100 restaurants · 8 regions
The Top 100 Italian Restaurants in the World
Beyond sausage and peppers: the ranked list of Italian restaurants Larry would reroute a trip for. Three-star tasting rooms and nine-table trattorias sit on the same list, because the only question that matters is whether the pasta is right. Menus and hours change — book ahead, and go hungry.
Italy — North (27)
- 01
Osteria Francescana
Modena, Italy
Order: Five ages of Parmigiano Reggiano
Massimo Bottura turned Emilian tradition into theatre. Book months out.
- 02
Piazza Duomo
Alba, Italy
Order: Tajarin with white truffle in season
Piedmont on a plate, in a pink dining room above the truffle capital.
- 03
Le Calandre
Rubano, Italy
Order: Saffron risotto with liquorice powder
The Alajmo family's precision dish. Larry ate it in silence.
- 04
Dal Pescatore
Canneto sull'Oglio, Italy
Order: Tortelli di zucca
Farmhouse dining room, three generations, pumpkin pasta worth the drive.
- 05
Da Vittorio
Brusaporto, Italy
Order: Paccheri alla Vittorio, sauced tableside
The tomato sauce show. Yes, it's as good as the video looks.
- 06
Trattoria della Posta
Monforte d'Alba, Italy
Order: Brasato al Barolo
Braised beef and a Barolo list that goes deep. Nap after.
- 07
Antica Corona Reale
Cervere, Italy
Order: Vitello tonnato, old style
Piedmont classics done without a single modern flourish.
- 08
Trattoria Arnaldo Clinica Gastronomica
Rubiera, Italy
Order: Bollito misto from the trolley
Boiled meats wheeled to your table. An institution since 1936.
- 09
Osteria dell'Orsa
Bologna, Italy
Order: Tagliatelle al ragù
Cheap, loud, correct. Bologna's ragù benchmark for students and pilgrims.
- 10
Trattoria di Via Serra
Bologna, Italy
Order: Tortellini in brodo
Tiny room, big handmade pasta program. Reserve.
- 11
Antica Osteria del Mirasole
San Giovanni in Persiceto, Italy
Order: Grilled meats over the open hearth
Fire in the middle of the dining room. Larry approves of the format.
- 12
Trattoria La Madia
Brione, Italy
Order: Casoncelli with local salumi
Hillside Lombard cooking with a serious cellar.
- 13
Ratanà
Milan, Italy
Order: Risotto alla milanese with ossobuco
Milanese classics without the Milanese attitude.
- 14
Trippa
Milan, Italy
Order: Vitello tonnato and fried tripe
Offal-forward, bistro energy, the hardest table in Milan.
- 15
Al Garghet
Milan, Italy
Order: Cassoeula in winter
Pork and cabbage stew, exactly the dish Larry orders in cold weather.
- 16
Antica Trattoria della Pesa
Milan, Italy
Order: Ossobuco with saffron risotto
Wood panelling, white jackets, 1880s manners.
- 33
La Ciau del Tornavento
Treiso, Italy
Order: Agnolotti del plin
Glass wall over the Langhe and a 60,000-bottle cellar underneath.
- 38
Antica Osteria Cera
Campagna Lupia, Italy
Order: Venetian lagoon seafood
Between Venice and Chioggia, all fish, no compromise.
- 39
Osteria alle Testiere
Venice, Italy
Order: Gnocchetti with baby squid
Twenty-two seats. Two sittings. Book the day you book flights.
- 40
Antiche Carampane
Venice, Italy
Order: Spaghetti with clams
The 'no pizza, no lasagne, no tourist menu' sign says it all.
- 41
Vini da Gigio
Venice, Italy
Order: Bigoli in salsa
Canal-side, family run, excellent wine by the glass.
- 42
Trattoria Al Gatto Nero
Burano, Italy
Order: Risotto de gò
Take the vaporetto for lunch. Stay for the whole afternoon.
