Types of restaurants in Italy

A sampler platter of the different kinds of restaurants, cafes, trattorie, and other eateries you'll find in [[thisnat]

The generic word for restaurant in Italian is, conveniently enough, ristorante.

Thing is, just like in America where you might specify you want to go to a diner, a deli, a pizza parlor, or a Mickey D's, Italy has plenty of specialized words for particular types of places where one might find some nosh.

Italy has many different types of dining establishments, which go down in price—but rarely in quality or authenticity—as they get less fancy and formal.

The top rung is called a ristorante, but plenty of more casual eateries abound, usually smaller and serving classic cooking like mama used to make—the kind of place to head on a nightly basis for filling, excellent, well-priced food and a homey, friendly atmosphere. Roughly in order of fanciness—from more refined to more rustic—they are the trattoria, the osteria (or hostaria), and the pizzeria (many of which will also offer a few simple pastas).

These designations aren't hard and fast. A fancy restaurant might call itself "osteria" to evoke a kind of quaintness, and a simple eatery might puff itself up by billing itself as a "ristorante."

Most cities also sport cafe-like places that serve hearty dishes; a tavola calda, (a "hot table" cafe selling prepared dishes by weight), rosticceria (basically a tavola calda with spit-roasted chickens in the window), pizza à taglio or pizza rustica (pizza by the slice), paninoteca (sandwich shop), and bar (serving booze, yes, but also the place for a coffee and croissant in the mornings, and sandwiches and other simple nosh throughout the day).

Eating establishments in Italy

Here's a handy glossary of different kinds of eateries and some other food-related terms you may come across in Italy.

Aperitivi / stuzzichini: Fabulous trend spreading across Italy (though it's been in Turin and Milan for a while now). In brief, in the late evening (usually around 7pm) many bars around town will lay out sumptuous spreads of free finger foods—canapés, cheeses and meats, fried things on sticks, sometimes pastries. Cruise to a few bars, enjoying a glass of wine and free nosh at each, and you won't even need dinner. » more
Bar: An Italian bar, although it does indeed serve liquor, is more what we'd call a cafe. It's where workers pop in for their morning espresso and cornetto(croissant) or brioche (sweet roll) on the way to work, return for a cappuccino at the 10am break, and stop on their way home for a Campari-soda at the end of the work day (mmm, fizzy hair tonic). It's also where kids grab a gelato after school and, yes, where everyone gathers for a glass or wine or beer in the evenings. An Italian bar is also a great place to grab a cheap panino (flat roll stuffed with meat, cheese, and/or vegetables) or tramezzino (large triangular sandwiches on white bread with the crusts cut off—like giant tea sandwiches). Both come stuffed with fresh mozzarella and pomodori (tomatoes), prosciutto and provolone, or perhaps tonno (tuna).
Caffé: Pretty much just another name for a bar, though there may be more of an emphasis on the coffee, and on outdoor tables.
Gelateria: An Italian ice cream shop—though calling Italy's thick, creamy, flavorful frozen treat something as banal as "ice cream" is deeply insulting to gelato.
Osteria or hosteria: Usually an even simpler, down-home local's eatery than a trattoria—though sometimes fancy restaurants use the word to try and evoke a simple, trendy charm.
Paninoteca: Fancy way to say "sandwich shop." And by the way, since the term has gotten so popular in the U.S., some clarification: a single sandwich is called a "panino" (ends in an "o"). "Panini" (ends in an "i'") is the plural. Asking for "a panini" is like asking for "some spaghettis"—it just sounds dumb.
Ristorante: Restaurant. I know, obvious, right? But it's useful to to know that eateries which call themselves "ristorante" usually have pretensions to haute cuisine status—or at least high prices. This is in contrast to a (typically cheaper) trattoria or osteria. By far not a hard and fast rule—plenty of upscale places use the title "trattoria" to cash in on the presumed quaintness factor, and plenty of family-run joints call themselves "ristorante" to try and catch from cachet—but something to keep in mind.
Rosticceria: A tavola calda (see below) with some spitted chickens roasting in the window.
Pizzeria: A casual restaurants where you go to eat pizza. Again, pretty obvious, but here are a few Italian quirks. Traditional pizzerie are open only in the evenings, and they don't serve much beyond pizza. That said, many trattorie have slapped a pizza oven in the kitchen (largely to service the tourist trade, which expects pizza to be available everywhere), offering a wider variety of dining options—and many are open at lunch as well, which is why you'll see some restaurants proudly advertising "pizza anche à pranzo!" (pizza even at lunch!"). Oh, one more thing: all Italian pizzas are pizzas for one, You don't order a pizza to split, or to share with the table. Each person orders his or her own pizza, and while they are pretty large, they usually have ultra-thin crusts so it's not too hard to wolf an entire one down.
Pizza à taglio: Sometimes called pizza rustica (especially in Rome), this is a pizza-by-the-slice joint, tiny shops where they cut the pizza of your choice from big, steaming sheets and wrap it halfway up in waxed paper for easy carrying. Just point to the bubbling sheet with your preferred toppings behind the counter and hand over a couple euro. It's priced by weight, but they'll slice off however much what you hand them will cover. About €2 ($2) will get you a healthy portion. Some varieties to try: pizza margherita (tomato sauce, cheese, and basil), pizza con patate (with julienned potatoes, but no sauce), and pizza napolitana (with anchovies). Or go minimalist with pizza rossa (just the sauce) or pizza bianca (just the dough, brushed with olive oil and salt, sometimes with rosemary; exquisite).
Tavola calda: A very informal (and sometimes self-serve) eatery where you usually choose from a pre-prepared selection of hot dishes—like an olde worlde cafeteria. Great for a quick, light meal.
Brek: This chain of high-class cafeterias—where they cook each dish for you on the spot at prices that range mostly from €1 ($1) to €5 ($6)—has spread to 21 cities across the country, including Rome, Milan, Turin, Venice, Padova, and other popular tourist destinations. Find them at Brek.com.
Trattoria: Usually a traditional, family-run establishment that serves fresh pasta and other home-cooked food.

Dining links

Tips

About the restaurant star ratings (☆☆☆ to ★★★)

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 ★★☆.

About the restaurant price brackets (€–€€€)

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 phrases

Dining
Basic phrases
Calendar
Numbers

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.).

Taste of Italy Food Tour to Chianti and Umbria from Rome

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