 20 years; a rare alcohol-licensed rooftop near the Koutoubia.
OrderThe cannelloni, then climb to the rooftop for Koutoubia sunset; alcohol-licensed.
TipThe downstairs courtyard is mister-cooled in summer; the rooftop is best at sunset for the Koutoubia silhouette.
La Maison d'Anna ★ 4.2
La Maison d'Anna is a family trattoria on Rue des Trésoriers de France in Montpellier, orecchiette and slow ragù cooked from recipes della nonna.
TipThe dining room is tiny and the pasta is made in small batches, so book or arrive when the doors open.
Bright Side ★ 4.2
Bright Side on West 25th Street in Ohio City, Sam McNulty and Mark Priemer's reimagining of the old Bar Cento space since June 2022, runs Sunnyside egg pizza.
OrderThe Sunnyside pizza with runny-yolk egg and pancetta, plus a basket of rosemary garlic frites.
TipReserve on OpenTable. Bird of Paradise basement bar opens after dinner service.
Trattoria Sale e Pepe ★ 4.2
Trattoria Sale e Pepe near Foișorul de Foc in Bucharest cooks a no-frills Naples-leaning trattoria menu, wood-fired pizza and made-fresh daily pasta.
OrderPizza Diavola; the daily fresh pasta.
TipBookings advisable on weekend evenings; mid-week walk-in is fine.
Branca Midtown ★ 4.2
Branca Midtown on E. Broad Street serves Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizza and hand-cut pasta in a polished downtown Rochester dining room and bar.
OrderThe Neapolitan pizza from the wood-burning oven, charred and blistered at the edges.
TipLunch service runs Wednesday and Thursday. Bar stays open later than the kitchen. Reservations via Resy.
Villa Toscana ★ 4.2
Villa Toscana is a Michelin Selected Italian restaurant at the St. Regis Abu Dhabi on the Corniche, where chef Vittorio Nania won a Michelin Young Chef Award.
OrderThe spaghetti alle vongole and the tiramisu the Michelin Guide says not to miss, plus a wood-fired pizza.
TipA weekday business lunch runs 12:00 to 15:00, Monday to Friday, and the dress code rules out shorts, open footwear and swimwear.
Bacio Divino ★ 4.2
Bacio Divino on Rue Saint-André in Lille cooks a dinner card of Italian classics six nights a week, and turns the room over to brunch every Sunday.
OrderTraditional lasagne, from the standing card.
TipDinner runs Monday to Saturday. Sunday belongs entirely to the all-you-can-eat brunch.
La Piazzetta ★ 4.2
La Piazzetta opened on Rue de la Barre in Lille as a fresh-pasta counter and Italian grocery, run by a chef who came from Big Mamma's La Bellezza.
OrderWhatever ravioli is rolled that morning.
TipLunch only, five days a week. There are very few seats, so come early or take the pasta away.
Pizzeria Paradiso ★ 4.2
Pizzeria Paradiso in Washington DC is Ruth Gresser's Dupont Circle wood-fired pizza room on P Street since 1991, a thin-crust Italian pizzeria.
OrderThe Atomica with hot salami, black olives and red pepper flakes; the menu since 1991.
TipThe Birreria downstairs runs over 150 beers; ask for the Italian craft tasting flight at the bar.
Ristorante Conti ★ 4.2
Tucked behind the Opera House, Conti is the Bindella group's elegant Italian: classic fine-dining ambience, careful pastas, the wine list to match.
SignatureItalian classics, Fine Italian wines
Restaurant Rosso ★ 4.2
Inside a converted warehouse beside Hardbruecke station, Rosso cooks thin-crust pizza in real wood ovens to a packed Zurich-West room every night.
SignatureWood-oven thin-crust pizza
Nicoletta ★ 4.2
Grupo Anderson's Nicoletta, at Boulevard Kukulcán km 13.5 in Cancún, is an Italian kitchen with handcrafted pasta, stone-oven pizza and a tableside Alfredo.
OrderFettuccine Alfredo prepared tableside in a Grana Padano wheel, or the lobster and shrimp ravioli.
TipOpen 13:00 to 01:00 daily, so a late pasta dinner works; chef Tomás Kalika helped rework the menu.
Mothers & Sons Trattoria ★ 4.2
An Italian trattoria on W Chapel Hill Street with generous portions, housemade bread and a lively weekend room featuring ingredient-led cooking.
SignatureHouse-pulled mozzarella, Wood-roasted chicken, Ricotta gnudi
Melo Trattoria ★ 4.2
A compact Italian kitchen on W Parrish Street making pasta daily from NC-sourced ingredients. The cacio e pepe and seasonal risotto are the strongest plates.
Why locals goNew addition to the Brightleaf corridor; regional and national food press has not caught up to the quality level
Bar Palladio ★ 4.2
Bar Palladio is an Italian restaurant and bar in the gardens of Narain Niwas Palace in Jaipur, with all-blue interiors and tented canopies among peacocks.
OrderClassic Italian dishes from the menu, with a cocktail under the tented canopies.
TipOn Sundays the doors open at 12:30 for lunch; on other days at 16:30, so it suits an evening visit.
Louise's Trattoria ★ 4.2
Louise's on North Jefferson Street downtown is a casual Italian room with wood-fired pizzas, hand-rolled pastas and Italian wines near the Pabst Theater.
OrderHouse lasagne with bechamel and a wood-fired Margherita to share.
TipPre-theater dinner books on OpenTable; the bar runs late after Pabst shows.
