If you’re planning a trip to Italy in the near future, then you’re probably already thinking about all the amazing food that you’re going to eat while you’re there. This is a foodie’s destination, after all, a country where the food identity is so ingrained in every aspect of the culture, history, and local life that it would be a terrible injustice to visit and not experience the vast culinary landscape.
Of course, you’ll want to go to the little hole-in-the-wall, locals-recommended spots that are worlds away from fine dining. However, if you also want to give yourself a little upscale treat, you’re in the right place.
There are many, many Michelin-recognized restaurants in Italy—and, lucky for you, many are located near the beach and some even offer some pretty stellar sea views. So, what are you waiting for? Check out some of the favorite options below and begin making your reservations ASAP.
George – Naples
Somewhat more accessible than the other Michelin-starred restaurants you might visit, George doesn’t limit itself to just gourmands, as Chef Domenico Candela explained in an interview, and foodie enthusiasts who’re simply looking to indulge will be welcomed, too. (As another credit to the restaurant’s lack of pretentiousness, it also allows children ages 5 and up—because, yes, there are some fine-dining establishments that frown upon bringing the kiddos—and the dress code is merely smart casual.)
The tasting menus range from seven to nine courses and feature items such as a seared foie gras escalope with Neapolitan long pumpkin chutney and kumquat cream; Laticauda lamb with a Neapolitan papaccella reduction; braised lamb tongue; and candele pasta filled with wild boar.
Pair your meal with one of the restaurant’s excellent wine selections.
Ristorante Terrazza Bosquet – Sorrento
Not too far away, in Sorrento, Ristorante Terrazza Bosquet is a seafront, Michelin-starred restaurant that feels light, open and airy thanks to the soaring, white, arched ceilings, and the wide windows showing off the gorgeous sea.
The seasonal menu takes advantage of the property’s own vegetable garden, and the wine cellar is literally in an ancient Roman cave. Past menu items have ranged from cuttlefish risotto to pigeon breast with pumpkin, to turbot with a pine nuts froth, tomato, and parsley pesto. Top off your meal with a green apple, celery and sour herbs sorbet, and petits fours.
Reviewers heap praise on the restaurant’s service and the tasting menu’s unique approach, and verify that there’s barely a bad seat in the house—though if you can get a table overlooking the water directly, why wouldn’t you?
Rossellinis – Ravello
On the Amalfi Coast, Rossellinis sits within Palazzo Avino, a luxurious boutique hotel dating to the 1100s and that was once a noble residence. The property is propped high above the sea for spectacular views, and it’d be well worth your time to consider actually booking a longer stay here versus just stopping in for dinner and then heading on your way.
Both a la carte and set tasting menus are available, with carefully selected regional wines to pair. The vibe is exceptionally chic, the menu and presentation creative, and the staff frequently lauded by reviewers, who heap such high praise on the restaurant as “the best food I’ve ever had.”
Whatever you order off the menu, which does its best to celebrate the seasons and the regional fare, be sure to keep your eye out for menu items that include “sfusato”—the Sfusato Amalfitano is a world-renowned (or, at least in the culinary world) variety of lemon native to the area and, yes, it really is all that. It’s not just any ol’ lemon.
Do note that Rossellinis is closed November to March, and open for dinner only.
Li Galli – Positano
Li Galli is named for the islands that it overlooks, off the Amalfi Coast. These islands are small, private, and linked to the sirens in Greek mythology. Whether or not you feel the call when you arrive at this Michelin-starred restaurant, you’ll certainly be drawn in by the atmosphere and the menu that highlights all things local ingredients.
The restaurant additionally sits with the Villa Franca hotel, and is overall incredibly intimate. There are only seven tables, plus an outdoor dining space separated from the main dining room via walls of glass that let in the sea views.
Both a tasting menu and an a la carte menu are available, with options including pig belly with bearnaise sauce and white sturgeon caviar; homemade cappellacci pasta stuffed with onion sauce, green apple, and 36-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano consommé; and pigeon marinated with laurel, endive, tamarind sauce, and livers.
Possibly the most unique thing on the menu? A Monopoly dessert table, which is literally a restaurant-branded Monopoly board covered in small, sweet bites.
Le Monzu – Capri
If you’re headed to the island of Capri, also make tracks for Le Monzu, situated within Hotel Punta Tragara and with views of Marina Piccola. The focus here is on Mediterranean cuisine (and plenty of seafood options), with several tasting menus available.
Dishes include risotto with lemon, caviar and capers; cuttlefish served with its own ragout, green apple and seaweed; and linguini with wild fennel pesto, red mullet, and sea urchins. Meanwhile, the rock-hewn wine cellar and cave provides more than 400 labels from which you can pick your pairing.
In addition, there’s also a lounge and cocktail bar with similarly fantastic views, if you’re not in the mood for a meal and would rather stop by for a specialty beverage. The cocktail list is quite long, so you’re sure to find something you enjoy, no matter how you like to take your poison.
Il Refettorio – Conca dei Marini
Another historic Amalfi Coast dining destination, Il Refettorio lives inside the Monastero Santa Rosa. Even if your Italian is a bit shabby, you can probably guess that that first word means “monastery,”—and while the property is a hotel now, it was indeed originally a monastery, in the 1600s. The terrace provides sea views and the kitchen takes to Campanian cuisine with an expertly skilled touch.
Tasting menus and a la carte selections are both available. Menu highlights include beef tartare mixed with olive and mustard dressing and served with a Modena balsamic reduction; housemade egg tagliolini cacio e pepe with red shrimp and Scorzone black truffle; and Mediterranean blue lobster with a mandarin compote and lemon jelly.
Acqua Pazza – Ponza
Okay, so unless you’re making an effort to really see some hidden gems and get off the beaten path, you might not make your way to the archipelago that is the Italian Pontine Islands. However, if you do find yourself on the island of Ponza, stop into Acqua Pazza and see why it gained its first Michelin star two decades ago as of this year.
With its multiple terraces and scenic port and sea views (plus a cocktail bar and bed and breakfast in the same building), the restaurant’s menu is heavily focused on seafood, particularly locally sourced fish and raw dishes. The menu features options such as a carpaccio of snapper, seaweed and sea urchins; snapper tortelli with raw tomato sauce; and seared tuna with smoked corn and sauteed fennel. If you absolutely are not a fan of seafood, there are two other meat entrees—beef fillet and rabbit—and eggplant parmigiana for the vegetarians.
Il Bikini – Vico Equense
While Il Bikini may not have a Michelin star, it has been recognized by Michelin as one of the very best beachside restaurants in not just the country of Italy, but in the entire world. Located on the Sorrento Peninsula, Il Bikini has been around for more than half a decade, and offers dining nearly right on the waves.
When Michelin inspectors analyzed the restaurant’s regionally inspired menu to decide whether or not it was up to snuff, they came down on some recommendations you’ll want to order for yourself: the risotto with fish and lemon, seared tuna with caponata, olive pesto, and chocolate Caprese cake.
Want to make a day of it? You can actually book a spot at the Il Bikini beach club and spend the day sunbathing, making reservations for the restaurant at lunchtime, when things are much more casual.
