General Italian dining tips
- "Pane e coperto" is not a scam: Nearly all Italian restaurants have an unavoidable pane e coperto ("bread and cover" charge) of anything from €1 ($1) to €15 ($18)—though most often €2 ($2) to €5 ($6)—per person that is automatically added on to your bill. This is perfectly normal, and perfectly legal (though a few, trendy restaurants make a big deal about not charging it).
- The house wine is usually perfectly fine, if not excellent (plus, you can order quarter- and half-carafes rather than a full bottle), or let the waiter help pick out a wine to go with your meal.
- Food is cheaper standing up. Order and eat standing at the bar and you will pay the lowest price; sit at a table and you will be charged a higher price for "table service." In some places, sitting at an outdoor costs even more.
- At a cafe, you pay before you consume: At any Italian cafe, bar, or gelateria, you don't just saunter up to the bar and order your cappuccino, Campari, or two scoops of cioccolato. Go first to the cashier (sometimes at her or his own little counter in a corner) to order what you want and pay for it. Only then can you take the receipt back up to the counter, where you put the receipt down (traditionally along with a small coin as a tip) and repeat your order to the barrista. Silly? Yes, but that's how it's done.
- Go with the flow. Order the local specialty—fish in Venice, steak in Florence, tortellini in Bologna.
- Be nosy, ask lots of questions. Look around the room and politely point and ask what other people are eating if it looks good.
- For culinary variety, ask if there's a bis dei primi or tris dei primi (sampler plate of two or three first courses) so you can try several at once.
- Be adventurous. Have fun, sample the local chow. Don't go through Italy leaving a trail of just spaghetti pomodoro (tomato sauce) and pollo alle brace (grilled chicken) in your wake. Ask what the specialty of the house is. Try the tripe and sample the squid. Let the waiter suggest to you his favorite dish—or trust him to put together the whole meal and surprise you with each course.
- Reservations are rarely necessary, but always wise. Save for a few higher end restaurants (and some in the countryside), you never need to make a reservation. However, I find Murphy's Law applies: if it's a restaurant you're dying to try and you don't call ahead, there will be no tables available when you show up at the door. If you do call ahead, you'll be one of only a handful of people in the place, making you feel slightly foolish for having phoned ahead. Of maybe that's just my luck. Either way, booking a table is the wiser choice.
- Every restaurant is closed one day a week. By law, restaurants must take a giorno di riposo (sometimes the sign says "chiuso per turno"). This will be posted prominently on the door or on the wall above the cash register. The law exists to make sure the staff gets one day a week off. For most restaurants, the overwhelmingly popular choice of day to take off is Monday; second most popular is Sunday; many close after Sunday lunch and only reopen on Tuesday.
- Don't over-tip by accident! Again, always glance at the bottom of the menu (including front and back covers) to see if there is a line about "servizio incluso." This means the service charge is included and you do not need to leave a tip (though for exceptional service in a fine restaurant, it is customary to leave an extra euro or so per person). If nothing of the sort is printed on the menu—or you are simply unsure——just ask: "É incluso il servizio?" (eh een-CLOO-soh eel sair-VEET-zeeo?) to find out where service is included. If it is not, leave an extra 10%.
- Tourist menus: The concept of a bargain prix-fixe menu is not popular in Italy. Some restaurants do offer "tourist menus," which usually entails a choice from among two or three basic first courses (read: different pasta shapes, all in plain tomato sauce), a second course of roast chicken or a veal cutlet, and some water or wine and bread. With very few exceptions, tourist menus tend to live up to their name, appearing only at the sort of tourist-pandering restaurant that the locals wisely steer clear of. On the other hand, a pricier menu degustazione ("tasting menu") will offer the best dishes of which the chef is not proud—and is priced accordingly. » more
- Slowfood.it
- Yelp.com - Though not as thorough abroad as it is in North America, this crowdsource review site remains useful.
- Tripadvisor.com - The Big Daddy of crowdsourced travel user reviews, offering reviews on hotels, restaurants, sights, activities, and more—though with so many millions of reviews, there are plenty (experts say 1/3 to 1/2) of fake ones, so take it all with a grain of salt.Partner
- Scattidigusto.it
- Localistorici.it - A constorium of historic hotels, restaurants, and caffès.
- Chowhound.com - Good reviews.
- Slowtrav.com - Dedicated to life (and travel) in the slow lane, with a focus on tradition.