Grand Locale ★ 4.2
A waterfront Italian grand cafe in Nieuw-Kralingen by the Old Scuola team, with wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, pasta and natural wines for 180 indoor seats.
OrderWood-fired Neapolitan pizza and a glass from the natural-wine list.
TipBook a table on the waterside terrace for the golden hour: it is open until 23:00 on Fri-Sat.
Biga ★ 4.2
Biga on Peoria Avenue offers house-made pastas and wood-fired Italian mains alongside a wine list curated for the loyal Brookside neighborhood crowd.
SignatureHouse-made pasta, Italian wine list
Posticino ★ 4.2
Posticino has served family-style pizza and pasta from Albany Mews on Main Road in Sea Point since Jack Gasparre and Eric de Siena took it over in 1998.
OrderThe wood-fired pizza, the order most tables share alongside a plate of fresh pasta.
TipAsk for the terrace over Main Road, or sit inside among the trompe l'oeil murals and old family photos.
Roman Village Cucina Italiana ★ 4.2
Roman Village Cucina Italiana on Dix Avenue in Dearborn has served family Italian cooking in metro Detroit since 1964. Reservations advised.
OrderHouse pasta of the day and veal parmigiana with the garlic bread.
TipClosed Sunday and Monday. Lunch service most weekdays through 14:00.
Nolita ★ 4.2
Nolita on a quiet Punavuori street is a trattoria with a zero-waste streak and a Finnish-ingredient slant on Italian cooking, led by handmade pasta.
OrderWhatever pasta is on; the kitchen builds Italian plates from Finnish produce.
TipA low-key Italian room committed to using the whole ingredient. Good for a relaxed dinner away from the tourist streets.
Hornid ★ 4.2
Hornid opened in 1979 as Iceland's first Italian restaurant and still works a yellow corner house on Hafnarstraeti, making Reykjavik pizza and pasta to order.
OrderA 12-inch pizza made to order, or the daily fresh pasta.
TipFamily-run for over forty years and open all day from 11:00. A dependable break from fish and lamb.
Osteria il Cru ★ 4.2
Osteria il Cru in the oldest building on Viru is a Michelin-listed Italian room with an olive tree in the small Old Town hotel dining area now.
OrderWhatever pasta is on; the menu is short, seasonal and Italian-leaning.
TipPreviously called Cru. The hotel above runs the same name; the restaurant relaunched as Osteria il Cru in 2024.
Onlywood Grill ★ 4.2
Onlywood Grill fires Neapolitan pies in a garden courtyard off Caroline Street, the roomiest of the three Onlywood pizzerias running in Key West.
OrderA wood-fired pie with parmacotto ham and pistachio sauce
TipHappy hour runs 16:30 to 18:00; the original Onlywood Pizzeria Trattoria on Duval handles the walk-up slices.
Oliva Enoteca ★ 4.2
Oliva Enoteca on Calle 47 in Mérida runs hand-rolled pastas and a deep Italian wine cellar, opened by chef Ricardo Garcia in a restored townhouse.
SignatureHand-rolled pasta, Italian wine list, Wood-fired pizza
Pizza Propria ★ 4.2
Pizza Propria on Jaegergaardsgade in Aarhus makes Neapolitan-inspired sourdough pizzas in a wood-fired oven and imports its own Italian wine.
OrderThe seasonal pizza with fresh mozzarella and a glass from their natural wine import selection.
TipDoubles as a wine shop, so you can pick up bottles to take home. The lunch and dinner service runs most days.
Via del Corso ★ 4.2
North Berkeley trattoria: house-made pasta, rotisserie chicken and small Italian producers. Warm, unhurried room that works for both weeknights and occasions.
Tentazioni 1 ★ ★ 4.2
Tentazioni in Bordeaux's Rue du Palais Gallien is the city's first Italian restaurant to earn a Michelin star, awarded 2020 to Sardinian-born chef Giovanni.
Book2 weeks ahead
TipThe menu rewrites every week from the market; book Thursday or Friday lunch for the only midday service.
Fiorentina ★ 4.2
Fiorentina on Grodzka in Kraków's Old Town is the Tuscan-inspired room with a vaulted red-brick ceiling. Located in Stare Miasto. Priced at $$$.
OrderThe bistecca for two with a Brunello by the bottle, and the gnudi as a starter.
TipThe bistecca needs ordering in advance; closed Sunday. Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition.
Fabiano Focaccia ★ 4.1
Fabiano Focaccia bakes Ligurian focaccia on Rue Saint-Guilhem and fills it with Italian charcuterie, marinated vegetables and melting cheese to order.
OrderMortadella, stracciatella and pistachio on warm focaccia, eaten standing.
TipClosed Sunday and Monday; the counter sells out of the popular fillings by mid-afternoon.
La Piadina ★ 4.1
La Piadina griddles Emilia-Romagna flatbread sandwiches from a container kitchen at The Exchange in Fort Collins, with Italian wine and local beer.
OrderA prosciutto and squacquerone piadina, hot off the griddle
TipA piadina crisped to order plus a glass of Italian wine on the plaza is one of the city's best cheap dates.
La Lanterna ★ 4.1
La Lanterna is Glasgow's oldest family-run Italian, a Hope Street city-centre room opened in 1970 and still serving classic pasta, veal and seafood.
OrderA classic veal dish or the fresh seafood pasta, cooked the old-school way.
TipThere is a second, larger La Lanterna on West Regent Street; this Hope Street original is the intimate one.
