UNRAVELLING DINING IN ITALY How to choose your Restaurant and how to Navigate a Menu

Traditionally, a Ristorante was a more formal establishment, offering refined cuisine and structured service - more for those who belonged to the professional or upper classes. A Trattoria was informal, family-run, and rooted in local, seasonal cooking. An Osteria began life as a wine tavern, sometimes serving little or no food, while a Locanda combined food with lodging, catering to travellers. To this mix we can now confidently add the Enoteca, originally a wine shop selling bottles of wine, but now often a place where simple but often excellent food accompanies carefully selected wines that can be tasted by the glass without necessarily buying the bottle.

Today, however, these labels are as much about identity and storytelling as they are about function. The lines are frequently blurred. Some of Italy’s most celebrated fine dining restaurants carry names that suggest something far more humble.  Take Osteria Francescana in Modena, or Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence for example (which also calls itself a Ristorante!); both are three Michelin-starred establishments that redefine what an osteria or enoteca can be. Similarly, Locanda Don Serafino, tucked away in the baroque heart of Ragusa in Sicily, carries the name of a humble inn yet offers a Michelin-starred dining experience and some beautiful 5* rooms carved out of rock. And then there are restaurants such as Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia in Milan (again offering Michelin-starred dining), which deliberately avoids any traditional label altogether; another sign that, at the highest level, naming conventions have become almost irrelevant.

Adding yet another layer to this evolving landscape is the rise of the Bistrot in larger cities. Particularly in places like Milan or Florence, especially Turin (where they have been way ahead of the rest of the peninsula for years), and increasingly Bologna and Modena, you will find contemporary, informal spaces inspired by international dining culture.  These establishments often step away from strict Italian tradition, offering brunch menus, fusion dishes, multiple tastings on a single plate and more eclectic, all-day dining formats. While they can be exciting and creative, and predominantly appeal to a younger generation, they represent a different culinary language; one that sits alongside, rather than within, the traditional structure of Italian dining.

So how do you actually navigate this? As a rule of thumb, in larger cities, especially Florence, Rome, Venice, Milan, Bologna and Turin, a Ristorante in a central location will often cater to visitors, sometimes at the expense of authenticity. A Trattoria just a few streets away from the main sights is often a better bet for regional cooking. In the countryside, however, the equation shifts: here, Trattorie and Locande are frequently the custodians of true local tradition, while Ristoranti may represent special-occasion dining. Osterie and Enoteche sit somewhere in between - sometimes deeply traditional, sometimes stylish and contemporary - often with a strong focus on wine and atmosphere. Osterie quite often can be found serving dishes limited to charcuterie and cheese platters, crostini and a selection of breads to accompany wine and beer, rather than actual traditional dishes.

In Bologna the Osteria del Sole, dating back to 1465, serves no food at all! And if you are visiting Bologna, it's a great spot to find elderly gentlemen (who have been packed off by their wives with a lunchbox) playing cards - sometimes they even let you join in.  Here it’s a case of ‘you are not allowed in if you don't drink, alcohol consumption is obligatory and you can bring all the food you want yourself’. 

A practical tip: don’t choose based on the name alone. Look at the menu. A shorter, seasonal menu is usually a sign of a kitchen that cooks fresh and locally. Observe the clientele: are Italians eating there? Listen for the rhythm of the room. And perhaps most importantly, avoid places with aggressively multilingual menus and hosts calling you in from the street in heavily touristed areas. I am always in favour of wandering the back streets of cities, looking out for Italian menus and a host of Italians gesticulating. Italy rewards those who walk just a little further or get lost in a back street somewhere. 

Another point of perplexity for travellers to Italy who are used to a different way of being served their food, not only is the type of restaurant potentially confusing, but the menu itself can be equally so. Restaurateurs in Italy often find it difficult to understand why foreign visitors order only one course when they dine, not realising that outside of Italy, a main course is typically a complete and filling composition. Since most restaurants operate on a single sitting, lingering over one dish for an entire evening can feel at odds with the rhythm of Italian dining and, truth be told, frustrating for restaurant owners who could have filled a table with those more in tune with the typical dynamics of an Italian meal. 