- Buonricordo.com - Consotrium of Italian restaurants. Order the "Buon Ricordo" house specialty at each and you get a commemorative hand-painted Vietri plate
- Gamberorosso.it - Italy's premier restaruant guide and rating service—think of it as an Italian version of the Michelin Red Guide
- Msadventuresinitaly.com - Blog focused mainly on Italy and its food.
- Timeout.com - Good, thorough restaurant reviews that really keep on top of the latest and greatest on the local dining scene.
- Timeout.com - Good, thorough restaurant reviews that really keep on top of the latest and greatest on the local dining scene.
Tips
You will notice that all restaurants (and sights and hotels) on this site have a ReidsItaly.com star designation from ☆☆☆ to ★★★.
This merely indicates that I feel these eateries offer a little something that makes them special (or extra-special, or extra-extra special, etc.).
These star ratings are entirely based on personal opinion, and have nothing to do with any official local restaurant ratings or grades.
In general, a pricier restaurant has to impress me that it is worth the added expense.
This is why I give ★★★ to some inexpensive eateries or sandwich shops that happen provide amazing value for the money—and similarly have ranked a few fancy but notable restaurants just ★★☆.
Here at ReidsItaly.com we simply provide a general price range indicating the general amount you should expect to pay for a full meal in the eatery.
Each eatery is rated into a price category, which indicates—very roughly—what you could expect to pay, per person, for a standard full meal: Three courses—primo (first course), secondo (main course), and contorno (side) or dolce (dessert)—plus something to drink.
There are three price ranges, giving you a sense of which restaurants are budget, which are moderate, and which are splurges:
€ | under €15 |
€€ | under €40 |
€€€ | over €40 |
Useful Italian for dining
English (inglese) | Italian (italiano) | Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun |
Where is? | Dov'é | doh-VAY |
...a restaurant | un ristorante | oon rees toh-RAHN-tay |
...a casual restaurant | una trattoria un'osteria |
oo-nah trah-toar-RHEE-yah oon ohst-air-EE-yah |
I would like to reserve... | Vorrei prenotare... | voar-RAY pray-note-ARE-eh |
a table for two | una tavola per due | oo-nah TAH-voal-lah pair DOO-way |
...for 7pm | per le sette | pair lay SET-tay |
...for 7:30pm | per le sette e mezzo | pair lay SET-tay eh MET-tzoh |
...for 8pm | per le otto | pair lay OH-toh |
I would like | Vorrei... | voar-RAY |
...some (of) | un pó (di) | oon POH (dee) |
...this | questo | KWAY-sto |
...that | quello | KWEL-loh |
chicken | pollo | POL-loh |
steak | bistecca | bee-STEAK-ah |
...rare | al sangue | ahl SAN-gway |
...medium | rosato | ro-ZA-to |
...well done | ben cotto | ben KO-to |
veal | vitello | vee-TEL-oh |
fish | pesce | PEH-shay |
meat | carne | KAR-neh |
I am vegetarian | sono vegetariano | SO-no veg-eh-tair-ee-YAH-no |
side dish [veggies always come seperately] | cotorno | kon-TOR-no |
dessert | dolce | DOAL-chay |
and | e | ay |
...a glass of | un bicchiere di | oon bee-key-YAIR-eh dee |
...a bottle of | una bottiglia di | oo-na boh-TEEL-ya dee |
...a half-liter of | mezzo litro di | MET-tzoh LEE-tro dee |
...fizzy water | acqua gassata | AH-kwah gah-SAHT-tah |
...still water | acqua non gassata | AH-kwah noan gah-SAHT-tah |
...red wine | vino rosso | VEE-noh ROH-so |
...white wine | vino bianco | VEE-noh bee-YAHN-koh |
...beer | birra | BEER-a |
Check, please | Il conto, per favore | eel COAN-toh pair fah-VOAR-eh |
Is service included? | É incluso il servizio? | ay een-CLOU-so eel sair-VEET-zee-yo |
Basic phrases in Italian
