1050 editor-picked italian restaurants across 135 cities.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Not in Italy. Hawaiian pizza was invented in Ontario, Canada in 1962 , it's not part of any Italian tradition.
Pizza Propria on Jaegergaardsgade in Aarhus makes Neapolitan-inspired sourdough pizzas in a wood-fired oven and imports its own Italian wine.
Signature: Neapolitan-inspired sourdough pizza
Order: The seasonal pizza with fresh mozzarella and a glass from their natural wine import selection.
Tip: Doubles as a wine shop, so you can pick up bottles to take home. The lunch and dinner service runs most days.
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.
Signature: Linguine with clams, Veal Parmigiana
M'Tucci's Italian on Winter Haven Road in Albuquerque's Westside is the family Italian fine dining room with house pastas and a regional Italian wine list.
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.
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.
Signature: Hand-rolled pasta, Bistecca, Tiramisu
Order: Whatever the pasta of the day is; the bread basket is also their own bake.
Tip: Reserve two weeks out for weekends. The room is loud, in the best Italian-trattoria sense.
Vicio on Bilderdijkstraat is the Amsterdam Sicilian pasta room, professional pasta makers from Sicily turning out busiate, ravioli and a daily-changing.
Signature: Hand-made fresh pasta, Sicilian busiate, Cannoli
Order: Whatever the fresh pasta of the day is, with a Sicilian wine pour to match.
Tip: Small room, books up fast on weekends. Lunch is the quieter window.
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.
Signature: Fresh pasta of the day, Antipasti spread
Order: Whichever pasta is fresh that day; ask the counter to name the ragù.
Tip: Lunch is a counter scene; dinner is small-room booking Walk-ins usually OK.
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.
Signature: Wood-fired pizzas, House-made pastas, Wood-grilled fish
Order: Whatever the wood-fired oven is running, plus a hand-cut pasta and the day's whole fish.
Tip: Book on OpenTable through the Indigo Road site. The bar takes walk-ins and serves the full menu.
Luminosa inside the Flat Iron Hotel earned both a Michelin Green Star and a Bib Gourmand in the first 2025 Michelin Guide American South for its Italian.
Order: The whole-fish of the day from the wood oven, plus a hand-cut pasta.
Tip: Book on OpenTable; the chef's counter at the open kitchen takes walk-ups from 17:00. Closed Mondays.
Crusco in the River Arts District opened in summer 2025 from Kat Kearney and former Cucina 24 staff.
Signature: Hand-rolled pastas, Wood-grilled meats, Seasonal antipasti
Order: Whatever pasta the kitchen is running, plus a glass off the food-friendly wine list.
Tip: Book on the restaurant's site. Dinner runs Wednesday through Sunday from 17:00. Bar walk-ins for cocktails.
Indaco in Old Fourth Ward, Atlanta opened 2023 just above the Eastside BeltLine trail with wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, hand-rolled pasta and antipasti.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Hand-rolled pasta, Focaccia with honey butter
Order: A wood-fired pie, focaccia with honey butter and the bucatini.
Tip: Patio runs 45 seats with a built-in bocce court. Reservations on OpenTable; the bar takes walk-ins with the full menu.
Amano runs Italian-leaning seasonal cooking from a heritage brick warehouse on Tyler Street in Britomart, with a connected bakery next door in Auckland.
Signature: House-made pasta, Wood-fired sourdough, Whole fish
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.
Signature: Pappardelle with lamb ragu, Market fish, Chicken cotoletta
Ortolana on Tyler Street in Britomart, Auckland runs an Italian brunch menu from 7am. Poached eggs with cotechino, ricotta hotcakes, the morning corner room.
Order: Cotechino with poached eggs and burnt-butter polenta
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.
Signature: Chicken parmesan, Veal saltimbocca, Tiramisu
Order: The veal saltimbocca and a Sammie's martini to start; pasta course is family-style.
Tip: The bar runs walk-in service; the dining room books a week out and goes faster on Friday nights.
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.
Order: A plate of house-made pasta and the magret of duck.
Tip: The osteria side takes walk-ins; the enoteca dining room is the full kitchen experience.
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.
Order: The black squid ink campanelle with blue crab and uni cream.
Tip: The dim, clubby room books out on weekends; the bar takes walk-ins for pasta.
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.
Order: A plate of house-made pasta and whatever seafood is running.
Tip: The Mill No. 1 setting and water views are the draw; ask for a table by the windows.
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.
Signature: Porchetta, Cacio e pepe, House-made pasta
Order: The Sunday porchetta and a plate of cacio e pepe with the house-made tonnarelli.
Tip: Sundays are porchetta-only feast service, book three weeks ahead. Weekday lunch is the under-the-radar value.
Lorenzo and Kakalamba opened 2010 by an Italian husband, Serbian wife pairing. Florentine and Pirot dishes inside an Alice-in-Wonderland room.
Signature: Florentine pasta, Tufahija dessert
Lorenzo and Kakalamba is the Italian husband, Serbian wife restaurant in Belgrade since 2010. Florentine and Pirot dishes in a surreal room.
Signature: Pirot peglana sausage, Florentine pasta
North Berkeley trattoria: house-made pasta, rotisserie chicken and small Italian producers. Warm, unhurried room that works for both weeknights and occasions.
Bottega Restaurant on Highland Avenue is Frank Stitt's 1988 Italian sibling to Highlands, in a Highland Park mansion with a wood-fired oven.
Signature: Wood-oven pizza, House pasta, Pimento cheese
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.
Signature: Wood-oven pizza, Beef carpaccio, Chicken scaloppini
Bottega Restaurant on Highland Avenue Birmingham is Frank Stitt's 1988 Italian sibling to Highlands, set in a Highland Park mansion with a wood-burning oven.
Alavita is a brick-walled Italian trattoria making fresh pasta from Northwest flour and local eggs, turning Idaho seasonality into agnolotti and tortellini.
Order: House agnolotti or whichever handmade pasta uses that week's market produce
Alavita produces handmade pasta nightly from Northwest flour and local eggs, pairing agnolotti and pappardelle with Idaho seasonal proteins in a trattoria.
All'Osteria Bottega in Bologna's Saragozza is the Daniele Minarelli and Valeria Tonelli room, a tiny dining hall running the canonical Emilian carte.
Signature: Tortellini in brodo, Tagliatelle al ragu, Cotechino with mostarda
Order: Tortellini in brodo, tagliatelle al ragu, the salumi board of Bonfatti mortadella.
Tip: Book three weeks ahead by phone; the room seats 28 and the lunch service has the easiest tables.
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.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Tortelloni di ricotta, Cotoletta alla bolognese
Order: Tagliatelle al ragu, tortelloni burro e salvia, friggione.
Tip: Book three weeks ahead online; the lunch service is the easier seating and the kitchen runs the same carte at both meals.
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.
Signature: Tortelli di erbette, Trippa with parmesan crust, Daily fermented vegetables
Order: The tortelli di erbette, the fermentation tasting plate, the trippa with parmesan crust.
Tip: Book three weeks ahead online; the natural-wine cellar is the city's most-cited and the carte rewrites weekly.
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.
Tip: The menu rewrites every week from the market; book Thursday or Friday lunch for the only midday service.
Chris and Pam Willis run Pammy's as a New American-Italian trattoria between Central and Harvard Squares in Cambridge since 2017. Priced at $$$$.
Signature: Bolognese with house tagliatelle, Lumache cacio e pepe
Order: The tagliatelle bolognese with brown-butter aged parmesan.
Tip: Resy opens 30 days ahead and the room fills the same minute. Counter walk-ins from 17:30 weekdays.
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.
Signature: Pappardelle with wild boar ragu, Veal osso buco
Order: The pappardelle bolognese; the kitchen makes the pasta in-house.
Tip: Book the upstairs Library room for a quiet conversation. The Sunday family menu at 17:00 is the easy walk-in seat.
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.
Signature: Charcuterie board, Cacio e pepe pizza
Order: The charcuterie board, all five cuts, with the bagna cauda.
Tip: The marble counter is the better solo seat. Walk in at 17:00 for the easy table.
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.
Signature: Fresh pasta, Wood-fired pizza
Order: The fresh handmade pasta of the day; the wood-fired Margherita is the safe second.
Tip: The riverside terrace is the seat in summer; the upstairs is calmer in winter.
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.
Signature: Hand-cut pasta, Wood-fired pizza, Seasonal antipasti
Biànca pulls modern Italian into Ada Lane off James Street. Same Same crew (Tyron Simon, Bianca Marchi, Frank Li); hand-cut pasta and wood-fired pies.
Signature: Hand-cut pasta, Wood-fired pizza, Seasonal antipasti
Rosmarino tucks into McLachlan Street in Fortitude Valley. Italian wine bar, house-made pasta, refined antipasti and deep regional Italian list.
Signature: House-made pasta, Refined antipasti, Italian by the glass
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 love it: Italian-Belgian dining room on Chaussee d'Ixelles with natural-wine pairings and hand-rolled pasta; Bib Gourmand listed but books a week ahead.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The bar seats face the open kitchen; lunch is the budget pick.
Racines in Brussels' Ixelles is Francesco Cury and Ugo Federico's Italian-Belgian dining room on Chaussee d'Ixelles. The kitchen runs natural-wine pairings.
Signature: Hand-rolled pasta, Italian-Belgian tasting menu
Order: Whichever pasta course is on the chalkboard, with a glass of the house orange wine.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The bar seats give the open-kitchen view; lunch is the budget pick.
Racines in Brussels' Ixelles is the Italian-Belgian dining room on Chaussee d'Ixelles. Priced at €€€. At Chaussee d'Ixelles 353. Booking recommended.
Signature: Hand-rolled pasta, Italian-Belgian tasting menu
Order: Whichever pasta is on the chalkboard, with a glass of the house orange wine.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The bar seats face the open kitchen; lunch is the budget pick.
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.
Order: Handmade pastas; daily tagliata; tiramisu finished tableside.
Tip: Hotel-guest priority bookings; ask for the open-kitchen counter and a glass of Vermentino to start the meal.
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.
Signature: Rooftop tasting plates, Cocktails, Sunday brunch
Order: The chef's daily plate; a sundowner cocktail on the open terrace.
Tip: Igloos on the terrace in winter; bookings essential after 19:00.
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.
Signature: Pizza Napoletana, Tagliata, House tiramisu
Order: Pizza Diavola; the daily fresh pasta.
Tip: Bookings advisable on weekend evenings; mid-week walk-in is fine.
Ristorante Lombardo on Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo is the Tuscan-influenced anchor of the city's Italian food row, family-owned since 1975.
