Restaurants in Cinque Terre, Siena, Orvieto

Hi Deena! We were in Cinque Terre last September and had some of the best restaurant experiences of our entire trip to Italy. Our favorite meal was at L'Osteria in Old Town Monterosso. I had a steak with peppercorn sauce and roasted potatoes--both were good, but the roasted potatoes were to die for. My husband had a gnocchi in pesto--the pesto was the best we've ever tasted. Don't miss the pesto in CT--it's the region it originated from, and you will never taste better pesto in your life! We also had a great experience at Cantina di Miky. It is in the new part of Monterosso, seaside. We had lunch the afternoon we got in and dinner another night, and the service and food were great both times. Both places were relaxed and affordable. Enjoy!

Another vote for Cantina di Miky: great place!

We loved Il Pirata in Vernazza.....best pastries ever for breakfast! I know they were fully booked for dinner every night we were there so the food must be pretty good for dinner as well.....it's a small little place up the hill from the train station but very walkable. Have fun in CT....was our favorite part of Italy!

We were in CT last September and stayed in Vernazza. We also went to Il Pirata a few times. The place is operated by what I believe are twin brothers although (or at least, the look much alike), personality wise, one is obviously in charge and is the joker of the place. He is very welcoming and loves making conversation. Their canolis are really good. The nice thing is, they are located next to the coin-op laundry and so you can hang out there and have a coffee or something while your clothes are being washed.

I would suggest you ask the people working in your hotel where they eat.

Often I make plans to eat at "famous" restaurants either to be put off by the menu after I get there or the prices of the food. We have seldom been steered wrong by "locals" manning the front desks in our hotels.

Let me warn you that Italians eat late, and they really eat a lot of food. My wife and I eat early @ 6:00 p.m., and we couldn't begin to eat so many courses as Italians will eat.

David, I'll respectfully disagree there. My husband and I do not eat late, have never had a problem finding something open earlier rather than not, and never felt obligated to order ALL the courses which are available. Dinner most often is just a shared appetizer and an entree (primo or secondo) apiece, or entree and dessert (dolce). We've never gotten a cold shoulder for doing so.

I'll also disagree that the desk always has the best advice. We've been sent to some restaurants that were not really very good at all, and I suspect were suggested as there was a family/friend connection. That won't always happen, of course, but just saying that multiple opinions are sometimes a good idea.

I adored Zeppelin in Orvieto. Chef Lorenzo also does an all day cooking class, which was awesome.

Thank you everyone for your replies. We are so looking forward to the trip and some great food!

Here's an off-the-beaten path restaurant in Orvieto: Osteria Numero Uno. http://www.osterianumerouno.eu
Most of the clientele is usually Italian, but they welcome others with open arms. The menu is written on a big board in the main dining room, but they will happily run a google-translated version of the menu in whatever language you require. I highly recommend it!

Pizzeria Charlie in Orvieto is an enjoyable casual restaurant.

As many time as we have been to Europe this last trip to Italy we actually tried some of the suggested Rick Steve's restaurants in his guide book and they were terrific. Looking at his video's he does like good food. We discovered this last year in London trying to stay in budget by using his suggestions for economical lunches.

I'd have to agree. I've used RS books for nearly all my European trips and while I don't use his hotel recommendations, I've used his restaurant recommendations and haven't been disappointed yet.

Hi, Deena,
We're kind of neighbors, as I'm from Fairbury! We got back from Italy a few weeks ago. We had a couple of good meals in Vernazza at Pizzaria Baia Saracena. I have a review on Tip Advisor with photos. It's got the best location in town, in my opinion, And really good pesto. Reasonable prices, too.
Have a great trip!

I would say that the poster who never had a problem finding a meal at 6 p.m., in Italy, has been very lucky. Most restaurants' doors aren't open until 7 or 7:30.

When we first started traveling in Italy, back in 1984, it was true that you were expected to order multiple courses and sharing just simply wasn't done. Anything else provoked rather cold treatment. However, over the last several years I've noticed a great deal of relaxation on that point. We now generally share one course and order another for each. Such an order has been accepted in a very friendly manner everywhere we've eaten.

I loved Ciak in Monterosso! Great place, wonderful pesto pasta!!

Miky is outstanding..make a reservation and you will get a good seat

I agree with Cantina Di Miky,we ate there twice when we were in Monterosso and Rick stayed in our same hotel and joined us for breakfast.
Mike

I will second Ciak in Monterosso. Opens at 7 and fills up fast. Outdoor seating is great and food is fabulous, the pesto gnocchi was incredable. At the end of the meal (3 hours later...we got to chatting with the couple next to us) the waiter comes over with a piece of paper in his hand and goes "okay..so what did you have again?"...love it!