Restaurant Reservations?

ann,

You won't need reservations in the Cinque Terre, as things tend to be somewhat "informal" there. If a particular restaurant is busy, you may have a short wait but that's not usually too long.

I can't offer any comments on the other cities you mentioned. I tend to dine in the smaller local restaurants and not in the posh joints, and I've never had any trouble just showing up at the door.

I think Ken is talking about a different kind of restaurant than you are. For the really good places, known for great food, you do need reservations. Maybe not months in advance, but if you know where you want to go, I would reserve a week or two ahead. For example, we were unable to get dinner reservations at Alle Testiere in Venice even asking ten days ahead.

Even for the more casual, less trendy, places, we feel we are treated better (better table and service) if we stop by and reserve a day or so ahead.

Reservations are definitely done, especially at places using the name "ristorante" instead of "trattoria/pizzeria," but I'm not aware of any place that books out months ahead. All your cities combined only have a few restaurants with more than one Michelin star. Places where it's wise to reserve often have that function online. Rick's book will suggest reservations at some of his listings which are small and do fill up, especially on weekends.

For places that aren't Michelin starred but are popular, reserving is a good idea, but it doesn't have to be done from home unless it's a very special place. You can often book 1-2 nights before, or even closer (my friend, who cares more about eating at particular restaurants than I do, will often stop by a place at lunch and reserve for dinner).

If you show up without a reservation, you can indeed be turned away. You won't wait, as most Italian restaurants only have one seating per table per meal. If the table's taken, it's taken for the night. So, if you walk in without a reservation, usually you'll either be seated, or told no tables are available (in which case you leave to find another restaurant - no wasted time waiting). The flip side of this is that once you have a table, it's yours for the night; there is no pressure to leave so they can seat someone else.

If I set my sights on a restaurant, I reserve, even for pizza! We've been turned away from some fine pizzerias! A few weeks ago we traveled half-way across Rome and luckily had a reservation because although the pizzeria looked empty at 20:00, they were fully committed and a young couple ahead of us wee turned away. My philosophy is to not waste time waiting, so I like to reserve. Even if you walk into a place and it looks empty, many times most of the table are booked. I also think you get a measure of respect by being courteous and phoning ahead.

Venezia: Hard to get into La Zucca unless you reserve several days in advance.

Cinque Terre: Must reserve for Trattoria Da Billy in Manarola and Ristorante di Miky. (I prefer Billy's despite Rick's leaning toward Miky.)

Roma: Reserve anywhere you really WANT to eat, preferably a day-or-two in advance, but certainly by 6:00PM day of. For our second-favorite pizza, I have to call on Weds for Friday or we do not get in.

Restaurant reservations may be wise on festive days. On Friday (two days in advance) we decided to go to a restaurant for our Easter lunch; we had to phone to six restaurants in Florence and surroundings before finding one open on Easter day and having three free places.

And there are some excellent eateries that do not take reservations, so quality or category isn't always tied to the need to reserve.

I would highly recommend Ristorante Miky in Cinque Terre (got it from the RS book) -- we stopped by and made our reservation for the next evening as they were booked the first night. If you have your sights on a particular place on a particular day, you might want a reservation, but otherwise, it was pretty easy to get in or we'd just go to the next place on the block.

Other places that were highlights in those areas (we're told by friends that we're foodies too!):

CT: Trattoria Locanda Il Porticciolo (Manarola), Ristorante Miky (Monterosso)

Venice: LaZucca and Do Farai

Florence: La Cucina del Garza, Il Parione (or Trattoria Parione), Ristoriante del Fagioli (this was full so I'd get a res), Il Santo Bevitore

Rome: Da Armando at Pantheon, La Pace Del Palato (not the best service but enjoyed the food)

Most of these were fairly casual -- I think the "nicest" one was Ristorante Miky, but they range in price from fairly inexpensive for sit down (10-12 euros for pasta) and on up to pricier options.

I don't think you need to make reservation far in advance except for the very popular. If you know where you want to go, then do so. I do think Italy has more a reservation expected culture. Years ago when we would walk up to a restaurant we were always asked if we had reservation. When we said "no" we often had the feeling that this was a slight disapproval and we got the table by the kitchen door. In recent years we always make reservation either by calling if we know where we are going or often will just walk by during the late PM and make a reservation for later that night. Now, it may be selective perception but believe that we get better treatment when we an answer, Yes, we have a reservation.