Dining in Italy dos and don’ts
A lot of people go to Italy just for the food. What’s not to love? Slow, wistful breakfasts with a warm cappuccino, multi-course lunches with only the freshest ingredients, and as for dinner? Dinner in Italy is something you must experience. I’m not talking about the unlimited breadsticks from Olive Garden. I’m talking Nonna has been in the kitchen since morning preparing three different kinds of homemade pasta. Dinner is not to be rushed. And it is certainly not to be skipped! (There’s a reason why all the ancient paintings depict women with belly rolls).
Regardless what meal you are eating, dining in Italy is its own genre.
Here are the dos and don’ts of dining in Italy:
DO make a reservation.
It’s not likely you will be able to walk into a restaurant during dinner time and expect to be given a table. Sure you might be able to at a restaurant that caters to tourists. But, repeat after me, you are not in Italy just to be a tourist!
At the local places, where the food is made fresh, they only make enough food for those who reserved a table. They aren’t making extras in hopes that people will wander in.
While dining at an osteria in Montepulciano, we witnessed a couple walk in and ask for a table. The owner was so confused as to why they were there without a reservation and turned them away.
DON’T show up earlier than your reservation time.
At the same aforementioned, osteria, I really really embarrassed myself. We were so hungry but our reservation for dinner wasn’t for a while. I told my husband we should just go ahead and go to the restaurant, I was sure it wouldn’t be a problem.
Well, it was a problem, and an embarrassing one.
When we walked into the restaurant, the family who owns the place was in there eating their family dinner. And I interrupted. We went and sat in our car for the next hour mortified at what I had done.
Please do yourself a favor and just show up on time.
DO leave the city center for dinner.
The best food can be found by traveling outside of the main tourist areas. We walked about thirty minutes outside of Rome and had one of the best dinners of our trip! When we arrived, they spoke to us in Italian and was shocked when we spoke and obviously were not Italian. It was so much fun just watching and listening to the locals enjoy their dinner.
DON’T eat near famous monuments.
Restaurants near famous monuments, like the Trevi Fountain, are a MAJOR tourist trap. You won’t find authentic food and it will be incredibly overpriced. I do suggest, though, sitting outside at one of these restaurants and just get an aperitif or a glass of wine and people watch. You will see a lot of interesting people haha
But please PLEASE don’t order food there.
DO know what to look for in a tourist trap restaurant.
Restaurants that put pictures on their menu, give you a glass of ice water, or have a “tourist” menu are not where you want to dine. Also, if there is someone outside the restaurant waving you to come in, this is another sign. A good restaurant (and an authentic, local experience) will not need to wave customers in. Save your time and money and go elsewhere.
DON’T rush the meal.
Dining in Italy is an experience and it can take a longgg time. But in a good way! A dinner usually takes about three hours. Now, I’m not saying you will be stuffing your face every second of that meal. It is drawn out with different courses. Sometimes you may start with a crostini compliments of the chef, you’ll move on to more of a charcuterie experience with different cheeses and some fruits, then a lot of different pasta options, cue the meats, and, well, you get the idea. At the end you will drink some limoncello or maybe an espresso. The meal is drawn out and actually great for digestion!
Oh, and a helpful tip, you will have to ask for the check when you are ready to leave. The restaurant will never want to assume you are done or try to rush you. Just ask for the check by saying “Il conto per favore”.
DO order the house wine.
One of the things Italy is known for is wine. There are vineyards everywhere! And because of that, a lot of restaurants make their own. The house wine is just as good, if not better, than the other wine on the menu.
And the best part? It is sooo cheap. We had a liter of red house wine in Rome for 12 euros. We often paid three euros for one glass.
DON’T expect to eat dinner at 5pm.
I like a nice geriatric dinner at 5pm while I am at home but not in Italy. It is just not their culture.
The earliest dinner starts is 7pm. You will not find a restaurant open before then. And if they are open, that is another good sign of a tourist restaurant ;)
Eating dinner at about 8:30pm is probably the best time to go!
*BONUS TIP #1*
Almost always, you will be given bread with your meal. The bread is not for adding butter or snacking on. It is for soaking up extra sauce. It is also not the best bread to eat on its own. They don’t add salt to the bread, FYI.
You will be charged for the bread. You may noticed a “pane” charge on your check. Normally this is a few euros per person. After a week there, I really didn’t need any more bread while dining. If you decide to cut the carbs back a bit, just simply ask for “no pane” (pronounced pawn-a). They may seem a bit surprised but it really isn’t a big deal. Be sure to request no bread before they bring it, if it has already been placed in front of you, it may seem rude at the point to refuse.
*BONUS TIP #2*
You don’t need to tip in Italy. The servers are already given a nice wage and tipping can be seen as insulting. If you had an amazing service, just ask for no change back. For example if the meal is 29 euros, just give 30 and ask for no change.
