Hello! We are headed to Italy for 2 weeks in September for our honeymoon. We will be staying in Milan, Varenna, Florence, Rome and Sorrento. We are scouring the RS book and the internet for restaurants we might be interested in. But I am curious at what point do you schedule a dinner for every night vs winging it and finding a place that just looks neat? So many places in the RS book say reservations are nearly required. I wondered on an average night is it actually near-impossible to walk in to a restaurant or if you wander around, you'll find one you think you'll like eventually and there won't be a crazy wait/all tables booked? I want to make sure we have some places reserved for special nights but not to have things too planned out. Also if you have any recommendations we would gladly take them.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15809 posts
How many people in your party? If it’s only 2 of you they can usually sit without reservations, at most you’ll have to wait a bit. I was in Italy, including Florence and Rome, this month and I never made reservations, I went to restaurants which are pretty popular with locals and at most I had to wait 20 min (for 3 of us, in Trastevere). Only once (in Porto Santo Stefano on a Saturday night) we were asked to please be out in 2 hours since the table was reserved for after 9:45pm). If you go to restaurants popular with Italians when they open at 7 or 7:30pm, locals will not show up before 9 or 9:30pm, if you rely on RS, then the place will be packed with Americans (with a yellow and blue book on the table), and they show up early.
Posted by
seattle
2085 posts
We have often found that if you walk by a restaurant you would like to try that is open for lunch, you can stop in a book a table for dinner for that night or the next. But we typically plan to reserve anybrestaurant we especially want to go to
Posted by
152 posts
We've learned the hard way to make a reservation for each night of our trip. On the rare occasions that we haven't we have never had as nice a meal as on the nights with a reservation.
It is also so much more relaxing, as you don't really have to think about dinner, you can sightsee all day, return to the hotel for a pre-dinner drink and rest, and wander leisurely to the restaurant.
There have been occasions when we have discovered a restaurant that we really like whilst walking around. In that case we book then and there and cancel our pre-booked one.
We will be in Italy and Switzerland for three and a half weeks in September and October, and I will have a reservation every night.
I do add though that we aren't American so eat between 7:30 and 8:30. You could probably skip this if you eat at 5 which some Americans seem to.
Posted by
Chicago
8431 posts
Reservations get you better place as small local good restaurants routinely book out. But you can often book less famous places a day or two ahead or just stop in at lunch and book for that evening or the next. So you can choose a place that 'looks good' and reserve on the spot for later that day. But since you are moving around so much, I would be doing my research now and booking ahead for most nights.
Posted by
Central Florida Coast. (Melbourne)
93 posts
We usually don't wait to eat at peak crowded dinner hours, so that is rarely a problem. I prefer to see what is available in the particular area first, but admittedly we are not supper fussy about finding the perfect restaurant. I realize we may be in the minority on this.
If you are fussy foodie and prefer to eat at peak times then it is always good to get reservations in crowded tourist destinations.