Magpies Bakery ★ 4.1
Magpies Bakery is the north central cupcake counter has anchored happy holler's residential dessert scene without ever putting a downtown branch in place.
Why locals goThe North Central cupcake counter has anchored Happy Holler's residential dessert scene without ever putting a downtown branch in place.
TipClosed Sundays; the Italian cream cake is the not-to-miss order. Wedding cake bookings months out.
Arancini Lovers ★ 4.1
Arancini Lovers on Rue Saint-André in Lille fries Sicilian rice balls to order, with a different filling promoted every month alongside the regulars.
TryArancini
TipAsk what the monthly special is. Cacio e pepe has been one of them.
Cenacolo La Isla ★ 4.1
Cenacolo at La Isla, Boulevard Kukulcán km 12.5 in Cancún, cooks Romagnola Italian with hand-rolled pasta and a view across Nichupté Lagoon.
OrderCappelletti verdi stuffed with ricotta and Parmesan, then La Tagliata of Prime beef with Grana Padano.
TipWhite truffle season runs October to December, so ask about truffle dishes; a second room is at Marina Puerto Cancún.
Gustino Italian Grill ★ 4.1
Gustino Italian Grill, inside the JW Marriott at Boulevard Kukulcán km 14.5 in Cancún, serves handmade pasta in a candlelit room with windows onto water.
OrderBavette ai frutti di mare with mussels, clams, shrimp and lobster, and a cannoli to finish.
TipDinner only, 17:30 to 23:00, smart casual; you walk in through the JW Marriott lobby.
Opera ★ 4.1
In a converted ancestral home on Ramesh Marg, C-Scheme, Jaipur, Opera is an Italian restaurant known for Neapolitan pizza and hand-rolled pasta.
OrderThe Neapolitan pizza and the hand-rolled pasta, with the burrata sourdough to start.
TipChoose a table among the bougainvillea in the garden for winter lunches or summer dinners; the rooms keep much of the old house.
Scalini Italian Restaurant ★ 4.1
Scalini on St Kieran's Street serves 72-hour Roman-style pizzas and daily handmade pasta, far better known to Kilkenny residents than visiting tourists.
Why locals goOn the quieter upper stretch of St Kieran's Street away from the central castle district
La Gritta ★ 4.1
La Gritta at Amari Phuket has served Italian classics above Patong Bay since the early 2000s, pairing pizzas and homemade pasta with sea views.
SignaturePizza, Homemade pasta
Panzeró ★ 4.1
Puglia-focused Italian food elevated to a sit-down room. The panzerotti filled with slow-cooked octopus make it the most inventive Italian kitchen.
Bookwalk-in welcome ahead
Cicchetti ★ 4.1
Cicchetti on Yehuda HaLevi in Tel Aviv is a Venetian-style neighbourhood bar, where chef Michael Gartopsky's small plates pair with Avi Kashi's cocktails.
OrderA run of two or three small plates alongside a carafe of house wine.
TipWeekend brunch runs 11:00 to 15:00; Sunday to Thursday the 17:00 to 19:00 aperitivo takes 30 percent off.
Mondo's Ristorante Italiano ★ 4.1
Family-owned Italian in Brookside since 1969, with housemade pasta, osso buco, and walls of vintage photographs in a beloved neighborhood room.
SignatureHouse-made pasta, Italian-American classics
Scalo Northern Italian Grill ★ 4.1
Scalo on Central Avenue in Albuquerque's Nob Hill is the longtime Northern Italian room with house pastas and a regional Italian wine list since 1986.
Book1 week ahead
Outro by Vito ★ 4.1
Outro by Vito moved its pasta kitchen near Gwangalli Beach in Busan and kept its Michelin Guide place, pairing European plates with wine into the night.
OrderThe signature pastas that survived the rebrand, with a bottle from the short list.
TipWine is part of the deal here, so plan to order a bottle; evenings run late for the area.
The Big Chill ★ 4.1
The Big Chill in Khan Market, Delhi, is a busy Italian cafe known for penne vodka, chicken cacciatore and a dessert list led by Mississippi mudpie.
OrderThe Mississippi mudpie, a dense chocolate pie that anchors the dessert counter.
TipBook before a weekend visit, or expect a wait with the Khan Market crowds; save room for the dessert counter.
Diggin ★ 4.1
Diggin runs an all-day menu in a garden courtyard on Race Course Road, Delhi, best known for pastas such as penne picante, sandwiches and its milkshakes.
OrderThe penne picante and a Ferrero Rocher milkshake.
Caffe Luna ★ 4.1
Open since 1996, Caffe Luna offers classic pasta technique, a warm dining room, and a serious wine list. Tightly focused on what it does well.
SignatureHouse-made pasta, Tiramisu
Olio e Limone Ristorante ★ 4.1
Italian fine dining since 1999 under chef Alberto Morello, with a Sicilian-influenced menu and 230-label wine cellar. Wine Spectator Award since 2002.
SignatureSicilian pasta, House-made fresh pasta, Seasonal fish
MoreThan Hiroshima ★ 4.1
MoreThan Hiroshima runs from breakfast to late dinner on the ground floor of The Knot, an Italian kitchen with an all-day counter in Otemachi.
OrderMorning plates before 10:00 or the evening Italian menu after 17:00
TipThe kitchen splits into four services a day, so check which one you are walking into before you sit down at the counter.
Bocca Buona ★ 4.1
Bocca Buona at Rybne namestie 1 inside Park Inn Danube turns out fresh pasta and wood-fired pizza in a modern setting steps from the Danube embankment here.