- 43
Ristorante Cracco
Milan, Italy
Order: Egg-yolk raviolo
Galleria address, Milanese theatre.
- 44
Trattoria Masuelli San Marco
Milan, Italy
Order: Risotto with ossobuco marrow
Same family since 1921.
- 45
Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia
Milan, Italy
Order: Spaghettone with fresh tomato
The ingredient-first restaurant Italy's chefs cite as an ancestor.
- 46
Vitello d'Oro
Udine, Italy
Order: Friulian seafood with San Daniele
Friuli's border cooking, the mountains meeting the Adriatic.
- 47
St. Hubertus
San Cassiano, Italy
Order: Alpine tasting menu
Norbert Niederkofler's mountain-only sourcing. Dolomites out the window.
Italy — Central (20)
- 17
Osteria delle Tre Panche
Florence, Italy
Order: Truffle-heavy Tuscan plates
Three benches, one obsession.
- 18
Trattoria Sostanza
Florence, Italy
Order: Butter chicken (petto di pollo al burro)
A copper pan, half a pound of butter, zero apologies.
- 19
Il Latini
Florence, Italy
Order: Bistecca alla fiorentina
Communal tables, hanging prosciutto, house Chianti that keeps coming.
- 20
Trattoria Cammillo
Florence, Italy
Order: Fried artichokes and pasta of the day
Oltrarno stalwart. Locals in the front, everyone else in the back.
- 21
Antica Macelleria Cecchini
Panzano in Chianti, Italy
Order: Bistecca at the Officina della Bistecca
Dario Cecchini recites Dante while carving. Go with an appetite.
- 22
Osteria di Passignano
Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Italy
Order: Chianti Classico pairing menu
An abbey, a cellar, and lunch that runs long.
- 23
La Bottega del Buon Caffè
Florence, Italy
Order: Garden-grown vegetable tasting
Riverside, refined, still unmistakably Tuscan.
- 24
Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina
Rome, Italy
Order: Carbonara
The carbonara everyone argues about. Larry finished it and stayed quiet.
- 25
Da Enzo al 29
Rome, Italy
Order: Cacio e pepe
Trastevere, nine tables, a queue that starts before opening.
- 26
Armando al Pantheon
Rome, Italy
Order: Amatriciana
Family-run since 1961, one block from the Pantheon and still honest.
- 27
Felice a Testaccio
Rome, Italy
Order: Tonnarelli cacio e pepe, tossed tableside
Testaccio's temple. They toss it in front of you; do not help.
- 28
Trattoria Da Cesare al Casaletto
Rome, Italy
Order: Fried starters and gricia
Worth the tram ride out of the centre.
- 29
Pierluigi
Rome, Italy
Order: Whole fish, salt-baked
Piazza tables, seafood counter, the loudest Roman lunch crowd.
- 30
Il Pagliaccio
Rome, Italy
Order: Tasting menu with Mediterranean detours
Rome's quiet fine-dining room.
- 31
Trattoria Monti
Rome, Italy
Order: Tortello with runny egg yolk
Marchigiano cooking in the middle of Rome.
- 32
Osteria Bonelli
Rome, Italy
Order: Rigatoni all'amatriciana, cheap and huge
Roman suburb, Roman prices, Roman portions.
- 34
Reale
Castel di Sangro, Italy
Order: Niko Romito's tasting menu
Abruzzo monastery, radical simplicity, three stars.
- 35
Il Tiglio
Montemonaco, Italy
Order: Mountain herbs and game
Sibillini hills. Hard to reach, easy to remember.
- 36
Uliassi
Senigallia, Italy
Order: Adriatic seafood tasting
Beach shack that grew into one of Italy's best.
- 37
Madonnina del Pescatore
Senigallia, Italy
Order: Raw Adriatic fish
Moreno Cedroni's laboratory by the sea.