Signature: Handmade pasta, Wood-fired pizza
Ristorante Lombardo on Hertel Avenue is North Buffalo's Tuscan-influenced anchor, family-owned since 1975 with handmade pastas and a deep wine list.
Tappo Italian on Ellicott Street downtown is the Pegula family's Italian-American room, with handmade pastas, veal saltimbocca and free Ferguson parking.
Signature: Veal saltimbocca, House pastas
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 love it: Intimate Italian wine bar from the Trattoria Delia team; the room is tiny and the Italian-only list runs deeper than its size suggests.
Tip: Closed Mon-Tue and walk-in to the bar before 18:00 holds two seats most nights; the Italian by-the-glass list rotates weekly.
Trattoria Delia opened on Saint Paul Street in 1993 inside the historic Vermont House; its Italian wine list is Wine Spectator-recognised every year.
Signature: Hand-cut pappardelle, Wood-grilled meats, Tiramisu
Order: Whatever the hand-cut pasta of the day is, plus a glass of regional Italian off the bottle list.
Tip: Open daily 17:00-21:00; book Resy 1-2 weeks ahead for prime weekend slots. The pasta-of-the-day board is the move.
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.
Signature: House-made pasta, Wood Mountain Fish seafood, Cannoli
Order: Whatever pasta is on the daily board, plus a Wood Mountain Fish crudo to start.
Tip: The wine bar pours by the glass with no minimum and serves the full antipasti menu. Bar holds walk-ins.
Jacques Larson's The Obstinate Daughter on Sullivan's Island opened in 2014. Italian-Lowcountry crossover with wood-fired pizzas and seafood pastas.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Geechee Girl pasta
Order: The Old Danger pizza with house-pulled mozzarella and the Geechee Girl pasta.
Tip: Book on Resy. Lunch is the easier seat; dinner books out 30 days ahead.
Jacques Larson's The Obstinate Daughter on Sullivan's Island opened in 2014. Italian-Lowcountry crossover with wood-fired pizzas and seafood pastas.
Order: The Old Danger pizza with house-pulled mozzarella, the Geechee Girl pasta.
Tip: Book on Resy. Lunch is easier than dinner; the bar seats are walk-in only.
Wild Olive on Johns Island has run handmade pasta and Italian-Lowcountry plates from a converted barn on Maybank Highway since 2009. Priced at $$$.
Signature: House-made pasta, Wood-fired meats
Order: Whatever house pasta the kitchen is running tonight; rotates with the season.
Tip: Reservations required almost every night. Book at wildolive.com.
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.
Signature: House pasta, Wood-fired pizza
Order: Whatever fresh pasta is on the menu; the kitchen makes the dough in house every day.
Tip: The bar takes walk-ins. Sit at the counter and watch the pasta line, then book a proper table next time.
Ever Andalo on N Davidson is Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown's Michelin-recommended NoDa Italian room, built in four weeks and open since 2022.
Signature: Handmade pasta, Wood-fired pizza
Order: Whatever fresh pasta is on the menu and a wood-fired pizza for the table.
Tip: The bar takes walk-ins. Book on Tock for the dining room Walk-ins usually OK.
Bruce Moffett's Stagioni on Providence Road is a Moffett Restaurant Group Italian dining room set inside a 1920s Eastover home, with seasonal menus.
Signature: Handmade pasta, Wood-fired entree
Order: Whichever fresh pasta the kitchen is making. The seasonal rotation drives the menu.
Tip: Outdoor seating on the front porch in spring and autumn. Reserve on OpenTable.
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.
Signature: Italian beef combo, hot peppers, Italian lemonade
Order: Combo, dipped, hot peppers. Italian lemonade in the lemon-and-ice flavour, large.
Tip: Cash only. Two lines: one for sandwiches, one for Italian lemonade. They are not the same staff.
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.
Signature: Cacio whey pepe, Handmade tortelloni
Order: The cacio whey pepe; the kitchen ferments its own pecorino whey for the sauce.
Tip: Sit at the pasta-counter seats if they're on offer. The kitchen rolls dough at eye level.
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.
Signature: Cavatelli with ragu, House-made focaccia
Order: Cavatelli with whatever ragu is current; the focaccia first, while you wait.
Tip: Brunch is the underrated meal here. The same pasta program with eggs and patio seating in summer.
Sotto on East 6th Street downtown is David Falk's subterranean Italian room in Cincinnati, with hand-rolled pastas and wood-fired antipasti.
Signature: Hand-rolled pasta, Wood-fired meats
Pepp and Dolores on Vine Street in OTR is the Italian-American room from the Thunderdome group (the Lanni brothers' Italian-grandparent homage).
Signature: Cavatelli, Sunday gravy
Sotto on East 6th Street downtown is David Falk's subterranean Italian fine-dining room in Cincinnati, with hand-rolled pastas and wood-fired meats.
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.
Signature: Sicilian pizza, Homemade manicotti
Order: Sicilian sausage pizza and a plate of the manicotti to share.
Tip: Takes reservations and walk-ins; the patio opens in warm months. Closed Sunday.
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.
Signature: Sicilian pizza, Handmade manicotti
Order: Sicilian sausage pizza and a plate of the manicotti to share.
Tip: Takes reservations and walk-ins; the patio opens in warm months. Closed Sunday.
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.
Signature: Eggplant parmesan, Chicken piccata
Order: Eggplant parmesan and chicken piccata, plus a slice of cassata cake to finish.
Tip: First-come, first-served seating most nights. Little Italy parking is tight outside the lot.
Borsalino on Zülpicher Strasse in Cologne's Kwartier Latäng serves affordable Italian pasta to students and locals; Carbonara or Bolognese under €10.
Alfredo in Cologne's Altstadt is a Michelin-selected Italian restaurant near the Cathedral serving refined pasta and risotto in an intimate room.
Order: Pappardelle with braised duck, the dish that has defined this room since the 1970s
Tip: On select Friday evenings the chef, a trained vocalist, closes dinner with an aria. Book the musical soirée for something extraordinary.
Borsalino on Zülpicher Strasse in Cologne's Kwartier Latäng is a neighbourhood Italian trattoria serving affordable pasta dishes to students since the 1980s.
Order: Spaghetti aglio e olio with good olive oil or the four-cheese pizza for a filling inexpensive dinner
Tip: Cash preferred. Large portions; one pasta course is usually enough for lunch. Busy during university term time.
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 love it: On North Fourth Street north of the brewery row, the second Fox cafe is quieter than German Village in the morning.
Tip: Weekday mornings are easier than the German Village original.
Speck Italian Eatery on North High Street in downtown Columbus is the modern Italian counter for fresh pastas, wood-fired pizza and house salumi.
Signature: Hand-rolled pastas, Wood-fired pizza
Order: Whichever house-rolled pasta is on the chalkboard, plus a slice of speck off the salumi list.
Tip: Reserve on Tock for the prime 19:30 window; the bar seats face the pasta pulling line.
Speck Italian Eatery on North High Street in downtown Short North is the city's modern Italian counter pulling fresh pastas and house-cured speck salumi.
Christian Puglisi's Bæst on Guldbergsgade in Nørrebro pulls sourdough pizzas from a wood oven, cures its own charcuterie, makes mozzarella from Danish milk.
Signature: Sourdough pizza, House-cured charcuterie, Buffalo mozzarella
Order: The Margherita with house mozzarella, plus a plate of charcuterie from the in-house salumeria.
Tip: Reserve weekend evenings online. The 18:00 service is easier than the 20:00 turn.
Christian Puglisi's Bæst on Guldbergsgade in Nørrebro pulls wood-oven sourdough pizzas, cures its own charcuterie and makes mozzarella from Danish milk.
Signature: Sourdough pizza, House charcuterie
Order: The Margherita with house mozzarella plus a plate of charcuterie from the salumeria.
Tip: Book weekend evenings online. The 18:00 service is easier than the 20:00 turn.
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.
Signature: Feather blade beef stroganoff, House-made pasta, Italian wine pairings
An Oliver Plunkett Street Italian running house-made pasta alongside a rotating seasonal board of Italian-inspired mains, with a sommelier available to guide.
Order: Feather blade beef stroganoff; the dish that has built the restaurant's returning-customer rate.
Tip: The feather blade stroganoff is made in limited quantity; ask about availability when booking.
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.
Order: House-made pasta of the day with Italian wine pairing from the sommelier.
Tip: Ask the sommelier for a half-glass pairing if you're ordering multiple courses.
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.
Tip: Ask for the cheese course at the end. It is not on the menu but the kitchen puts one together on request.
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.
Order: House-cured salumi board; foie gras-stuffed prunes; housemade cacio e pepe.
Tip: Resy books out 2-3 weeks ahead. The short rib ragu changes monthly; ask your server what is housemade this week.
Chef David Uygur's Michelin Bib Gourmand Italian in Bishop Arts: daily-made pasta, hand-cured salumi, and a wine list by sommelier Jennifer Uygur.
Tip: The cacio e pepe and foie gras-stuffed prunes never leave the menu. Everything else is seasonal.
Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder is Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson's James Beard-winning Friulian dining room since 2004, the kitchen.
Signature: Friulian tasting menu, Frico caldo, Cjarsons
Order: The four-course Friuli tasting menu and the frico caldo to start.
Tip: Boulder is a 40-minute drive from Denver. Frasca Caffe next door runs walk-in pasta and aperitivo without a reservation.
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.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Cacio e pepe, Burrata
Order: The cacio e pepe and a Margherita pizza; the kitchen runs daily seasonal pasta specials.
Tip: Walk-in at the bar usually works; the patio is busy on summer weekends. Brunch on Sunday with carbonara is a draw.
Tavernetta in Denver is Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson's regional Italian dining room in Union Station's Crawford Hotel, the sister.
Signature: Hand-cut pastas, Wood-grilled lamb, Tagliatelle al ragu
Order: The tagliatelle al ragu and any whole-fish course.
Tip: Book the chef's counter for a view of the pasta station. The Italian-only wine list runs deep on Friuli and Piemonte growers.
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 queue: Italian sausage by the pound, Italian beef sandwich
Founded in 1912 and still occupying the same south-side block, Graziano Brothers is probably Des Moines' most culturally significant food business and one
Why locals love it: The south-side Italian-American heritage store that food tourism ignores
A refined East Village Italian room with handmade pastas at lunch and a weekly-rotating four-course prix-fixe dinner at $60. Reservations recommended.
Signature: Four-course prix-fixe dinner, Handmade pasta, Risotto
See all 13 italian rooms in Des Moines →
San Morello inside the Shinola Hotel on Woodward serves Southern Italian wood-fired cooking in Detroit. Located in Downtown. At 1400 Woodward Ave.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, House-made pasta
Order: Margherita pizza from the wood oven and a plate of cacio e pepe.
