Amalfi Coast - ferry return times affect what town you can eat dinner?

There are buses, but I do not know how often they are full--as they can be during the day. To me, it does require a think about where you want to be at night to avoid the prospect of a very expensive taxi.

Just plan to have lunch in Positano or Amalfi
If you are staying in Sorrento- have dinner there- there are MANY good restaurants in Sorrento.

Christine H nailed it.

The one downside to the Amalfi Coast are transportation issues. A cab will be expensive and from what I saw when we were there in April, the bus is risky for being full and you having to wait for the next one. However, maybe it's better later in the evening and the bus will be reliable. We weren't willing to take the chance after seeing so many people waiting at the bus stop in Positano that people were blocking traffic.

But what others have said, you won't run out of quality restaurants in Sorrento.

Another vote for just having dinner in Sorrento, if that's where you'll be staying. Lots of good places to choose from, and it'll just be easier (and in the case of taxis, a lot less expensive) than having to deal with road transport to get back.

I just got back from the Rick Steves Southern Italy tour. During our free day on the Amalfi coast, some of us took the ferry to Positano and Amalfi. The ferries are unreliable and do not follow the posted schedules. Plan on long waits. Others on the tour went to Ravello by bus. The bus is also unreliable and when it did arrive, it was full. I also suggest having dinner in Sorrento.