OrderThe fresh handmade pasta of the day; the wood-fired Margherita is the safe second.
TipThe riverside terrace is the seat in summer; the upstairs is calmer in winter.
Cakum Pakum ★ 4.1
Cakum Pakum on Kaptol is Sarajevo's vintage trattoria-coded room with hand-cut pasta, sweet and savoury crepes and a long brunch run for Centar lunch.
OrderTruffle pasta and a Nutella crepe.
TipClosed Sundays; lunch is the busy seating and the patio fills fast.
Sklepas ★ 4.1
Sklepas is so hidden that you walk past it. A small cellar wine bar near Šnekutis with an Italian-leaning natural list and a daily-changing chalkboard.
Why locals goHidden cellar wine bar on Šv. Mikalojaus near Šnekutis, locals only.
TipWatch for the chalkboard outside; no door sign. Italian skin-contact is the strong order.
La Mamma St Roch ★ 4.0
La Mamma St Roch runs a mozzarella bar and wood-blistered pizzas near the station in Montpellier, imported Italian cheeses over gnocchi and pappardelle.
TipStart at the mozzarella bar before the pizzas; it is one of the few kitchens in the quarter serving every day.
L'Atelier Focaccia ★ 4.0
L'Atelier Focaccia bakes naturally leavened focaccia on Place Émile Zola in Dijon, sandwiches for meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans alike.
OrderA focaccia sandwich built on the 48-hour sourdough base, in a meat, vegetarian or vegan version.
TipIt stays open until 23:00, later than most Dijon lunch-counter kitchens on the same square.
A16 Napa ★ 4.0
A16 brings wood-fired Neapolitan pizza and an Italian wine programme from San Francisco to downtown Napa, opened in 2023 and settled into local rotation.
SignatureNeapolitan pizza, Southern Italian pasta, Antipasti
TipThursday through Sunday the kitchen runs lunch, which is quieter and easier to book than dinner.
Antonia ★ 4.0
Antonia is a Michelin Selected Italian pizzeria on Mamsha Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, baking pizza al taglio on an old sourdough starter and serving pasta.
OrderThe sourdough pizza al taglio, then the tiramisu the Michelin Guide calls a top choice for dessert.
TipPizza is sold by the slice from rectangular trays, and the dough ferments for 72 hours on a sourdough starter that the operator dates to 1972.
Frank & Dino's ★ 4.0
Frank & Dino's plays supper-club Italian on West Short Street, feeding downtown Lexington veal, red-sauce classics and martinis seven days a week.
TipLunch and dinner run daily with a mid-afternoon break; the bar pours a proper Rat Pack-era martini.
Flip's Wine Bar and Trattoria ★ 4.0
Flip's Wine Bar and Trattoria on N Western Avenue in Oklahoma City pairs Italian trattoria classics with an extensive wine list, no reservations.
Nonna ★ 4.0
Nonna is an Italian restaurant on the cathedral forecourt in Reims, serving arancini, Puglian burrata, clam linguine and ossobuco in a plant-filled room.
OrderThe Puglian burrata with pistachio pesto, then linguine with clams or the ossobuco.
TipThe kitchen is shut on Sunday and Monday; a lounge area serves cocktails and champagne alongside the menu.
Garibaldi ★ 4.0
Garibaldi is an italian wine shop with seated drinking hidden steps from marienplatz; the room reads as a deli, the wines pour by the glass.
Why locals goAn Italian wine shop with seated drinking hidden steps from Marienplatz; the room reads as a deli, the wines pour by the glass.
TipWalk in for the bar stool; the Italian salumi plate is the food order to make.
Spaghetteria ★ 4.0
A long-running pasta specialist on Nieuwe Binnenweg with handmade fresh pasta from tagliatelle al ragu to cacio e pepe. Located in Rotterdam Noord.
OrderCacio e pepe and the daily pasta special.
TipThe pasta-lunch on Saturday is one of the better deals in Rotterdam Noord: three courses under 20 euros.
Massimo ★ 4.0
Massimo is a Southern Italian restaurant on Jl. Danau Tamblingan in Sanur, Bali, known for handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza and gelato made in-house.
SignatureWood-fired pizza, Handmade pasta, Gelato
Mio ★ 4.0
Mio at Four Seasons Hotel Beijing relaunched in April 2026 as a Tuscan grill under chef Francesco Magni; it was Michelin Selected before the change.
OrderOrder the Wagyu porterhouse in the La Fiorentina style and the homemade pici with duck ragout.
TipThe April 2026 menu adds a Tuscan seafood casserole with Boston lobster and a flamed zuccotto; closed Mondays, so book Tuesday to Sunday.
Massimo's ★ 4.0
Massimo's in Oakhurst Farm Park, Hout Bay, Cape Town, has served wood-fired pizza and fresh pasta for years, once voted a top pizzeria in Africa.
OrderA thin, crispy wood-fired pizza, with a handcrafted pasta for the table
TipWeekend dinners fill up fast, book ahead if you want a table on a Friday or Saturday night.
Drury Buildings ★ 4.0
Drury Buildings on Drury Street in Dublin, a three-floor Italian-leaning dining room and cocktail bar built into the William Fry warehouse, a southside.
OrderCrab linguine and a Negroni Sbagliato from the rooftop bar before dinner.
TipRoof terrace opens summer only; book the first-floor dining room with a window onto Drury Street for two.
Le Cherche Midi ★ 4.0
Le Cherche Midi in Paris's 6e is the neighbourhood Italian trattoria the Saint-Germain set treats as a canteen. Hand-rolled pasta cooked to order, daily.