Tip: Brunch runs weekends 10:00-14:00. Reservations on OpenTable; bar seats are first-come.
San Morello inside the Shinola Hotel on Woodward serves Southern Italian wood-fired cooking in Detroit. Led by chef Andrew Carmellini. Tasting menu $60-100.
Order: Margherita pizza from the wood oven, cacio e pepe and a glass of nebbiolo.
Tip: Brunch on weekends 10:00-14:00. The bar counter takes walk-ins on weeknights.
Roman Village Cucina Italiana on Dix Avenue in Dearborn has served family Italian cooking in metro Detroit since 1964. Reservations advised.
Signature: House pasta, Veal parmigiana
Order: House pasta of the day and veal parmigiana with the garlic bread.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Lunch service most weekdays through 14:00.
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.
Signature: Mackerel crudo, Hand-rolled pasta, Cheese course
Order: The mackerel and whatever fresh pasta is on, with a Sicilian white from the by-the-glass list.
Tip: Three counter seats by the open kitchen are first-come; the rest is reservation. Book through the website not OpenTable.
Borgo on Phibsborough Road in Dublin 7, Sean Crescenzi and Jamie McCarthy's neighbourhood osteria, a 2026 Bib Gourmand inside a former bank room.
Signature: Hake aqua pazza, Hand-rolled pasta, Tiramisu
Order: The hake with confit datterini tomatoes and borlotti beans, the dish the Michelin inspectors flagged.
Tip: Tuesday to Saturday dinner; the early window at 17:30 is the easier book. The bar counter sits four for walk-ins.
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.
Signature: Crab linguine, Wood-fired pizza, Tiramisu
Order: Crab linguine and a Negroni Sbagliato from the rooftop bar before dinner.
Tip: Roof terrace opens summer only; book the first-floor dining room with a window onto Drury Street for two.
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.
Signature: Cacio e pepe, Strozzapreti with lamb ragu, Tiramisu
Indy Week's Best Italian 2024 and consistently booked weeks ahead, Gocciolina operates a short handmade pasta menu in a natural-wine room that seats under 30.
An Italian trattoria on W Chapel Hill Street with generous portions, housemade bread and a lively weekend room featuring ingredient-led cooking.
Signature: House-pulled mozzarella, Wood-roasted chicken, Ricotta gnudi
Rosario Sartore's Dalry Road kitchen in Edinburgh, opened in 2013, a family-run Neapolitan dining room running pasta, seafood and wood-fired pizza.
Order: Pesce all'acqua pazza (whole fish in tomato broth) and the homemade pappardelle with wild boar.
Tip: The lunchtime three-course express menu at £18 is one of the city's best Italian-value deals.
Michele Civiera's Hunter Square pizza counter in Edinburgh, opened in 2016, the Old Town slice-counter serving Roman al taglio square-tray pizza.
Order: The salsiccia e friarielli slice and a square of margherita; eat at the counter or on the cobbles outside.
Tip: Open till 02:00 on weekends; the only proper food on the Royal Mile after midnight that is not a kebab shop.
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.
Order: The carbonara made with house-cured pancetta and the Pugliese antipasto board.
Tip: The deli at the front sells the same dry pasta and tinned tomatoes the kitchen uses; shop while you wait for your table.
The Italian Kitchen on Pershing Drive has fed El Paso since 1948 with fettuccine alfredo, pepperoni pizza, and eggplant parmesan in large portions.
Order: Fettuccine alfredo with chicken, or eggplant parmesan
Tip: Portions are large enough to split; the fried mushrooms are a reliable starter.
The Italian Kitchen on Pershing Drive has served El Paso since 1948 with fettuccine alfredo, pepperoni pizza, and eggplant parmesan in large portions.
Order: Fettuccine alfredo or eggplant parmesan
Tip: Split a pasta as a starter; portions are generous enough for two to share.
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.
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.
Signature: Pigeon and Yuzu, Mediterranean Risotto, Tasting menu
Order: The pigeon and yuzu signature and the Mediterranean risotto from the tasting carte.
Tip: Book six weeks ahead. The 10-course tasting is €260; €170 for the shorter 7-course set.
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.
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.
Order: Handmade pasta with butter and sage; tiramisu made fresh that afternoon.
Tip: Cash or check only and BYOB; the queue forms outside before 17:30 on Fridays.
Nonna Tata in Fort Worth is a cash-only BYOB trattoria on Magnolia Ave serving hand-rolled Northern Italian pasta in an intimate dining room.
Order: Fresh pasta of the day, braised lamb ragu, tiramisu.
Tip: No reservations taken, first come first served. Cash or check only, BYOB. Lines form before opening on weekends.
Nonna Tata in Fort Worth is a cash-only BYOB trattoria on Magnolia Ave serving hand-rolled Northern Italian pasta in an intimate dining room.
Order: Fresh pasta of the day, braised lamb ragu, tiramisu.
Tip: No reservations taken, first come first served. Cash or check only, BYOB. Lines form before opening on weekends.
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.
Signature: Seasonal pasta, Italian seafood
Order: The seasonal pasta and whatever the day's risotto offers; the terrace table is the one to request
Tip: Book the riverside terrace at least a week ahead in summer; it fills within hours of becoming available.
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.
Signature: Seasonal pasta, Risotto, Italian wine selection
Order: The seasonal pasta or risotto; the terrace table with river views is the room's defining feature
Tip: Request a riverside terrace table when booking; the interior is fine but the terrace is the reason to come.
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.
Order: The fresh pizzas and pasta dishes, where the Tuscan sourcing ethos shows most clearly.
Tip: Combine a meal here with a beer from Dok Brewing Company next door for the full Dok Noord experience.
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.
Signature: Fresh pasta of the day, Arancini
Order: Whatever fresh pasta is on the daily board, plus an arancini from the deli counter.
Tip: Grab focaccia and cannoli to go from the deli even if you are not staying for a full sit-down meal.
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.
Order: Whatever ragu is on that day, twirled through fresh pappardelle.
Tip: Like its sibling Paesano, it is walk-in only and turns tables quickly, so expect a short wait at peak times.
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.
Order: A classic veal dish or the fresh seafood pasta, cooked the old-school way.
Tip: There is a second, larger La Lanterna on West Regent Street; this Hope Street original is the intimate one.
A Michelin Guide-listed Italian trattoria in Vasastaden with a daily-changing menu of local organic produce and natural Italian and French wines.
Signature: Daily pasta, Seasonal northern Italian menu
Order: The daily pasta, which is always made in-house and anchors whatever seasonal narrative the kitchen is running.
Tip: No standing menu; arrive knowing the kitchen will surprise you. The wine list rewards asking for the sommelier's pour.
A Michelin Guide-listed trattoria in Vasastaden with a short daily menu, natural wines and the easy atmosphere of a trusted neighbourhood restaurant.
Signature: Daily pasta, Natural wine selection
Order: Daily pasta, made in-house and the heart of whatever the kitchen is cooking that week.
Tip: The wine list updates frequently; ask what's just arrived and the staff will guide you without pressure.
Andrea Consonni and Nina Rydqvist serve northern Italian cooking at La Strega, a Michelin Guide-listed trattoria in Vasastaden. The menu changes daily.
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.
Signature: House-made pasta, Raw bar oysters, Burrata
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 love it: Tiny artisan pasta shop on Cedar Lane Road making fresh pasta with pastured eggs and American + Italian 00 flour blend. Open weekdays only.
Tip: Buy the lasagna sheets and ravioli for the freezer. They go fast.
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.
Signature: Hand-rolled pastas, Wood-fired pizzas, Tiramisu
Goose Pastabar on Eerikinkatu became a cult fresh-pasta spot: dinner only, no reservations, a short handmade-pasta menu and a tight wine list.
Signature: Fresh handmade pasta, Daily pasta specials
Order: Whatever pasta is the daily special; the menu is short and changes often.
Tip: No reservations and dinner only, so arrive early or expect a wait. Cash and card; the line moves once seats free up.
Goose Pastabar is a no-reservations fresh-pasta counter on eerikinkatu with a cult local following, easy to miss and impossible to book, dinner only.
Why locals love it: A no-reservations fresh-pasta counter on Eerikinkatu with a cult local following, easy to miss and impossible to book, dinner only.
Tip: No reservations and dinner only, so arrive early or wait. The daily pasta special is the order; the wine list is short and smart.
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.
Signature: Handmade pasta, Zero-waste Italian plates
Order: Whatever pasta is on; the kitchen builds Italian plates from Finnish produce.
Tip: A low-key Italian room committed to using the whole ingredient. Good for a relaxed dinner away from the tourist streets.
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.
Order: White truffle tasting menu in autumn (October to December).
Tip: White truffle season runs October to early January; book at least three weeks ahead during that window.
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.
Order: Bottoni stuffed pasta, the chef's signature.
Tip: Sit at the kitchen counter to watch the pasta course built; book the chef's table for full omakase access.
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.
Signature: Maccheroni amatriciana, Branzino seabass whole roasted, Italian beef Marengo
Order: Maccheroni amatriciana with imported pancetta.
Tip: Sit at the counter for the chef's gricia tableside; the happy hour from 16:00-18:30 is the value play.
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.
Signature: Wood-fired Margherita pizza, Garden salad
Order: Margherita pizza, whichever pasta is on the daily board, the salad from the back garden.
Tip: Walk-in only, party of six max. Get there before 6pm or wait an hour.
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.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Branzino al sale
Order: Whatever pasta is on the daily blackboard. The salt-baked branzino if available.
Tip: Sit upstairs in the smaller dining room. The downstairs window seats are the loudest in the house.
Coltivare in Houston is Ryan Pera's Italian room on White Oak Drive since 2014, with wood-fired pizzas, on-site vegetable gardens and salads pulled minutes.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Garden salad from the on-site beds
Order: The Margherita pizza and whichever pasta is on the day's board. Salads come from the back garden.
Tip: Walk-in only. Get there before 6pm or be ready to wait at the bar for 90 minutes.
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.
Mama Carolla's in Meridian Kessler, Indianapolis runs the canonical Italian-American room from a brick house on 54th. A reliable Indianapolis pick.
Signature: Veal Marsala, Chicken Parmesan, Garlic bread
Order: Veal Marsala, the chicken Parmesan, the eggplant rollatini and the house garlic bread.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Reservations on OpenTable; the patio is the move in summer.
Mama Carolla's in Meridian Kessler, Indianapolis is the canonical Italian-American room of 54th Street. Red sauce and a candlelit cult following.
Signature: Veal Marsala, Chicken Parmesan
Order: Veal Marsala, chicken Parmesan, eggplant rollatini.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Patio in summer.