When I was running online pasta-making classes during the plandemic, a couple of US-based participants kept asking me what to serve their pasta with. Having lived in Italy for so many years already, I didn’t initially understand the nature of the question and replied “with the sauce or condiment that we are making during class.” It soon became clear that what they meant was: “what protein and vegetables should accompany the pasta as part of a single, larger plate?” 

Ristoranti, Trattorie and Locande in Italy are structured around a culinary rhythm: Antipasto, Primo, Secondo and Dolce. Italians rarely eat just one course. It is far more common to combine at least two, balancing carbohydrates, proteins and vegetables across the meal. On special occasions, or on a Sunday when dining is as much about time together as it is about food, the full sequence of courses unfolds leisurely from start to finish.

Home cooking follows a slightly different rhythm, often favouring a carbohydrate-rich lunch and a protein-based dinner, with breakfast remaining lighter and sweeter, or even just a cappuccino. In fact, lunch tends to be heavier due to the ‘lighter’ breakfast traditions. 

In many other countries, a main course combines meat, carbohydrates and vegetables into a single, often substantial dish. This also explains why individual courses in Italy, specifically Primi and Secondi, are smaller and more moderately priced, allowing diners to compose their meal across multiple plates.

Let’s go through how a typical Italian menu is constructed:

First and foremost, bread will always appear on your table. This is part of the 'coperto' or cover charge. Bread sends a message to the host... if you eat it, it means your hungry. 

Antipasto = starter/appetizer 
This course quite literally “opens the stomach.” It often consists of charcuterie, cheeses, or small vegetable and meat or fish-based dishes, and is ideal for sharing. Italians sometimes repurpose an antipasto as a lighter secondo, especially if they do not wish to eat heavily.

Primi Piatti = First courses 
This course focuses on carbohydrate-based dishes such as pasta, risotto or gnocchi, served before proteins. These are rarely shared. You may encounter a bis di primi (two half portions) or tris di primi (three tasting portions), offering a delicious way to explore regional pasta specialities.

Secondi Piatti = Second courses 
These are protein-focused dishes with meat or fish, and increasingly vegetarian options. These do not always include a side dish, which is often ordered separately. It is not uncommon for Italians to opt for an antipasto as their second course if they prefer a lighter meal.

Contorni = Side dishes
This course usually consists of vegetables served alongside the secondo, or alternatively, if someone is ordering an Antipasto and Primo, it can add some variety and vegetables to their meal. I have even been to a restaurant that serves such a great array of delicious contorni or side dishes that I have been known to order the entire selection to share as an antipasto. Patate al Forno (roast potatoes) are common year-round, while Insalata (salad) is traditionally served at the end of the meal (with some exceptions), just before dessert; a palate-cleansing ritual that can feel out of place to visitors.

Dolci = Desserts
Desserts are typically small-ish and often shared - hence the familiar request: “porti per favore due cucchiaini”  ("please bring two spoons"). The dessert course is rarely the focal point as it can be in Northern European or Anglosaxon countries, unless a restaurant is known for a particular speciality - and curious, given how some of Italy's desserts have become truly iconic. 

It is always worth specifying how you would like your dishes to be served. If, for example, one person orders a Primo and another a Secondo, ask for them to arrive together.

If you choose a fine dining experience, whether labelled Ristorante, Osteria or even Enoteca, the structure may become more elaborate. A "Benvenuto della Casa" (welcome appetizer), typically an ‘amuse-bouche’ sometimes even accompanied by a sparkling wine, palate cleansers between courses and small sweet treats with coffee at the end of the meal, are all part of the experience, offered as gestures of hospitality rather than formal courses.

Ultimately, whether you find yourself in a humble trattoria in the countryside or a Michelin-starred “osteria” in the city, understanding both the language of the menu and the culture behind it allows you to move through the experience with ease and to savour it fully.