OrderWhatever filled pasta is on the daily menu, the tiramisu, a glass of Sangiovese.
TipOpen seven days. Lunch is the steal; the prix fixe lands under €25 with coffee.
Roberto Park ★ 4.0
Roberto Park in Poznań sits in Park Jana Henryka Dąbrowskiego next to Stary Browar, with thin-crust Italian pizza cut at the table with scissors and a long.
OrderPizza margherita, ordered with extra burrata.
TipSit in the park-side outdoor section in summer; the trees keep the room cooler than the indoor dining floor.
Original Joe's ★ 4.0
Original Joe's is a San Jose cornerstone since 1956 where the Rocca family delivers prime steaks, veal scaloppini, and classic Italian-American pasta.
Order27-oz Kansas City NY strip steak or veal scaloppini
Officina Raffaelli ★ 4.0
Tucked inside the Hal 16 food hall at Dok Noord, Officina Raffaelli serves fresh Italian pizza and Tuscan regional dishes sourced as close to the Italian.
OrderThe fresh pizzas and pasta dishes, where the Tuscan sourcing ethos shows most clearly.
Book1 week ahead
TipCombine a meal here with a beer from Dok Brewing Company next door for the full Dok Noord experience.
Chez Gina ★ 3.9
Chez Gina fills a corner of Place du Marché in Dijon with fresh pasta and an Italian grocery shop, open latest on Friday and Saturday nights.
OrderA fresh pasta plate followed by a scoop from the 21-flavour in-house gelato counter.
TipCome on a market morning and the shop opens at 08:00 rather than its usual mid-morning start.
Da Adriano ★ 3.9
Da Adriano is an Italian pizzeria and trattoria on Rue Michelet in Dijon, a few doors from the Chapeau Rouge, with a daily seasonal lunch special.
OrderA pasta plate finished with truffle when it is in season, alongside a speck and mozzarella starter.
TipThe daily lunch special uses whatever seasonal produce came in that morning, worth asking about before ordering the carte.
Pinocchio Playa ★ 3.9
Pinocchio Playa is an Italian restaurant, pizzeria and gelateria on Avenida de Alcoy by Levante beach in Benidorm, making its own gluten-free pasta every day.
OrderA stone-baked pizza, then an ice cream from the house gelateria.
TipIts gluten-free menu covers the whole card, with pasta made in-house; it entered the 2026 tapas contest with a gluten-free carbonara millefeuille.
Rustico Basel ★ 3.9
Rustico Basel runs a cozy Italian room of handmade pasta and pizza in the Basel quarter of Tel Aviv's Old North, with gluten-free and vegan-friendly options.
OrderA fresh pasta special off the daily menu, or a stone-oven pizza to share.
TipThe lunch menu runs 12:00 to 16:00 with a starter and a drink bundled into the main.
Marini's on 57 ★ 3.9
Marini's on 57 plates Italian dishes on the 57th floor of Petronas Tower 3 in Kuala Lumpur, with a glass-roofed terrace bar facing the KLCC skyline.
OrderItalian plates in the dining room, then a drink on the glass-roofed terrace.
TipSunset hour runs 17:00 to 21:00 with better bar prices; DJs play on Friday and Saturday nights.
El Sol y La Luna ★ 3.9
El Sol y La Luna on Pino Suarez is the Centro wood-fired pizza room with handmade pasta, a long-running Italian table at a quiet end of Cinco de Mayo.
SignatureWood-fired pizza, Handmade pasta
BRAVO! Italian Restaurant and Bar ★ 3.8
BRAVO! Italian at Highland Village has been a Jackson institution since 1995, with familiar pastas, wood-roasted chicken, and tiramisu that locals love.
OrderPasta of the day or the wood-roasted salmon, followed by tiramisu
TipThe lunch specials Tuesday through Friday offer the best value in the room.
Scala Osteria ★ 3.8
Scala Osteria serves southern Italian food for sharing on First Street with a long bar and late-night hours. One of the few Napa kitchens open past 22:00.
SignatureSouthern Italian shared plates, Fresh pasta, Seafood
TipThe 10:00-11:00 late-night industry menu is popular with restaurant workers across the city.
Vivotto ★ 3.8
Vivotto packs risotto, lasagne and pasta into reusable glass jars to take away or eat in, on Rue des Trois Faucons in Avignon, with mains from €8.95.
TryRisotto and lasagne in reusable glass jars
TipJars carry a €1 deposit; the Avignon Tourisme sheet lists 2026 menus from €11.95 to €15.95 and opening every day.
Buffalo Beel ★ 3.8
Buffalo Beel is a family-run Italian ristogrill and pizzeria on Avenida de Castellón in Benidorm's Levante quarter, making its own pasta and pizzas.
OrderThe house lasagna, or a pizza from the homemade dough.
TipIt opens at 14:00 every day and the phone line is for bookings only; there is a daily set menu at lunch.
Gigis Pasta ★ 3.8
Gigis Pasta is a takeaway counter on Calle Gerona in Benidorm making fresh pasta by hand with organic ingredients, some local and some brought from Italy.
TryFresh handmade pasta to take away
TipA takeaway concept with a few outdoor seats, it stays open until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights.
Vapiano ★ 3.8
Vapiano in central Tallinn runs the Italian pasta and pizza counter chain, with cooked-to-order plates around 10 to 14 euros and a salad bar for grab-and-go.