Pulito Osteria in Belhaven is Jackson's Michelin Recommended Italian, with handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza, and seasonal preparations by chef Chaz Lindsay.
Order: House-made tagliatelle with short rib ragu, or the Margherita wood-fired pizza
Tip: Bar seats are first-come and worth grabbing for the casual, buzzy energy without a wait.
Pulito Osteria in Belhaven is Jackson's Michelin Recommended Italian, with handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza, and a lively neighbourhood atmosphere.
Order: House-made tagliatelle with seasonal ragu, or the wood-fired clams with white wine
Tip: Bar seats turn over quickly and are the best way to eat here without a reservation.
Amerigo Italian at Fondren's Duling School is a Jackson institution since 1987: fresh pasta, wood-roasted salmon, classic steaks for loyal regulars.
Order: House-made pasta of the day, or the wood-roasted salmon
Tip: No reservations at this location; arrive before 11:30 or after 20:00 to avoid a wait.
See all 8 italian rooms in Jackson →
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.
Signature: Pasta tasting trio, Handmade ravioli, Tiramisu
Order: The pasta tasting trio, three handmade pastas served family-style with unlimited refills.
Tip: Reservations on OpenTable open weeks out. Sunday Suppers and a holiday menu calendar are the moves.
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.
Signature: Romano sandwich, Original Philly steak, Italian sub
Order: The Romano sandwich on house bread, with a side of imported olives from the case.
Tip: Open daily 10:00-17:30. Counter sandwiches go fast at lunch; pick up groceries while you wait.
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.
Try: Romano sandwich
Tip: Buy imported olives and tomatoes for home while you wait for the sandwich.
The Cavaliere family has run Rinuccini opposite Kilkenny Castle since 1989, importing Italian produce and building a cellar of over 12,000 bottles.
Signature: Homemade pasta, Tiramisu
Order: Homemade pasta with seasonal sauce; the Sunday lunch is the best-value sitting in the week.
Tip: Open seven days, lunch and dinner. Sunday lunch runs until 17:00 making it a good late-afternoon option.
The Cavaliere family has run Rinuccini opposite Kilkenny Castle since 1989, importing Italian produce and building a cellar of over 12,000 bottles.
Signature: Homemade pasta, Italian seafood
Order: Homemade pasta with seasonal sauce; the homemade tiramisu is the best in the city.
Tip: Sunday lunch runs to 17:00 and is the best-value sitting of the week. Book for dinner Friday and Saturday.
Ristorante Rinuccini has anchored The Parade since 1989, the Cavaliere family importing Italian ingredients and building a cellar of over 12,000 bottles.
Order: Homemade pasta with seasonal sauce; the wine cellar holds over 12,000 bottles from Italian vineyards.
Tip: The Sunday set lunch runs until 17:00 and is among the best-value fine-dining options in the city.
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.
Signature: Handmade pasta, Hand-pulled mozzarella
Order: Whichever pasta the kitchen is rolling that day, plus a hand-pulled mozzarella plate to start.
Tip: Reservations open about three weeks out; Tuesday through Thursday dinners turn faster than weekend Saturdays.
Osteria Stella on West Jackson, the Aaron Thompson and Jessica King Italian room above Brother Wolf, runs Italian dinner service in the Old City.
Signature: Pasta, Wood-fired Italian
Order: Whatever the kitchen is rolling for pasta that night, plus a glass off the Italian-leaning wine list.
Tip: Sunday dinner is the quieter night; pair the meal with an aperitivo at sibling Brother Wolf downstairs.
Emilia on Market Square, chef Matt Gallaher's Emilia-Romagna-inspired Italian dining room since 2016, runs handmade pasta and hand-pulled mozzarella.
Signature: Handmade pasta, Hand-pulled mozzarella
Order: Whichever pasta the kitchen is rolling that night, plus a hand-pulled mozzarella plate to share.
Tip: OpenTable opens about three weeks out; Tuesday to Thursday dinners turn faster than weekend Saturdays.
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 $$$.
Signature: Bistecca alla Fiorentina, Hand-rolled pasta
Order: The bistecca for two with a Brunello by the bottle, and the gnudi as a starter.
Tip: The bistecca needs ordering in advance; closed Sunday. Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition.
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 love it: Yoshihiro Imai's 12-seat wood-fired counter on the Philosopher's Path that books out 60 days in advance.
Tip: Reservations open online 60 days ahead, on the 1st of each month at 09:00 JST.
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.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Vegetable courses
Order: Chef's omakase course including the night's signature pizza
Tip: One seating, 12 seats; reserve 60 days ahead on the website.
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.
Signature: House-made pasta, Wood-roasted vegetables, Chocolate budino
Order: Whatever house-made pasta is on the daily menu; the dough is rolled in the open kitchen.
Tip: Book at least two weeks ahead for a Friday or Saturday; the wine room runs a deeper Italian list than the floor.
Esther's Kitchen in Las Vegas is James Trees's Arts District Italian dining room since 2018, named USA Today Restaurant of the Year 2026 and the anchor.
Signature: House-made pasta, Wood-roasted vegetables, Tartare
Order: The daily pasta on the open-kitchen counter; dough rolled in-house every morning.
Tip: Book two weeks ahead for weekend; the wine room runs a deeper Italian list than the floor.
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.
Tip: Sit at the live-fire counter; the suckling pig and tableside flambees are the show.
Jacob Kenedy's regional Italian dining room on Archer Street in Soho London, opened 2008, plates dishes from Piemonte, Friuli, Calabria and beyond.
Signature: Suckling pig porchetta, Whatever regional special is on
Order: Suckling pig porchetta with crackling on a soft roll, and a Lambrusco from the carafe list.
Tip: Counter seats face the open kitchen and take walk-ins. Tables in the back book a fortnight ahead through their site.
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.
Signature: Tagliatelle with white truffle, Chocolate nemesis
Order: Whatever pasta dish is on the daily-changing menu, and the chocolate nemesis for two.
Tip: Sit on the riverside terrace in summer. The lunch sitting from 12:30 is markedly cheaper than dinner with the same kitchen.
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.
Signature: Pig's head fritti, Cacio e pepe rigatoni
Order: Pig's head fritti, cacio e pepe rigatoni and a glass from the all-Italian wine list.
Tip: Bar seats and the counter overlooking the open kitchen take walk-ins. Tables book a month ahead through Resy.
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.
Signature: Cavatelli alla Norcina, Bone-marrow pizza
Order: Cavatelli alla Norcina with house pork sausage and black truffle.
Tip: Book six weeks out for prime time; bar seats walk-in only from 17:30, and the menu is the same as the dining room.
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.
Signature: Cacio e pepe, Mafaldine alla Genovese
Order: Cacio e pepe finished tableside in a wheel of pecorino.
Tip: Reservations open 30 days out and disappear in the first hour; counter seats overlooking the pasta room are walk-in from 17:00.
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.
Signature: Tonnarelli cacio e pepe, Suppli al telefono
Order: Suppli al telefono, then the tonnarelli cacio e pepe.
Tip: The bar room serves the full menu without a reservation, but you need to be in line by 17:15 on a Friday.
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 $$$.
Signature: House-made pasta, Caesar salad
Order: Whatever pasta is on the daily list, plus the Caesar salad for the table.
Tip: Book on Resy. Bar seats and the patio take walk-ins early in the evening.
Volare in Louisville pours seasonal Italian dinners with house-made pasta on Frankfort Avenue, three years running the Louisville Magazine readers' best.
Signature: Sea bass piccata, Tomato salad
Order: The sea bass piccata, the kitchen's most-ordered plate.
Tip: Book the dining room online. The bar opens at 16:30 and pours a sharp aperitivo list.
Volare on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville pours Italian dinners with house-made pasta and a sea bass piccata that fills the dining room for three weeks.
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.
Try: Mortadella and pistachio focaccia sandwich
Order: The mortadella-and-pistachio focaccia plus a Tarocco orange juice.
Tip: Lunch only; counter closes at 14:30 sharp. Cash and card Cash is faster than card.
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.
Signature: Trenton-style tomato pie, Scratch pasta
Order: A Trenton-style tomato pie and a Wisconsin tap beer at happy hour.
Tip: Closed Monday; 16:00-18:00 happy hour Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday with $5 off 10-inch pies.
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.
Signature: Handmade pasta, Wood-fired pizza
Order: Whatever pasta the kitchen is rolling that day plus a wood-fired pie from the brick oven.
Tip: The chef's table seats up to 12 with a custom tasting; Tuesday-Thursday dinners stay quieter.
Lombardino's on University Avenue, the west-side Italian dining room reborn under Michael Banas in 2000, serves classics in a mural-painted room.
Signature: Hand-cut pasta, Wood-fired veal
Order: A wood-fired veal preparation, plus an order of the house-made pasta to start.
Tip: First-come, first-served seating Thursday through Sunday; arrive by 17:30 to avoid the wait on football Saturdays.
Levenshulme neighbourhood Italian on Stockport Road that grew from a market stall. Kitchen leans regional italian. At 847-849 Stockport Road.
Signature: Pizza Napoletana, Italian Sunday roast
Order: Pizza of the week; the Italian-style Sunday roast on a Sunday afternoon.
Tip: Closed Mondays; book the back room on Saturdays for the wider tasting plates.
Stockport Road neighbourhood Italian that grew from a Levenshulme market stall. Priced at ££. Kitchen leans regional italian. At 847-849 Stockport Road.
Signature: Pizza Napoletana, Italian-style Sunday roast
Order: Pizza of the week; the Italian Sunday roast on a Sunday afternoon.
Tip: Twenty minutes south of Piccadilly by train; pair with a Levenshulme Market stroll on Saturdays.
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.
Signature: Homemade pasta, Italian or Moroccan tasting, Tiramisu
Order: Pick the Italian or the Moroccan menu, not both; the kitchen executes each tradition cleanly when it commits.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Reserve courtyard seating; the indoor salon is the rainy-night fallback.
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.
Signature: Homemade pasta, Italian or Moroccan tasting, Tiramisu
Order: Pick the Italian or the Moroccan menu, not both; the kitchen executes each tradition cleanly when it commits.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Reserve courtyard seating; the indoor salon is the rainy-night fallback.
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.
Signature: Italian tasting menu, Pierre Herme desserts, Italian wine pairing
Tip: Save room for Pierre Herme's pastry course; the L'Italien sweets travel from his Paris boutique recipes.
La Cantinetta in Marseille's 6e on Cours Julien opened in 2006, a trattoria spinning northern Italian winter cooking and southern Italian summer plates.
Signature: Fresh pasta, Risotti, Northern Italian braises
Order: The ravioli and tagliatelle in winter; shellfish and crustaceans in summer.