English (inglese) | Italian (italiano) | pro-nun-see-YAY-shun |
thank you | grazie | GRAT-tzee-yay |
please | per favore | pair fa-VOHR-ray |
yes | si | see |
no | no | no |
Do you speak English? | Parla Inglese? | PAR-la een-GLAY-zay |
I don't understand | Non capisco | non ka-PEESK-koh |
I'm sorry | Mi dispiace | mee dees-pee-YAT-chay |
How much is it? | Quanto costa? | KWAN-toh COST-ah |
That's too much | É troppo | ay TROH-po |
Good day | Buon giorno | bwohn JOUR-noh |
Good evening | Buona sera | BWOH-nah SAIR-rah |
Good night | Buona notte | BWOH-nah NOTE-tay |
Goodbye | Arrivederci | ah-ree-vah-DAIR-chee |
Excuse me (to get attention) | Scusi | SKOO-zee |
Excuse me (to get past someone) | Permesso | pair-MEH-so |
Where is? | Dov'é | doh-VAY |
...the bathroom | il bagno | eel BHAN-yoh |
...train station | la ferroviaria | lah fair-o-vee-YAR-ree-yah |
to the right | à destra | ah DEH-strah |
to the left | à sinistra | ah see-NEEST-trah |
straight ahead | avanti [or] diritto | ah-VAHN-tee [or] dee-REE-toh |
information | informazione | in-for-ma-tzee-OH-nay |
Days, months, and other calendar items in Italian
English (inglese) | Italian (italiano) | Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun |
When is it open? | Quando é aperto? | KWAN-doh ay ah-PAIR-toh |
When does it close? | Quando si chiude? | KWAN-doh see key-YOU-day |
At what time... | a che ora | a kay O-rah |
Yesterday | ieri | ee-YAIR-ee |
Today | oggi | OH-jee |
Tomorrow | domani | doh-MAHN-nee |
Day after tomorrow | dopo domani | DOH-poh doh-MAHN-nee |
a day | un giorno | oon je-YOR-no |
Monday | Lunedí | loo-nay-DEE |
Tuesday | Martedí | mar-tay-DEE |
Wednesday | Mercoledí | mair-coh-lay-DEE |
Thursday | Giovedí | jo-vay-DEE |
Friday | Venerdí | ven-nair-DEE |
Saturday | Sabato | SAH-baa-toh |
Sunday | Domenica | doh-MEN-nee-ka |
Mon-Sat | Feriali | fair-ee-YAHL-ee |
Sun & holidays | Festivi | feh-STEE-vee |
Daily | Giornaliere | joor-nahl-ee-YAIR-eh |
a month | una mese | oon-ah MAY-zay |
January | gennaio | jen-NAI-yo |
February | febbraio | feh-BRI-yo |
March | marzo | MAR-tzoh |
April | aprile | ah-PREEL-ay |
May | maggio | MAH-jee-oh |
June | giugno | JEW-nyoh |
July | luglio | LOO-lyoh |
August | agosto | ah-GO-sto |
September | settembre | set-TEM-bray |
October | ottobre | oh-TOE-bray |
November | novembre | no-VEM-bray |
December | dicembre | de-CHEM-bray |
Numbers in Italian
English (inglese) | Italian (italiano) | Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun |
1 | uno | OO-no |
2 | due | DOO-way |
3 | tre | tray |
4 | quattro | KWAH-troh |
5 | cinque | CHEEN-kway |
6 | sei | say |
7 | sette | SET-tay |
8 | otto | OH-toh |
9 | nove | NO-vay |
10 | dieci | dee-YAY-chee |
11 | undici | OON-dee-chee |
12 | dodici | DOH-dee-chee |
13 | tredici | TRAY-dee-chee |
14 | quattordici | kwa-TOR-dee-chee |
15 | quindici | KWEEN-dee-chee |
16 | sedici | SAY-dee-chee |
17 | diciasette | dee-chee-ya-SET-tay |
18 | diciotto | dee-CHO-toh |
19 | diciannove | dee-chee-ya-NO-vay |
20 | venti | VENT-tee |
21* | vent'uno* | vent-OO-no |
22* | venti due* | VENT-tee DOO-way |
23* | venti tre* | VENT-tee TRAY |
30 | trenta | TRAYN-tah |
40 | quaranta | kwa-RAHN-tah |
50 | cinquanta | cheen-KWAN-tah |
60 | sessanta | say-SAHN-tah |
70 | settanta | seh-TAHN-tah |
80 | ottanta | oh-TAHN-tah |
90 | novanta | no-VAHN-tah |
100 | cento | CHEN-toh |
1,000 | mille | MEEL-lay |
5,000 | cinque milla | CHEEN-kway MEEL-lah |
10,000 | dieci milla | dee-YAY-chee MEEL-lah |
* You can use this formula for all Italian ten-place numbers—so 31 is trent'uno, 32 is trenta due, 33 is trenta tre, etc. Note that—like uno (one), otto (eight) also starts with a vowel—all "-8" numbers are also abbreviated (vent'otto, trent'otto, etc.).