TryItalian pasta and pizza counter
The Italian Kitchen ★ 3.8
The Italian Kitchen on Pershing Drive has fed El Paso since 1948 with fettuccine alfredo, pepperoni pizza, and eggplant parmesan in large portions.
OrderFettuccine alfredo with chicken, or eggplant parmesan
TipPortions are large enough to split; the fried mushrooms are a reliable starter.
Bocelli Italian Kitchen ★ 3.7
A neighbourhood Italian on Oliver Plunkett Street with a wine expert on hand for pairings and a kitchen that runs house-made pasta alongside reliable Italian.
SignatureFeather blade beef stroganoff, House-made pasta, Italian wine pairings
Bocelli Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar ★ 3.7
Cork city's dedicated Italian kitchen with house pasta and a seasonal board. An in-house wine expert is available for pairing guidance on the Italian list.
OrderHouse-made pasta of the day with Italian wine pairing from the sommelier.
TipAsk the sommelier for a half-glass pairing if you're ordering multiple courses.
Broccoli Pizza & Pasta ★ 3.7
Broccoli Pizza & Pasta on Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, is a round the clock takeaway counter for build your own pizza and pasta after midnight.
TryPizza and pasta
TipIt is a 24 hour counter, useful for a late build your own pizza.
Toma Restaurant and Bar ★ 3.7
Waterfront Italian-California dinner on Cabrillo Boulevard since 2011. Local fishermen, farmers, and artisan sourcing with harbour views across West Beach.
SignatureSeasonal pasta, Fresh-caught seafood, Local farm vegetables
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Santa Monica19 places
Bay Cities Italian Deli, Capo
Bristol17 places
Marmo, Little Hollows Pasta
Providence16 places
Al Forno, Bacaro
Alghero14 places
La Saletta, Musciora
St. Louis14 places
Gioia's Deli, Pastaria
São Paulo14 places
Picchi, Fame Osteria
Des Moines13 places
Graziano Brothers Italian Grocery, Lucca
Palermo13 places
Moltivolti, Osteria Mercede
Sydney13 places
Fratelli Paradiso, Gelato Messina Darlinghurst
Brisbane12 places
Biànca, Rosmarino
Gothenburg12 places
Trattoria La Strega, Rada Gelato
Tampa12 places
Rocca, Brocato's Deviled Crab Counter
Richmond11 places
Edo's Squid, Dinamo
Boston10 places
Pammy's, Mamma Maria
Buffalo10 places
Ristorante Lombardo, Tappo Italian
Dallas10 places
Lucia (Dinner), Lucia
London10 places
Bocca di Lupo, The River Cafe
Melbourne10 places
Tipo 00, Roma
Omaha10 places
Dolomiti Pizzeria and Enoteca, Avoli Osteria
Pittsburgh10 places
Piccolo Forno, DiAnoia's Eatery
San Diego10 places
Cesarina, Buona Forchetta
Charlotte9 places
Ever Andalo, Stagioni
Denver9 places
Frasca Food and Wine, Bar Dough
Portland9 places
Solo Italiano, Leeward
Auckland8 places
Amano, Ortolana
Baltimore8 places
Cinghiale, Tagliata
Indianapolis8 places
Convivio Italian Artisan Cuisine, Mama Carolla's Old Italian
Jackson8 places
Pulito Osteria, Amerigo Italian Restaurant
Marrakech8 places
Pepe Nero, L'Italien par Simone Zanoni
Memphis8 places
Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Catherine and Mary's
Montpellier8 places
La Maison d'Anna, Fabiano Focaccia
Montreal8 places
Liverpool House, Nora Gray
Philadelphia8 places
Vetri Cucina, Pizzeria Beddia
Rio de Janeiro8 places
Sult, Gero Rio
San Francisco8 places
Molinari Delicatessen, Sotto Mare
Toronto8 places
Buca King West, Sotto Sotto
Cleveland7 places
Mama Santa's, Trattoria on the Hill
Columbus7 places
Fox in the Snow Italian Village, Speck Italian Eatery
Dijon7 places
L'Atelier Focaccia, Chez Gina
Los Angeles7 places
Bestia, Felix Trattoria
Nashville7 places
Folk, City House
New York City7 places
Rezdôra, Via Carota
Salt Lake City7 places
Caputo's Market and Deli, Stoneground Italian Kitchen
Seattle7 places
Spinasse, Cafe Juanita
Vancouver7 places
Kissa Tanto, Ask for Luigi
Bucharest6 places
Cucina The Italian Kitchen, Linea Closer to the Moon
Charleston6 places
The Obstinate Daughter, Wild Olive
Chicago6 places
Johnnie's Beef, Monteverde
Fort Collins6 places
RARE Italian, La Piadina
Miami6 places
Boia De, Macchialina
Napa6 places
Oenotri, A16 Napa
Oakland6 places
Belotti Ristorante e Bottega, MAMA Oakland
Rochester6 places
Mr. Dominic's at the Lake, Restaurant Fiorella
Sacramento6 places
Hawks Restaurant, Allora
Utrecht6 places
Ndujame, Fico
Abu Dhabi5 places
Talea by Antonio Guida, Villa Toscana
Asheville5 places
Luminosa, Crusco
Burlington5 places
Sotto Enoteca, Trattoria Delia
Cincinnati5 places
Sotto, Pepp and Dolores
Edinburgh5 places
Locanda De Gusti, Civerinos Slice