Tip: Closed Sunday; reservations strongly recommended for the patio.
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.
Order: Tagliolini al nero with squid and bottarga
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.
Order: Tonnarelli cacio e pepe, tableside
Rita's in Abbotsford makes semolina-crusted pizzas with wood-fired char most pizza rooms approximate: small room, short menu, real consistency.
Order: Semolina-crusted pizza with anchovy and olive
Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman's Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen runs Italian cooking rooted in Southern ingredients from East Memphis since 2008.
Signature: Maw Maw's gnocchi, House-made pastas
Order: Maw Maw's potato gnocchi with red sugo, a recipe from Hudman's grandmother.
Tip: Open Monday through Saturday for dinner from 16:30. Reserve on Resy two weeks out; the bar takes walk-ins.
Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman's downtown Memphis room pairs Tuscan and Sicilian grandmother cooking with Southern ingredients in the Chisca on Main building.
Signature: House-made pastas, Wood-roasted plates
Order: Whatever pasta they are rolling that night, plus the wood-roasted whole fish.
Tip: Booth seats in the bar mean walk-in dinner on most weeknights; the dining room books two weeks out on Resy.
Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman's Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen in East Memphis runs Italian rooted in Southern ingredients from Brookhaven Circle since 2008.
Order: Maw Maw's potato gnocchi with red sugo.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The bar takes walk-ins; the dining room books on Resy two weeks out.
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.
Signature: Bone marrow with anchovy, Cacio e pepe, Crudo of the day
Order: The bone marrow toast with anchovy, then a pasta off the chalkboard.
Tip: Reservations open one month ahead on Resy and vanish in minutes. Walk in at 5pm and try for the bar.
Boia De in Miami is the Michelin-starred 24-seat Italian dining room at 5205 NE 2nd Avenue, run by Giangrandi and Meyer in a Buena Vista strip mall.
Order: Bone marrow toast with anchovy and whichever pasta the chalkboard pushes.
Tip: Resy opens reservations one month ahead at midnight; bar walk-ins seat fastest at the 5pm opening.
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.
Signature: Tagliatelle bolognese, Tonnarelli cacio e pepe, Burrata with confit tomatoes
Order: Tagliatelle bolognese with the slow-cooked meat ragu.
Tip: Sidewalk tables for breeze, dining room for noise; the Italian wine list runs deeper than the menu suggests.
Trippa in Milan's Porta Romana is Diego Rossi's offal-led trattoria, opened 2015 with cucina povera reimagined. Kitchen leans modern italian, offal.
Signature: Vitello tonnato, Trippa alla fiorentina, Mondeghili
Order: The vitello tonnato, the trippa alla fiorentina and the mondeghili Milanese meatballs.
Tip: Bookings open 60 days ahead on the website; sells out within hours. Walk-up bar seats open at 19:30 for early birds.
Ratana in Milan's Isola district is Cesare Battisti's modern Lombard kitchen, housed in a 19th-century railway building since 2009. Priced at €€€.
Signature: Risotto alla milanese, Cotoletta alla milanese, Ossobuco
Order: The risotto alla milanese with bone marrow, the cotoletta alla milanese and the ossobuco.
Tip: Bookings open three weeks ahead. Lunch sittings 12:30 and 14:00; dinner from 19:30. The garden is the spot in summer.
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.
Signature: Tortelli with herbs, Beef cheek, Tasting menu
Order: The Bu:r tasting set; the herb tortelli and the slow-braised beef cheek are signature plates.
Tip: Bookings open three weeks ahead. The lunch carte at 65 euros is the cheaper way in; vegetarian tasting available with notice.
Ristorante Bartolotta dal 1993 on State Street in Wauwatosa is the Bartolotta Group's flagship Italian room, with house pastas and Northern Italian classics.
Centro Cafe on East Center Street in Riverwest is a small Italian room run by Peter Sandroni since 2009, with hand-rolled pastas at neighborhood prices.
Signature: Pasta Bolognese, Eggplant parmesan
Order: Pasta Bolognese with hand-rolled tagliatelle and a side of eggplant parm.
Tip: Cash only at the original; Centro Cafe in Bay View takes cards. Walk-in policy at both.
Centro Cafe on East Center Street in Riverwest is a small Italian room run by Peter Sandroni since 2009, with hand-rolled pastas at neighborhood prices.
Why locals love it: A Riverwest hand-rolled-pasta room locals book before the Bay View sibling because the dining room is so small.
Tip: Walk-in only at the original; arrive before 18:00 weeknights to get one of the eight tables.
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.
Signature: Hand-cut pasta, Gnocchi
Order: House-made tagliatelle bolognese and the gnocchi al pesto.
Tip: Walk-ins only; line forms by 17:30. Broders' Cucina deli across the street is the takeaway alternative.
Mucci's Italian in Saint Paul runs Tim Niver's house-pasta and montanara kitchen on Randolph Avenue, a 2025 James Beard hospitality nominee.
Order: The pizza montanara, deep-fried then baked, with house-made mozzarella.
Why locals love it: On 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.
Tip: Tuesday through Sunday, dinner only. Reserve via Tock; the 90 to 110 minute table cap means second-seating opens after 8pm.
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.
Signature: Soft egg and lobster bruschetta, Gnocchi with cauliflower
Order: Soft egg and lobster bruschetta and the gnocchi with cauliflower.
Tip: Bar walk-ins open at 17:00; the bruschetta menu prints 12 options daily. Order three to share.
Liverpool House is Joe Beef's brighter sibling in Little Burgundy, Montreal, pouring natural wine over Italian-leaning plates and lobster spaghetti.
Order: The lobster spaghetti and a bottle from the natural list.
Tip: It is a touch easier to book than Joe Beef and just as good; go for the same kitchen, lighter room.
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.
Order: The pasta of the night and a negroni to start.
Tip: The bar seats are first-come and the easiest way in on a busy weekend.
Why locals love it: A thirty-seat Villeray trattoria hand-rolling pasta on upper Saint-Denis, well outside the tourist map yet booked out by in-the-know Montrealers.
Tip: Book ahead or aim for an early weeknight; the fresh pasta of the night is the thing to order.
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.
Signature: Tasting menu, Risotto course
Order: Whichever risotto is on the carte plus the chef's tasting menu.
Tip: Lunch is a quieter and cheaper way in than dinner; the wine cellar tour is available for groups.
Mario Gamba's Acquarello in Munich Bogenhausen has held a Michelin star on cucina del sole since 2000; the dining room is hushed, the Italian list runs deep.
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.
Order: The handmade pasta of the day and the Florentine bistecca for two.
Tip: Reservations by telephone only; Sundays closed.
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.
Signature: Hand-rolled pasta, Italian wine list, Wood-fired pizza
Oliva Enoteca on Calle 47 in Mérida runs hand-rolled pastas and a deep Italian wine cellar, chef Ricardo Garcia's project in a restored townhouse.
Oenotri's daily-changing southern Italian menu follows Napa Valley farm deliveries, with a wood-fired oven producing charred pies and house charcuterie.
Signature: Daily-changing Neapolitan pizza, Fresh pasta, Charcuterie
Order: Ask the server what came in from the farms that day and order whatever they are most excited about.
Tip: The menu changes daily based on availability. Go on a Thursday or Friday when the farmers market has just restocked the kitchen.
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.
Signature: Neapolitan pizza, Southern Italian pasta, Antipasti
Tip: Thursday through Sunday the kitchen runs lunch, which is quieter and easier to book than dinner.
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.
Signature: Southern Italian shared plates, Fresh pasta, Seafood
Tip: The 10:00-11:00 late-night industry menu is popular with restaurant workers across the city.
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.
Signature: Lasagnetta di mozzarella di bufala, Risotto alla pescatora
Order: Lasagnetta di mozzarella di bufala and risotto alla pescatora with Bay views.
Tip: Book three weeks ahead via the website; the 145-euro tasting menu is the entry point. Terrace tables go first.
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.
Order: Seafood pasta of the day and whatever fritto they are serving from the morning market.
Why locals love it: A 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.
Tip: Book two days ahead by phone (+39 081 549 9738); the room fills with regulars by 13:15 and 20:30.
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.
Signature: Tasting menu, Risotto alla pescatora, Lamb
Order: The seven-course Tradition tasting menu with the lamb and risotto pescatora courses.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Book a fortnight ahead. The lunch tasting at 65 euros is the value entry.
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.
Signature: Naturally leavened pizza, Vegetable plates
Order: The mushroom pizza and whatever bitter green is currently on the menu.
Tip: Closed Wednesdays. Walk-in seats at the long marble bar are the best move on a weeknight.
Chef Tandy Wilson's Germantown room in Nashville serves blue-collar Italian and Southern cooking since 2007. Kitchen leans italian southern.
Signature: Belly ham pizza, Catfish with chickpeas
Order: Belly ham pizza with mozzarella, oregano, chiles and pickled peppers.
Tip: Bradley Midgett took executive chef duties in March 2025; the menu stays Wilson's. Sunday Suppers are the easy seat.
The Joseph Hotel's Italian fine-dining room in Nashville opened August 2020 with refined regional cooking. Located in Downtown. Priced at $$$$.
Signature: Handmade pasta, Whole grilled fish
Order: Pasta tasting and the whole fish; pair with the Italian-leaning wine list.
Tip: The espresso bar on the ground floor serves the same kitchen at half the price for an aperitivo.
Stein's Deli in New Orleans is the Magazine Street Jewish-Italian deli in the Lower Garden District, with $15 Reuben sandwiches and a long sandwich queue.
Try: Pastrami Reuben
Tip: The Reuben sandwich is the cult order; the deli closes Monday and runs out of bagels by 11:00 on Sunday.
Chef Stefano Secchi's Flatiron pasta room runs Emilian hand-rolled pastas in New York City: tortellini in brodo, anolini, gramigna. Michelin star since 2022.
Signature: Tortellini in brodo, Tour of Emilia tasting
Order: The Tour of Emilia: five hand-rolled pastas, $98.
Tip: Reservations open 28 days out on Resy. The bar runs walk-ins from 17:30 and serves the same pasta tour.
Jody Williams and Rita Sodi's Grove Street West Village room serves Tuscan-leaning food in New York City. Priced at $$$. Kitchen leans italian.
Signature: Insalata verde, Cacio e pepe
Order: Insalata verde, cacio e pepe, chocolate budino.
Tip: Walk in at 17:00 sharp for the first seating, or join the list around 20:30 for the second wave.
Major Food Group's red-sauce Italian-American room on Thompson Street in New York City turns 1950s tableside service into theatre. Priced at $$$$.
Signature: Spicy rigatoni vodka, Veal parmesan
Order: Spicy rigatoni vodka and the veal parmesan to share.
