We are going to be in Milan for one night and Verona for 2 nights in the beginning of August. I am looking for restaurants for dinner. Not too worried about price, but the priciest places with the fancy food don't really interest me. Also, pizza is not our first choice. Good food and good wine, that's all. Atmosphere is just as important. Any suggestions?
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
1546 posts
Al Grottino - Osteria e Sbecoleria is a great hole in the wall place off Piazza Erbe for a drink and cicchetti. Cafe Monte Baldo nearby also has great cicchetti and more serious food if you want that. Right near the cafe there is Arcivio a super small, super hip cocktail bar. There is no lack of good restaurants in Verona but read the menu carefully at the older places because the cuisine can be very "traditional". There are many wine-centric resultants like Osteria del Bugiardo. Al Grottino only has a few wines but they were really good. The main wine in the Verona area is Valpolicella which comes in the grades Classico Superiore, Ripasso and Amarone increasing in quality and price. Given how cheap the wine is I wouldn't go lower than Ripasso and even the highest Amarone seems cheap by stateside standards - 8-9e a glass. There are a bunch of osterias under the porticos along Via Sottoriva right near the river. There are cafes with outdoor seating everywhere in Verona whenever you decide to want to sit and/or spritz.
Enjoy Verona, it's a great walking city,
=Tod
Posted by
OP
Frisco, Texas, US
302 posts
Thanks, Tod! We got tickets to La Traviata, can't wait!
Posted by
San Diego, CA
33 posts
There are many good restaurant guide books/sites. My favorite site is Katie Parla. Katie keeps it authentic. She does have restaurant guide for Milan:
https://katieparla.com/city-guides/
Enjoy your travels!
Les :-)
Posted by
new york
618 posts
Verona: Al Pompiere. Without a doubt.
Must book ahead.
https://www.alpompiere.com/it/
https://www.alpompiere.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Menu-WEB-Pompiere.pdf
Posted by
14 posts
Verona: I second Trattoria Al Pompiere.
As ekscrunchy new york advised, make a reservation in advance.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
12026 posts
In Milan, we stay at Hotel Berna as do many on this forum. Nearby are two we like: old school, classic food, stellar service. Osteria Mamma Rosa https://osteriamammarosa.it/ is our favorite, but we also enjoyed dining at Antica Osteria Cavallini https://www.anticaosteriacavallini.it/ which has a covered terrace in the back. Mamma Rosa is more intimate.