Glasgow5 places
Eusebi Deli, Sugo
Kansas City5 places
Lidia's Kansas City, Carollo's Italian Grocery and Deli
Knoxville5 places
Emilia, Osteria Stella
Las Vegas5 places
Esther's Kitchen, Bazaar Meat by Jose Andres
Lexington5 places
ItalX, Joe Bologna's
Lille5 places
Bacio Divino, La Piazzetta
Madison5 places
Salvatore's Tomato Pies, Cento
Oklahoma City5 places
Stella Modern Italian Cuisine, Flip's Wine Bar and Trattoria
Plovdiv5 places
Maramao, Fresh Pasta
Reims5 places
Panino Divino, Nonna
San Luis Obispo5 places
Flour House, Giuseppe's Cucina Rustica
Toulouse5 places
Il Paradiso, Officina Gusto
Washington DC5 places
Fiola Mare, The Red Hen
Zurich5 places
Ristorante Ornellaia, Ristorante Conti
Avignon4 places
Italie là-bas Ré, Vivotto
Benidorm4 places
Pinocchio Playa, Buffalo Beel
Birmingham4 places
Bottega Restaurant, Bottega Cafe
Cancún4 places
Nicoletta, Cenacolo La Isla
Carmel-by-the-Sea4 places
Il Tegamino, Vesuvio
Chattanooga4 places
Alleia, Tony's Pasta Shop & Trattoria
Cork4 places
Bocelli Italian Kitchen, Bocelli Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar
Durham4 places
Gocciolina, Mothers & Sons Trattoria
Greenville4 places
Jianna, Naked Pasta
Hong Kong4 places
8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana, Estro
Houston4 places
Coltivare, Da Marco
Jaipur4 places
1932 Trevi, Bar Palladio
Kilkenny4 places
Ristorante Rinuccini, Scalini Italian Restaurant
Milwaukee4 places
Ristorante Bartolotta dal 1993, Onesto
Minneapolis4 places
Broders' Pasta Bar, Mucci's Italian
Munich4 places
Acquarello, Osteria Italiana
Nantes4 places
Emporietto, Ezope
Orlando4 places
Prato, Antonio's La Fiamma
Phuket4 places
Acqua, Five Olives
Rotterdam4 places
Grand Locale, Panzeró
Tel Aviv4 places
Toto, Cicchetti
Tucson4 places
Reilly Craft Pizza and Drink, Time Market
Tulsa4 places
Biga, Mondo's Ristorante Italiano
Albuquerque3 places
M'Tucci's Italian, Scalo Northern Italian Grill
Amsterdam3 places
Toscanini, Vicio Il Mastro Pastaio
Bali3 places
Mauri, Massimo
Beijing3 places
Giada Garden, Il Ristorante - Niko Romito
Brussels3 places
Racines
Busan3 places
Fiotto, Cor Pasta Bar
Cape Town3 places
Posticino, Massimo's
Cologne3 places
Borsalino, Alfredo
Delhi3 places
Diva, The Big Chill
Detroit3 places
San Morello, Roman Village Cucina Italiana
Dubai3 places
Il Ristorante - Niko Romito, Roberto's
Dublin3 places
Etto, Borgo
Fort Worth3 places
Nonna Tata
Helsinki3 places
Goose Pastabar, Nolita
Louisville3 places
bar Vetti, Volare Italian Ristorante
Raleigh3 places
Caffe Luna
Reykjavik3 places
Mat Bar, OTO
Santa Barbara3 places
Olio e Limone Ristorante, Toma Restaurant and Bar
Tallinn3 places
Osteria il Cru, Vapiano
Belgrade2 places
Lorenzo and Kakalamba
Boise2 places
Alavita
Copenhagen2 places
Bæst
El Paso2 places
The Italian Kitchen
Frankfurt2 places
Carmelo Greco
Funchal2 places
Villa Cipriani
Galway2 places
Il Vicolo
Hiroshima2 places
MoreThan Hiroshima
Key West2 places
Roostica Wood-Fire Pizzeria, Onlywood Grill
Kyoto2 places
Monk Pizza Counter, Monk
Manchester2 places
Cibus
Mérida2 places
Oliva Enoteca
Paris2 places
Racines, Le Cherche Midi
Penang2 places
Jaloux, Il Bacaro
Portland2 places
Ava Gene's, Mucca Osteria
Poznań2 places
Marino Bistrot, Roberto Park
Prague2 places
Casa de Carli
Riga2 places
Snatch
San Antonio2 places
Battalion
San Jose2 places
Original Joe's
Shanghai2 places
Da Vittorio, Il Ristorante - Niko Romito
Aarhus1 place
Pizza Propria
Atlanta1 place
Indaco
Austin1 place
Sammie's Italian
Bangkok1 place
Appia
Berkeley1 place
Via del Corso
Bordeaux1 place
Tentazioni
Bratislava1 place
Bocca Buona
Ghent1 place
Officina Raffaelli
Kraków1 place
Fiorentina
Kuala Lumpur1 place
Marini's on 57
Lyon1 place
Les Freres Barioz
Marseille1 place
La Cantinetta
New Orleans1 place
Stein's Market and Deli
Oaxaca1 place
El Sol y La Luna
Phoenix1 place
Tratto
Porto1 place
Puro 4050
Sapporo1 place
Semina
Sarajevo1 place
Cakum Pakum
Savannah1 place
Saint Bibiana
Singapore1 place
Bistecca Tuscan Steakhouse
Split1 place
Bokeria Kitchen & Wine
Stockholm1 place
Trattoria Corazza
Vienna1 place
Esszimmer - Everybody's Darling
Vilnius1 place
Sklepas
Wrocław1 place
Acquario
Regional variations
North (Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto)
Butter and cream, risotto, polenta, slow-braised meats. Fresh egg pastas like tagliatelle and tortellini. Truffles from Alba in autumn. Bolognese tagliatelle al ragù , never on spaghetti at home , and Modena's balsamico are the regional flagships.