Tip: Reservations are notorious; the bar runs walk-ins from 17:30 and serves the full menu. Don't skip the Caesar.
Belotti on Rockridge's College Avenue cooks Piemonte cuisine in a Michelin Recommended trattoria. Tajarin and brasato are the cross-town dishes worth booking.
Signature: Tajarin, Brasato
Belotti in Oakland's Rockridge cooks Piemonte cuisine in a tight Michelin Recommended trattoria. House-made tajarin and brasato are the cross-town dishes.
Signature: Tajarin, Brasato, Spaghettini with burrata
MAMA Oakland on Grand Avenue runs a Michelin Bib Gourmand three-course Italian dinner for under forty dollars. No reservations, menu changes weekly.
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.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Handmade pasta
Stella Modern Italian Cuisine in Oklahoma City serves a weekend brunch blending Italian and American flavors in an elegant Midtown dining room with cocktails.
Order: Breakfast pizza; bottomless brunch cocktail
Tip: The Bellini brunch cocktail package is a popular add-on, book ahead as the midtown location fills up fast.
Flip's Wine Bar and Trattoria on N Western Avenue in Oklahoma City pairs Italian trattoria classics with an extensive wine list, no reservations.
Flip's Wine Bar and Trattoria on N Western Avenue in Oklahoma City pairs Italian trattoria classics with an extensive wine list, no reservations.
See all 5 italian rooms in Oklahoma City →
Dolomiti's sourdough hybrid pies fuse Neapolitan technique with New York structure in Millwork Commons, with an Italian-focused enoteca wine selection.
Signature: Sourdough wood-fired pizza, Mortadella panino
Order: Mortadella panino with a Northern Italian wine: the enoteca side of the menu is as strong as the pizza.
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.
Signature: House-made pasta, Dry-aged rib-eye
Order: House-made pasta of the day: dough rolled fresh each morning, shapes rotating with Nebraska farm season.
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.
Signature: Wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, Butterscotch budino
Order: Margherita from the AVPN-certified wood-fired oven: Dante is Nebraska's top Neapolitan pizza kitchen.
See all 10 italian rooms in Omaha →
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.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, House-made pasta
Antonio's La Fiamma on South Orlando Avenue in Maitland is the family Italian restaurant with house pastas and an upstairs enoteca wine bar.
Signature: Veal saltimbocca, Linguine alle vongole
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.
Moltivolti in Palermo's Ballaro is the city's coworking and solidarity restaurant since 2014, employing refugees from 15 communities. Located in Albergheria.
Signature: Anelletti al forno, Senegalese mafe, Tunisian brik
Order: Anelletti al forno or the Senegalese mafe, with a glass of Grillo.
Tip: Book ahead. The Ballaro courtyard fills first in spring; lunch is the value entry.
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.
Tip: Book a week ahead at weekends. The 8-course tasting tracks the day's market catch.
Moltivolti in Palermo's Ballaro quarter is the city's coworking and solidarity restaurant since 2014, employing refugees from 15 communities.
Signature: Anelletti al forno, Senegalese mafe, Tunisian brik
Order: Anelletti al forno or the Senegalese mafe, served alongside a Grillo by the glass.
Tip: Book ahead. The Ballaro courtyard fills first in spring and summer; lunch is the value entry point.
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.
Signature: Hand-rolled pasta, Aged beef
Order: Whatever filled pasta is on, a steak with rocket, the panna cotta.
Tip: The Passage des Panoramas closes its gates at night; ring the bell to be let through.
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.
Signature: Hand-rolled pasta, Tiramisu
Order: Whatever filled pasta is on the daily menu, the tiramisu, a glass of Sangiovese.
Tip: Open seven days. Lunch is the steal; the prix fixe lands under €25 with coffee.
Vetri Cucina in Philadelphia is Marc Vetri's 1998 Spruce Street townhouse tasting menu, a Michelin-recognised Italian room with the spinach gnocchi.
Signature: Spinach gnocchi with brown butter, Whole roasted baby goat
Order: Spinach gnocchi in brown butter and ricotta salata; the whole roasted baby goat for the table.
Tip: Book 60 days out on the venue's own site. The eight-seat counter is the room's quiet best seat.
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.
Signature: Margherita pizza, Hoagie
Order: Margherita with sungold tomatoes; a salad of every herb in the kitchen.
Tip: The hoagie room books separately. Reserve it for groups of four to six who want lunch sandwiches.
Pizzeria Beddia in Philadelphia is Joe Beddia's Fishtown reincarnation of the Bon Appetit America's Best Pizza of 2015, with a hoagie room behind the dining.
Signature: Margherita pizza, Hoagie
Order: The margherita with sungold cherry tomatoes; a salad of every herb in the kitchen.
Tip: The hoagie room books separately. Reserve it for groups of four to six who want lunch sandwiches.
Tratto in Phoenix is Chris Bianco's Italian trattoria at Town & Country, a white-tablecloth room of handmade pasta built around seasonal Southwest produce.
Signature: Handmade rigatoni, Seasonal pasta, Roman dishes
Order: Whatever pasta is on the day's handmade list; the menu turns with the season.
Tip: Tratto runs Tuesday to Saturday dinner only, next to the Town & Country Pizzeria Bianco; reservations fill fast.
Piccolo Forno on Butler Street in Lawrenceville serves Tuscan wood-fired pizza and pasta in Pittsburgh. A neighbourhood Italian room locals book on Tuesdays.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, House pasta
Order: A wood-fired pizza or the daily fresh pasta, with a glass of Chianti.
Tip: Small and popular; reservations help on weekends. BYOB nights vary, call ahead.
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.
Signature: House-made pasta, Pasta sfoglia
Order: Whichever hand-rolled pasta is on the board, with a cocktail and a pastry from the cafe case.
Tip: Open early for breakfast and lunch; dinner books up on weekends. The bakery counter runs separately at the front.
DiAnoia's Eatery in the Strip District serves chef Dave Anoia's house-made pasta in Pittsburgh. A corner room often voted the city's best Italian.
Order: Whichever hand-rolled pasta is on the board, with a cocktail.
Tip: Open early for breakfast; dinner books up on weekends. Reserve ahead.
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.
Signature: House-made pasta, Tiramisu
Chef Freddy runs Maramao on a tiny Kapana courtyard in central Plovdiv. House-made bread, pasta and tiramisu, Italian classics and a reservation crowd.
Signature: House-made pasta, Tiramisu
Maramao hides on the Kapana edge with house-made pasta and a regular reservation crowd. Hand-stretched dough, daily cake, hard to walk past without missing.
Why locals love it: A tiny Kapana courtyard with Chef Freddy doing real Italian, easy to walk past on Stefan Verkovich.
Tip: Tables fit ten, the courtyard maybe twenty more; reserve by Facebook a day ahead.
Duane Sorenson's Italian dining room on SE Division in Portland, with Italian wine list, market-driven pastas and a vegetable-led tasting menu.
Tip: The bar takes walk-ins for the full menu. Order the vegetable antipasti as a starter even if the menu pushes pasta first.
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.
Signature: Handmade pasta, Branzino
Order: The pici cacio e pepe
Tip: Dinner only, closed Sunday and Monday. The wine list runs deep on Italian regions you can't find elsewhere in Portland.
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.
Signature: Hand-cut trofie al pesto, House-made trenette, Whole roasted fish
Order: Trofie al pesto Genovese with potatoes and green beans, the canonical Ligurian plate.
Tip: Awarded due forchette by Gambero Rosso in 2025. Reservations through their site; lunch from 12:00.
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.
Signature: House-made pasta, Wood-roasted vegetables, Daily seafood crudo
Order: Whatever shape the pasta-maker is rolling today, paired with a glass from the natural-wine list.
Tip: Wednesday to Sunday 17:00-22:00. Resy reservations open 28 days ahead.
Leeward on Free Street, since 2020, from Jake and Raquel Stevens, with a chef-driven fresh-pasta program inside a brick-and-tile Italian dining room.
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.
Signature: Burrata with chourico, Tagliata di manzo
Order: Burrata with chourico, tagliata di manzo to follow.
Tip: Roof terrace opens May to October. Aperitivo from 18:30 with prosecco and pizzette.
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.
Signature: Gnocchi z gorgonzolą i gruszką, Makaron domowy, Tiramisu
Order: Gnocchi with gorgonzola, pear and walnuts.
Tip: There is no pizza. Come for the pastas and the seafood mains; the dessert is the tiramisu.
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.
Signature: Pizza, Pasta, Koktajle
Order: Pizza margherita, ordered with extra burrata.
Tip: Sit in the park-side outdoor section in summer; the trees keep the room cooler than the indoor dining floor.
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.
Signature: House tortellini, House gelato
Order: The handmade tortellini in broth, then the secondi.
Casa de Carli holds a Michelin star in the 2026 Czech guide. Located in Stare Mesto. Led by chef Matteo de Carli. Kitchen leans northern italian.
Order: The handmade tortellini, then the secondi off the changing menu.
Al Forno on South Water Street invented grilled pizza in 1980 under Johanne Killeen and the late George Germon. Wood-fire kitchen, baked pasta.
Signature: Grilled pizza, Baked pasta with tomato cream and five cheeses, Wood-grilled clams
Order: A grilled pizza Margherita and the baked penne with tomato cream sauce.
Tip: Tuesday to Saturday only, 17:00-20:30. No reservations for parties under five; walk in by 17:15 or book on Tock.
Johanne Killeen's Al Forno on South Water Street invented grilled pizza in 1980. Wood-fire kitchen, baked pasta, Providence's most enduring fine-dining room.
Order: A grilled pizza Margherita and the baked penne with tomato cream.
Tip: No reservations for parties under five; arrive by 17:15 or book parties of five-plus on Tock.
Bacaro on South Water Street has a Venetian-style enoteca downstairs and a full Italian dining room upstairs. Cicchetti, salumeria plates, Italian wines.
Signature: Cicchetti plates, House salumi, Hand-rolled pasta
Order: A round of cicchetti at the downstairs bar with a glass of Lugana, then a pasta upstairs.
Tip: Tuesday through Saturday, 17:00-22:00. The downstairs bar takes walk-ins; book the upstairs dining room.
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.
Signature: House-made pasta, Tiramisu
Raleigh's most enduring Italian restaurant, open since 1996. Classical pasta, a focused wine list, and professional downtown service; tightly focused kitchen.
Signature: House-made pasta, Tiramisu, Italian wine selection
Raleigh's most enduring Italian restaurant, open since 1996. Classical pasta, a focused wine list, and professional service in an intimate downtown room.
Mat Bar on Hverfisgata is a chef-driven Reykjavik kitchen blending Icelandic produce with Italian sensibility, a thirty-seat room of small sharing plates.