Italy — South & Islands (24)
- 48
L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele
Naples, Italy
Order: Margherita, no negotiation
Two pizzas on the menu. Two is enough.
- 49
Pizzeria Gino e Toto Sorbillo
Naples, Italy
Order: Margherita with buffalo mozzarella
Via dei Tribunali chaos. Take a number, wait, be rewarded.
- 50
50 Kalò
Naples, Italy
Order: Marinara with Corbara tomatoes
Ciro Salvo's dough is engineering with a suntan.
- 51
10 Diego Vitagliano
Naples, Italy
Order: Contemporary Neapolitan pie
The modern school. Airy cornicione, serious toppings.
- 52
Trattoria da Nennella
Naples, Italy
Order: Pasta e patate
Spanish Quarter theatre. They will sing at you. Enjoy it.
- 53
Palazzo Petrucci
Naples, Italy
Order: Refined Neapolitan seafood
Posillipo views for the days you want a tablecloth.
- 54
Don Alfonso 1890
Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi, Italy
Order: Garden-driven Campanian tasting
Between two gulfs, with their own farm below.
- 55
Lo Scoglio
Nerano, Italy
Order: Spaghetti alla Nerano
Zucchini and provolone del monaco on a pier. The dish other cities imitate.
- 56
Il Riccio
Capri, Italy
Order: Linguine with sea urchin
Blue Grotto cliffside, then the dessert room.
- 57
Da Adolfo
Positano, Italy
Order: Mozzarella grilled on a lemon leaf
Reachable by their little boat with a red fish on the mast.
- 58
La Sponda
Positano, Italy
Order: Amalfi lemon pasta by candlelight
Four hundred candles. Wear a jacket.
- 59
Antica Focacceria San Francesco
Palermo, Italy
Order: Pani ca meusa
Spleen sandwich since 1834. Larry ordered it twice.
- 60
Osteria Ballarò
Palermo, Italy
Order: Pasta con le sarde
Market cooking with a dining room attached.
- 61
Trattoria Ai Cascinari
Palermo, Italy
Order: Involtini and caponata
Sunday-lunch loud, Palermo-priced.
- 62
Duomo
Ragusa Ibla, Italy
Order: Ciccio Sultano's Sicilian tasting
Baroque town, baroque plates, and it works.
- 63
La Madia
Licata, Italy
Order: Red prawn crudo
Pino Cuttaia's coastline in miniature.
- 64
Trattoria da Pino
Catania, Italy
Order: Pasta alla Norma
Eggplant, ricotta salata, Etna in the distance.
- 65
Cave Ox
Solicchiata, Italy
Order: Pizza with Etna wine
The natural-wine list at the base of a volcano.
- 66
Antichi Sapori
Montegrosso, Italy
Order: Vegetable-forward Puglian plates
Pietro Zito grows most of it out back.
- 67
Osteria Già Sotto l'Arco
Carovigno, Italy
Order: Orecchiette with cime di rapa
Puglia's most graceful dining room.
- 68
Bros'
Lecce, Italy
Order: Provocative Salento tasting
Divisive, ambitious, absolutely not boring.
- 69
Trattoria Pizzeria La Cantina
Matera, Italy
Order: Crapiata and peperoni cruschi
Basilicata's dried sweet peppers — Larry brought a bag home.
- 70
Fradis Minoris
Pula, Italy
Order: Lagoon fish and sea herbs
Sardinian wetland dining, all local catch.
- 71
Su Gologone
Oliena, Italy
Order: Porceddu from the wood oven
Sardinian roast suckling pig in the Barbagia hills.
USA — Northeast (16)
- 72
Rao's
New York, USA
Order: Lemon chicken and meatballs
Ten tables you can't book. Larry claims he got in once.
- 73
Carbone
New York, USA
Order: Spicy rigatoni vodka
Red-sauce nostalgia at 2020s prices. Still fun.