Centre (Tuscany, Lazio, Umbria, Marche)
Olive oil, bread-thickened soups (ribollita, pappa al pomodoro), grilled meats, simple bean dishes, and Rome's four pasta sauces: carbonara, cacio e pepe, gricia, amatriciana. Florence's bistecca alla fiorentina and Lazio's lamb roast (abbacchio) are the meat anchors.
South (Campania, Puglia, Calabria, Sicily)
Tomato, olive oil, fresh seafood, durum wheat pastas. Neapolitan pizza, Puglian orecchiette with rapini, Sicily's pasta alla Norma and arancini, Calabria's 'nduja and bergamot. The hot, fertile south is also where Italian-American cooking , heavy on red sauce , actually descends from.
Defining italian dishes
- Pizza margherita (Naples)
- Wood-fired, charred-rim, San Marzano tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, basil, salt, olive oil. The Neapolitan style is wet in the middle, eaten with a knife and fork.
- Cacio e pepe (Rome)
- Tonnarelli or spaghetti emulsified with Pecorino Romano and black pepper. No cream, no butter , just pasta water, cheese, and aggressive pepper.
- Tagliatelle al ragù (Bologna)
- Long, slow ragù of beef and pork with soffritto, wine, tomato, and milk over fresh egg tagliatelle. Spaghetti bolognese is the British invention; this is the real thing.
- Risotto alla milanese (Milan)
- Carnaroli rice cooked in beef stock with saffron and bone marrow. The yellow risotto traditionally accompanies osso buco.
- Bistecca alla fiorentina (Florence)
- Thick T-bone of Chianina or Maremmana beef, grilled rare over chestnut embers, served with salt, olive oil, and a slice of lemon.
- Pasta alla Norma (Sicily)
- Tomato sauce, fried aubergine, salted ricotta, basil. The Catania classic, named for Bellini's opera.
- Vitello tonnato (Piedmont)
- Cold, thin-sliced veal under a sauce of tuna, anchovy, capers, and mayonnaise. Counterintuitive, brilliant, served as antipasto.
- Carbonara (Rome)
- Guanciale, egg yolks, Pecorino Romano, black pepper, spaghetti or rigatoni. No cream, no garlic, no peas. The eggs cook off the pasta's residual heat.
- Tiramisù (Veneto)
- Mascarpone-zabaglione cream layered with espresso-soaked Savoiardi and dusted with cocoa. The Treviso original is unsweetened, no liquor in the classic recipe.
How to order
Read the menu by region first , a Roman trattoria selling Bolognese ragù is usually working from frozen sauce. Order what the kitchen specialises in. Antipasti are where regional product shows up cleanly (cured meats, vegetables, cheese). Pasta is the heart of the meal; if it's house-made, order it. Secondi are typically meat- or fish-led and arrive without starch , order a contorno (side) separately. Cover charge (coperto) of €2-4 is standard in Italy and includes bread; tipping is not expected on top.
The rookie mistakes: ordering cappuccino after 11am (it's a breakfast drink), asking for parmesan on seafood pasta (Italians never), expecting bread with olive oil (oil is a condiment for food, not a dip), and ordering chicken parm in Italy (it's American-Italian, not Italian).
What to drink with it
Wine is regional: Chianti Classico or Brunello with Tuscan red meat, Barolo or Barbera with Piedmontese braises, Lambrusco with Emilian charcuterie, Aglianico with Campanian roast, Etna Rosso with Sicilian pork. House wine (vino della casa) by the carafe is almost always good enough for a casual meal. After dinner: espresso, then a digestivo , amaro, grappa, limoncello, or sambuca. Water comes as still (naturale) or sparkling (frizzante), not tap; you ask for a bottle.
Where to eat it
Italy itself is the gold standard , Rome, Naples, Bologna, Florence, and Milan each lead a regional kitchen. Outside Italy, New York, San Francisco, London, Melbourne, and Buenos Aires (with the strongest Italian-immigrant heritage in South America) all hold serious modern Italian rooms. Tokyo's Italian scene is quietly world-class, with chefs who trained in Italy and run uncompromising regional menus.
A short history
Italian regional cuisine took its modern shape between unification (1861) and the postwar period, when Pellegrino Artusi's 1891 cookbook codified what 'Italian cooking' even meant. Italy's culinary identity remains decentralised , the constitution recognises regional gastronomy as cultural heritage, and Slow Food (founded in Bra, 1986) became the global movement for protecting traditional ingredients.
Frequently asked
Is Italian-American food authentic?
It's its own tradition , heavy red sauce, oversized meatballs, and chicken parm , descended from southern Italian immigrants who suddenly had access to abundant beef, dairy, and tomatoes in early-20th-century America. Authentic to Italian-Americans, not to Italy.
What's the difference between trattoria, osteria, and ristorante?
Trattoria is family-style, regional, mid-priced. Osteria was traditionally a wine bar serving small plates; today the line with trattoria is blurred. Ristorante is the more formal, full-menu version with table service and a chef.
Is pineapple on pizza ever acceptable?
Not in Italy. Hawaiian pizza was invented in Ontario, Canada in 1962 , it's not part of any Italian tradition.
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