Signature: Sharing-plate tasting menu, Pasta of the day
Order: The three-course or five-course Best of Matbar sharing menu, or the pasta of the day.
Tip: Seven-time Best of Reykjavik medal winner. Open kitchen, intimate room, book ahead.
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.
Signature: Kaiseki-style tasting menu
Order: The chef's tasting menu, where the pasta and raw-fish courses bridge the two cuisines.
Tip: Open Wednesday to Saturday from 17:30. The room is small and loud; book ahead online.
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.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Fresh pasta
Order: A 12-inch pizza made to order, or the daily fresh pasta.
Tip: Family-run for over forty years and open all day from 11:00. A dependable break from fish and lamb.
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.
Signature: Grilled calamari, Hand-cut pasta, Whole fish
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.
Signature: Grilled calamari, Hand-cut pasta
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.
Signature: Pasta, Seafood plates
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.
Signature: Homemade pasta, Regional Italian small plates
Order: The homemade pasta of the day, usually paired with one of the bespoke cocktails.
Tip: Book a window seat for the people-watching on Elizabetes; the kitchen closes at midnight on weekends.
Snatch on Elizabetes runs late-kitchen service Friday and Saturday until midnight, the Bib Gourmand Italian room locals book for a late post-bar dinner.
Try: Italian pasta and cocktails
Order: Pasta and a bespoke cocktail; the cocktail list keeps pace with the late kitchen.
Tip: Last seating around 22:30 even on weekends; book ahead for a Friday late dinner.
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.
Signature: Chicken French, Veal piccata, House seafood
Order: The Chicken French, the dish Rochester's Italian-American restaurants made famous, executed at its most refined here.
Tip: Patio seats overlook Lake Ontario Park and the Port of Rochester. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Reservations recommended for Friday and Saturday dinner.
Restaurant Fiorella at the Rochester Public Market sources from market vendors, making pasta from morning-picked produce that most visitors never find.
Tip: Located inside the market building itself. Reservations essential; the dining room is small. Saturday is the most seasonal menu day.
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.
Signature: Neapolitan pizza, House pasta
Order: The Neapolitan pizza from the wood-burning oven, charred and blistered at the edges.
Tip: Lunch service runs Wednesday and Thursday. Bar stays open later than the kitchen. Reservations via Resy.
Roscioli in Rome's Centro Storico runs deli, restaurant and wine cellar as one room. Kitchen leans roman, salumeria. At Via dei Giubbonari 21.
Signature: Carbonara, Cacio e pepe, Burrata with anchovies
Order: The carbonara, the burrata with anchovies, and any cheese flight from the counter.
Tip: Book three weeks ahead for dinner. Lunch is the easier seating and the same kitchen runs both services.
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.
Signature: Cacio e pepe, Coda alla vaccinara, Abbacchio
Order: Cacio e pepe, coda alla vaccinara, and the abbacchio when it's on the carte.
Tip: Bookings open exactly two months ahead on the website. Walk-up tables exist but only for lone diners and only at 12:30.
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.
Tip: Book exactly 60 days ahead via the hotel; jacket required. The €290 nine-course menu runs 3.5 hours.
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.
Order: Wood-fired Neapolitan pizza and a glass from the natural-wine list.
Tip: Book a table on the waterside terrace for the golden hour: it is open until 23:00 on Fri-Sat.
Puglia-focused Italian food elevated to a sit-down room. The panzerotti filled with slow-cooked octopus make it the most inventive Italian kitchen.
A long-running pasta specialist on Nieuwe Binnenweg with handmade fresh pasta from tagliatelle al ragu to cacio e pepe. Located in Rotterdam Noord.
Order: Cacio e pepe and the daily pasta special.
Tip: The pasta-lunch on Saturday is one of the better deals in Rotterdam Noord: three courses under 20 euros.
Hawks Restaurant in Granite Bay is the Sacramento fine-dining suburban anchor, refined French Italian technique with the region's deepest Cabernet list.
Order: The Chef's Tasting Menu, the Wagyu and the Cabernet pairing
Tip: Monday to Thursday 17:00-21:00, Friday to Saturday 17:00-22:00. Book on Resy.
Allora on Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento is a Michelin Recommended modern-Italian room with a Wine Spectator award list and weekly pasta tastings.
Order: The handmade pasta tasting, Wagyu carpaccio, the Brunello flight
Tip: Dinner only Tuesday to Saturday. The chef's counter takes the wine pairings; book the dining room for date night.
Majka on 15th Street, midtown Sacramento, is Alex Sherry and Chutharat Sae Tong's Michelin Recommended naturally-leavened pizza counter and bakery.
Signature: Naturally leavened pizza, Sourdough focaccia
Order: The seasonal naturally leavened pizza, focaccia, and the morning pastry case
Tip: Limited indoor seating. Walk-up or pre-order via Toast. Bakery hours run morning into afternoon.
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.
Signature: Old School sandwich, Cheese counter
Order: The Old School sandwich and a craft chocolate bar from the 300+ bar wall.
Tip: Counter sandwiches travel well; the cheese, cured meats and tinned fish stretch through holidays. Multiple metro branches.
Caputo's Market and Deli on West 300 South, Tony Caputo's Italian deli and market since 1997, runs sandwiches plus the largest craft chocolate selection.
Signature: Old School sandwich, Cheese counter
Order: The Old School sandwich and a craft chocolate bar from the 300+ bar wall.
Tip: Counter sandwiches travel well; cheese, cured meats and tinned fish stretch through holidays.
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.
Why locals love it: Italian deli and 300+ craft chocolate bar wall hidden behind a market frontage on West 300 South.
Tip: The cheese counter, tinned fish and 300+ craft chocolate selection stretch beyond the sandwich window.
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.
Order: House pastas, wood-fired pizza and Italian small plates.
Tip: The room, a converted fire station, is part of the appeal. Lead with the pastas and a bottle from the Italian list.
Battalion is chef Stefan Bowers's Italian restaurant in a restored Southtown firehouse on South Alamo, leading with house pastas and a solid Italian list.
Tip: The converted firehouse is part of the appeal. Lead with the pastas and a bottle from the Italian list.
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.
Signature: Handmade tagliatelle, Tortelli di zucca, Eggless pasta
Order: The tortelli di zucca with butter and sage; the tagliatelle al ragu finished tableside.
Tip: The eggless dough is unusual; ask for it explicitly if you want the canonical Cesarina experience.
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.
Signature: Pizza margherita, Pizza Sofia, Burrata appetiser
Order: The pizza Sofia with prosciutto and burrata; the margherita is the test of the dough.
Tip: No reservations on the patio; arrive by 5:30pm or after 8:30pm to skip the worst of the line.
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.
Order: Pistachio gelato, the Miso Orange Maple seasonal
Why locals love it: Italian-trained gelato chef Monica Maccioni works out of a small Kettner Boulevard shop with 18 daily flavors, collaborations with city chefs and vegan options.
Tip: Ask for a half-and-half scoop pairing; the seasonal Miso Orange Maple flavour rotates in autumn.
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 love it: North Beach Italian counter since 1896, hand-cutting salumi for the sandwich line out the door; the building has not changed in three generations.
Tip: Order the Special: salami, mortadella, provolone, sun-dried tomato on house focaccia. Bring it to Washington Square.
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.
Signature: Cioppino for two, Linguine vongole, Sand dabs
Order: The cioppino for two; the kitchen's whole reputation in one bowl.
Tip: Wear an apron, no exceptions; the cioppino is not negotiable on splatter.
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.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Tagliatelle bolognese, Roast chicken
Order: The agnolotti dal plin with brown butter and sage, on the daily pasta list.
Tip: Walk in at 17:30 for the bar seats; the dining room books two weeks ahead.
Original Joe's is a San Jose cornerstone since 1956 where the Rocca family delivers prime steaks, veal scaloppini, and classic Italian-American pasta.
Order: 27-oz Kansas City NY strip steak or veal scaloppini
Original Joe's has anchored downtown San Jose since 1956, serving generous Italian-American classics like prime rib and the beloved Joe's Special.
Order: Joe's Special with ground beef, eggs and spinach
Italian fine dining since 1999 under chef Alberto Morello, with a Sicilian-influenced menu and 230-label wine cellar. Wine Spectator Award since 2002.
Signature: Sicilian pasta, House-made fresh pasta, Seasonal fish
Italian fine dining since 1999 under chef Alberto Morello, with a Sicilian-influenced menu. Over 230-label wine cellar, Wine Spectator Award since 2002.
Waterfront Italian-California dinner on Cabrillo Boulevard since 2011. Local fishermen, farmers, and artisan sourcing with harbour views across West Beach.
Signature: Seasonal pasta, Fresh-caught seafood, Local farm vegetables
Chef Toshifumi Tanaka's rustic northern-Italian dining room, opened 2017 on the Odori central avenue. Priced at ¥¥¥¥. Tasting menu ¥15,000-22,000.
Order: Aged Tokachi wagyu primal cut with house-made mozzarella di Okoppe.
Tip: Reserve in advance; the Friuli-Venezia Giulia influence shows in the antipasti.
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.
Signature: Crepes, Hand-cut pasta, Salads
Order: Truffle pasta and a Nutella crepe.
Tip: Closed Sundays; lunch is the busy seating and the patio fills fast.
Saint Bibiana inside Hotel Bardo opened September 2023, now led by executive chef Jim Anile; coastal Italian, house-made pasta, wood-fired plates, aperitivo.
Signature: House-made pasta, Al fresco spritzes
Order: Whatever pasta is on the chalkboard tonight, plus a spritz on the courtyard.
Tip: Book Resy 2 weeks ahead for dinner; brunch on Friday to Sunday 8:00-14:00.
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.
Signature: Tajarin with sage and butter, Agnolotti, Beef stracotto
Order: Tajarin alla salvia, the 40-egg-yolk pasta cut a millimetre wide with brown butter and sage.
Tip: The bar seats five and walks in 17:00; the small dining room takes Resy 30 days out and goes within an hour.
Spinasse in Seattle's Capitol Hill is the Piedmontese pasta room: tajarin cut a millimetre wide every morning, a Menu Degustazione that runs.
Cafe Juanita is a 30-minute drive from Seattle in Kirkland, the James Beard winning Holly Smith Northern Italian tasting room since 2000, omnivore.
Best Steakhouse in Asia 2024; World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants 2025. Singapore's serious steak address since 2012, ageing Fiorentina cuts in-house.
Signature: Bistecca alla Fiorentina, Cacio e pepe
Order: The bistecca alla Fiorentina, dry-aged on the bone and served for two: the defining version in Singapore
Tip: Order the steak for two minimum; the kitchen does not serve it as a solo cut and the portion is designed for sharing.