- 74
Del Posto alumni kitchens
New York, USA
Order: Handmade pasta tasting
The Del Posto diaspora runs half of Manhattan's pasta now.
- 75
Torrisi
New York, USA
Order: Italian-American tasting menu
Nolita's grand statement about what red sauce can be.
- 76
Don Angie
New York, USA
Order: Lasagna for two, rolled
The lasagna pinwheel that ate Instagram, and it's genuinely great.
- 77
Via Carota
New York, USA
Order: Svizzerina and insalata verde
West Village, no reservations, worth the sidewalk wait.
- 78
Il Buco Alimentari
New York, USA
Order: Salumi board and cacio e pepe
Bakery, butcher and dining room in one.
- 79
L'Artusi
New York, USA
Order: Roasted mushrooms and pasta list
The reliable answer to 'where should we eat tonight'.
- 80
Lucali
Brooklyn, USA
Order: Pizza and a calzone
Candlelit, cash-only, line up early.
- 81
Di Fara Pizza
Brooklyn, USA
Order: Classic square
Scissored basil on top. Patience required.
- 82
Bamonte's
Brooklyn, USA
Order: Chicken parm and clams oreganata
1900 Williamsburg, waiters in jackets, nothing has changed.
- 83
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
New Haven, USA
Order: White clam pie
Coal-fired since 1925. The clam pie is not optional.
- 84
Sally's Apizza
New Haven, USA
Order: Tomato pie with mozzarella
The other side of the New Haven argument.
- 85
Vetri Cucina
Philadelphia, USA
Order: Spinach gnocchi with brown butter
Townhouse tasting menu, Italy-trained precision.
- 86
Al Forno
Providence, USA
Order: Grilled pizza
They invented grilled pizza here. Order the baked pasta too.
- 87
Giacomo's
Boston, USA
Order: Frutti di mare
North End, cash only, line down Hanover Street.
USA — Rest of Country (8)
- 88
Spiaggia alumni tables
Chicago, USA
Order: Northern Italian tasting
Chicago's fine-dining Italian lineage, still cooking around town.
- 89
Monteverde
Chicago, USA
Order: Cacio whey pepe
Sarah Grueneberg's pasta lab. Watch the pasta station.
- 90
The Rosebud on Taylor
Chicago, USA
Order: Chicken Vesuvio
Little Italy red sauce with the portions to match.
- 91
Charlie Gitto's on The Hill
St. Louis, USA
Order: Toasted ravioli
The Hill's ambassador dish, deep fried and correct.
- 92
Bacco Ristorante
Detroit, USA
Order: Handmade pasta and veal
Suburban Detroit's white-tablecloth Italian standard.
- 93
Tosca Cafe
San Francisco, USA
Order: Roast chicken for the table
North Beach bar with a serious kitchen behind it.
- 94
Bestia
Los Angeles, USA
Order: Bone marrow with spinach gnocchetti
Arts District, house charcuterie, still hard to book.
- 95
Felix Trattoria
Los Angeles, USA
Order: Pasta tasting
Evan Funke's glass pasta room. The rolling pin is the point.
Europe (3)
- 96
River Café
London, UK
Order: Tagliarini with truffle, chocolate nemesis
Thames-side, wood oven, the book that taught Britain Italian food.
- 97
Bocca di Lupo
London, UK
Order: Regional small plates
Every dish labelled by region. Larry ordered by map.
- 99
Le Chateaubriand-adjacent Italian bistros
Paris, France
Order: Pasta with French produce
Paris's new-wave Italian scene, very good and very small.
Americas (1)
- 98
Da Enzo-style trattorias of Palermo Soho
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Order: Sorrentinos and Malbec
Argentina's Italian half, in its most Italian neighbourhood.
Asia-Pacific & Middle East (1)
- 100
Grani di Pepe / Lygon Street classics
Melbourne, Australia
Order: Handmade pasta and a Negroni
The best Italian food outside Italy and the Northeast. Debate welcome.
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