Sharing a meal in Italy

It's acceptable but portions are MUCH smaller in Europe than in the US so it's just not as common.

I agree w/ David. In my last trip to Milan, I didn't have to share, and quite honestly wouldn't be able to. The portions were "just right", even the pasta was enough for 1.

I found that eating at a nice restaurant for lunch and then getting a more casual meal at dinner helps with the budget.

Also, remember that lunch is generally bigger in Italy, and also eat before the restaurant closes. We took a nap the first day and accidentally missed lunch... and couldn't find any restaurant opened til 7.

Hi Linda,

If you don't mind living on pasta or pizza you can actually do quite well anywhere in Italy for under 10.00 euro for a decent meal. I was in Italy for part of March and nearly all of April and I ate pasta everyday and never paid more than 8 euro including the service charge.

Greg

My two teen daughters often shared meals in Italy, or I shared with one of them. I thought the portion sizes were quite generous (maybe not the wheelbarrow sized portions of America, but still quite large). By sharing, we occasionally tried more courses, making our meals quite more interesting and varied. The restaurant meals in Italy are not inexpensive. I don't like paying for more food than I can eat, so sharing makes sense and you can always order more if your shared meal isn't enough. Never was any waiter rude about meal sharing in Italy.

It is funny the difference in responses on this website compared to others. I do not think there is anything wrong with sharing a meal. Many reasons for this. Whether you want to sample different things, cut the cost down, if you can't eat a full meal. Share and be happy!

A good tip for sharing a cheap meal. Find an antipasto bar and try it. Most of them are inexpensive by weight and real antipasto is great vegetables, meats and such. Our family of four had an antipasto dinner in Rome w/ wine for about 50 euros last summer and all were stuffed.

I'm not certain where everybody else has been eating, however-

When my wife and I started traveling to Italy, we did the primi, secondi, dolci thing on our first trip- and wasted a lot of food (and money)

We often now each only order a primi or secondi, often add a contorno or insalate verde or insalate mista, and don't overeat or overspend. Remember that waiters in Italy are on salaries, and get pensions when they retire- so they're not pushing you to spend more (to get a bigger tip). At many restaurants waiters have even volunteered to split primis and secondis for us- at no additional charge. Just be humble, pleasant, try and speak some Italian, and enjoy yourselves.

We had no problem last year with one ordering a primi and the other a secondi and then splitting them. Generally, we would also order a salad of some sort and also share it. Worked out well as even though I am pretty heavy, it would be impossible to eat both a primi & secondi at one sitting unless one wanted to sit there for hours. But we preferred to walk around in the evening after eating.

We just returned from a trip to Italy, and here's our experience. We are small people; and, frankly we find it impossible to consume both the primi and secondi served in most Italian restaurants, even though it's true that the portions are often (but not always) smaller than those in the U.S. It helps to eyeball the other tables to get a sense of portion size, or you can ask your waitperson. E.g., we had a waitress advise us that the gnocchi with clams was both very large and filling. We split it and were happy we did. We often shared one or both of the courses, sometimes with an added antipasto. Once or twice I sensed a whiff of disapproval from the waiter, but maybe that was just my imagination. Nothing overt. Often at lunch a set menu is offered, and the portions may be smaller than when ordering ala carte. Especially when you have children along, Italian restaurant staff tend to be flexible and understanding.

Thank you all for your replies. I appreciate the advice!

My husband and I often share. We get an antipasto, and a pasta. Sometimes a meat course. Share it all. The waiters usually bring second plates for us when they realize we are sharing.

We NEVER share gelato!!!!

Linda, I could never figure out how Italians could eat so many courses at dinner. Then I noticed that they often share a course so that they have the antipasto, the pasta, secondi, etc. without being stuffed. I would think that a waiter would only be annoyed by this if you are eating in a very touristy restaurant.

These are great tips! I am seriously concerned about our November trip as I have a set budget and the dollar's demise is cutting into my food budget. DD will be 12 and I am small so I think that we'll go for a Primi and a Contorno.. we're not big meat eaters so I can skip that course.

I'm a little confused about the whole antipasto thing. I've read some reviews that indicate it is "one price, fill your plate" and others whereby it is by weight... Anyone fill me in on this? I could fill a plate sky-high if it were one price (would I get horrible looks by the waiters as a greedy American??) Your insight welcome :)

Just back yesterday and we saw many people sharing courses in various ways with no problems from the staff.

I saw two girls who shared an antipasto split a pasta dish then both had a full secundi

Several times we split an antipasto split a primi my husband had a secundi and I had a salad.

One night we each had a primi, split a cheese course and had some fruit.

There are plenty of ways to experience wonderful delicious food in Italy despite the falling dollar.

Find local markets and supermercados for basics like water snacks and fresh fruit--- some will even make fresh sandwiches or picnics for you. Carry waterbottles and refill them from large bottles from the market rather than paying 2 or 3 euros from a snack card.

Don't ever feel that you have to impress some waiter that you don't know or will never see again. On the other hand when you order one entire meal for two people be prepared to eat from one plate if that's how it's presented.

We always shared dishes. However, in one restaurant the waiter asked if we wanted it one 2 plates. We said yes. When the bill came, we had an extra 2 Euro charge. After that, we insisted on him only bringing the one plate.

However, in one restaurant the waiter asked if we wanted it one 2 plates. We said yes. When the bill came, we had an extra 2 Euro charge.

Our local Italian restaurant (here in Arkansas) also charges extra to split over 2 plates. We're happy to pay it. Call me peculiar, but I just don't like to eat off of other people's plate, even with family members.

Linda,
My husband & I just got back last night from 2 weeks in Italy. We shared several meals as we found most portions rather large. As a matter of fact I commented to my husband the portions were larger than I expected. Anyway none of the waiters we encountered seemed to have a problem with our sharing.