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.
Try: Grilled steak, hand-cut pasta, wine bar snacks
Order: Bone-in steak with the cellar's Plavac mali pour.
Tip: Kitchen takes last orders around 23:30; the wine cellar keeps pouring until 01:00 most nights.
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.
Order: The Original Hot Salami sandwich.
Tip: The Original Hot Salami is the order, made from Gioia's own fresh sausage. The line moves fast at lunch.
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.
Order: Handmade pasta of the day with a wood-oven pizza.
Tip: It books up at weekends; the bar and the patio take walk-ins. The next-door Pastaria Deli & Wine handles takeaway.
Gerard Craft's flagship Italian room in Clayton plates hand-rolled pastas and wood-fired pizzas across a long, ingredient-driven menu in a lively dining room.
Tip: The pasta-and-pizza tasting is the way to eat here; reserve on OpenTable. Pastaria Deli and Wine next door is the lighter, walk-in alternative.
Trattoria Corazza on Rörstrandsgatan in Stockholm's Vasastan is a small Italian trattoria a step from Sankt Eriksplan, plating fresh-filled ravioloni.
Signature: Spaghetti alla carbonara, Ravioloni with bufala ricotta
Order: The spaghetti alla carbonara with guanciale, pecorino and pepper; the bufala-ricotta ravioloni on the side.
Tip: Tiny dining room of about 30 covers; book ahead on weekends or aim for the first sitting at 17:00.
Italian institution on Challis Avenue, Potts Point, Sydney since 2001. Pasta of the day, deep Italian wine list, booking ahead recommended on weekends.
Signature: Pasta of the day, Steamed snapper, Tiramisu
Gelato Messina's Darlinghurst flagship on Victoria Street, Sydney. House-churned gelato, weekly special-flavour drops, walk-in friendly weeknights.
Signature: Salted caramel and white chocolate, Pannacotta with fig jam, Doughnut sandwich
Order: Two-scoop cup of salted caramel and pannacotta.
Tip: The doughnut sandwich is a hidden Messina menu item, ask at the counter.
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.
Signature: Pasta of the day, Saltimbocca crostini, Burrata with peas
Order: Pasta of the day and a Lambrusco.
Tip: Limited bar stools; arrive early or settle for the bench seats outside.
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.
Signature: Hand-rolled pasta, Italian sharing plates
Order: Whatever pasta is on; the menu is short, seasonal and Italian-leaning.
Tip: Previously called Cru. The hotel above runs the same name; the restaurant relaunched as Osteria il Cru in 2024.
Osteria il Cru on Viru is the Old Town's reliable mid-priced Italian, with hand-rolled pasta and an olive tree inside the dining room basement floor.
Signature: Hand-rolled pasta, Italian sharing plates
Order: Whatever pasta is on the daily menu; the wine list runs deep on Italian regions.
Tip: Closing times shift in autumn-winter. Was formerly Cru; relaunched as Osteria il Cru in 2024.
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.
Try: Italian pasta and pizza counter
Rocca in Tampa Heights holds a Michelin star for Chef Bryce Bonsack's Piedmont-trained pastas, hand-pulled tableside mozzarella and modern Italian tasting.
Signature: Tableside mozzarella, Tagliatelle al ragu, Agnolotti del plin
Order: Mozzarella pulled tableside followed by agnolotti del plin and the tagliatelle al ragu.
Tip: Reserve four weeks ahead through Resy; Bonsack was named a 2026 James Beard Foundation semifinalist and the room books out the day reservations open.
Rocca in Tampa Heights holds a Michelin star for Chef Bryce Bonsack's Piedmont-trained pastas and tableside hand-pulled mozzarella in an intimate dining room.
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 love it: 1948 Italian-Cuban storefront on East Columbus with handmade deviled crabs and Cuban sandwiches, the original 1920s cigar-worker recipe.
Tip: Order the party finger sandwiches (mini Cubans and mini deviled crabs) for groups; the counter is fast.
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.
Signature: Whole roasted Ontario suckling pig, House-cured salumi
Order: The salumi board and a long pasta from the seasonal list.
Tip: Sister 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 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.
Signature: Fresh pasta, Veal piccata
Order: A handmade pasta of the day and the veal piccata.
Tip: Drake's photo hangs on the wall and he eats here. Book ahead; the room seats 50 tightly.
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.
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.
Signature: Hand-rolled pastas, Wood-fired pizza, Tiramisu
Tip: The lunch pasta of the day at €13 is the value entry; book ahead for Friday and Saturday dinners.
Officina Gusto on Place Saint-Etienne is the Italian trattoria popolare with three rooms, since 2015 known across Toulouse for fresh hand-rolled pastas.
Signature: Hand-rolled pastas, Wood-fired pizza, Italian small plates
Tip: Sit on the Place Saint-Etienne terrace for the cathedral view; the pasta of the day is the reliable order.
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.
Try: Hand-rolled pasta
Tip: Open Sunday late which most of the centre is not; the pasta of the day and the tiramisu are the canonical late dinner.
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.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, House pasta
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.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, House pasta
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.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Italian deli sandwich
Biga on Peoria Avenue offers house-made pastas and wood-fired Italian mains alongside a wine list curated for the loyal Brookside neighborhood crowd.
Signature: House-made pasta, Italian wine list
Family-owned Italian in Brookside since 1969, with housemade pasta, osso buco, and walls of vintage photographs in a beloved neighborhood room.
Signature: House-made pasta, Italian-American classics
Family-owned Brookside Italian with handmade pasta, osso buco, and a neighborhood room that has been feeding Tulsa loyalists since the early 1990s.
See all 4 italian rooms in Tulsa →
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.
Signature: Finanziera Cavour, Modern vitello tonnato, Bonet
Consorzio in Turin's Quadrilatero Romano is a slow-food trattoria with a fine-dining wine list. Tumin ravioli, finanziera, agnolotti del plin.
Del Cambio in Turin has fed royal Piedmont since 1757. Diego Giglio cooks Piedmontese modern from the table Cavour used to watch Palazzo Carignano.
Ndujame holds a werfkelder on the Oudegracht, the original before Seattle and Lisbon opened. Handmade pasta and Calabrian secondi. Wed to Sun.
Signature: Handmade pasta, Calabrian aperitivo
Order: Seasonal handmade pasta with a Calabrian red wine
Calabrian Italian werfkelder on the Oudegracht. Handmade pasta, slow-cooked secondi and aperitivo. The Utrecht original pre-dates Seattle and Lisbon branches.
Signature: Handmade pasta, Calabrian aperitivo, Slow-cooked secondi
Order: Seasonal handmade pasta with a Calabrian red wine
Calabrian Italian in a werfkelder on the Oudegracht. Handmade pasta, slow-cooked secondi and southern Italian wines. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 17:30.
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.
Signature: Spaghettini vongole, Tagliatelle bolognese, Crispy tuna otsumami
Order: The spaghettini vongole and the crispy tuna otsumami, the kitchen's signature crossover plates.
Tip: Reservations open 30 days out on Resy; Tuesday is the harder seat. The bar takes walk-ins for spaghettini and a Negroni.
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.
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.
Signature: Tagliatelle bolognese, Cacio e pepe, Pappardelle with rabbit ragu
Order: Handmade pappardelle with rabbit ragu, the kitchen's reference pasta from chef J-C Poirier.
Tip: No reservations; walk-in line from 17:00. The bar opens 30 minutes earlier.
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.
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.
Try: Cicchetti at the bar
Tip: Six cicchetti plus two ombre runs roughly €20 to 25 for a full meal. Closes after lunch.
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.
Signature: Antipasto misto di pesce crudo, Spaghetti with clams, Granseola
Order: Antipasto misto, spaghetti vongole, granseola when in season.
Tip: Book three weeks ahead. The pergola courtyard is the seat to ask for in summer. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli took Verona's first three Michelin stars in 2024. TableJourney editor pick with address and booking notes inside the entry.
Tip: The 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.
Trattoria Al Bersagliere in Verona is the family-run 1928 trattoria in Borgo dei Filippini.
Signature: Bigoli con l'arna, Pastissada de caval, Tagliere
Tip: The bigoli con l'arna and pastissada are reference Veronese plates; lunch with primo, secondo and a glass runs about €32.
Osteria del Bugiardo in Verona is the Buglioni winery's tavern on Corso Porta Borsari, a cicchetti operation with Valpolicella. A 2026 editor pick.
Signature: Tagliere, Lasagna al ragu, Polpette al sugo
Tip: Arrive by 18:30 for aperitivo seats; the cicchetti board with a glass of Buglioni Ripasso runs about €12.
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.
Order: The full chef tasting; pre-order the vegetarian version if needed.
Tip: The street-side Tagesbar runs cocktails and snacks without the dining-room booking lead time.
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 love it: Hidden cellar wine bar on Šv. Mikalojaus near Šnekutis, locals only.
Tip: Watch for the chalkboard outside; no door sign. Italian skin-contact is the strong order.
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.
Signature: Crudo platter, Whole fish for the table
Order: The crudo platter to start; the kitchen builds it from whatever was unloaded that morning.
Tip: The patio runs from April to October; Sunday lunch on the water with a glass of vermentino is the room's editorial best moment.
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.
Signature: Rigatoni with fennel sausage, Wood-grilled meats
Order: The mezzi rigatoni with house fennel sausage; on the menu since opening and the room's most-ordered dish.
Tip: The Sunday family-style pasta night is the value slot; book the upstairs bar counter for a quieter view of the wood grill.
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.
Signature: Margherita pizza, Atomica with salami and pepper
Order: The Atomica with hot salami, black olives and red pepper flakes; the menu since 1991.
Tip: The Birreria downstairs runs over 150 beers; ask for the Italian craft tasting flight at the bar.
Acquario sits on the sixth floor of Hotel Monopol in Wrocław, with glazed walls that frame the historic skyline. Kitchen leans italian seafood.
Signature: Crudo selections, Mediterranean fish mains
Order: The crudo platter to start and whichever whole fish is on the day's chalk.
Tip: Lunch service is quieter and the same kitchen runs a shorter daily menu at roughly two-thirds of the evening price.
A refurbished former bank with sandstone walls and a serious Italian list: sleek design over historic charm, classic technique, Bindella-group polish.
Signature: Tuscan tasting plates, Italian wines
A refurbished old bank with sandstone walls and a Tuscan list. Sleek design, classic technique, Bindella-group polish; one of Zurich's best Italians.
Tucked behind the Opera House, Conti is the Bindella group's elegant Italian: classic fine-dining ambience, careful pastas, the wine list to match.
Signature: Italian classics, Fine Italian wines
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