The 25 best restaurants on the Amalfi Coast

The Romans were right when they called it “Campania Felix”, and today, this blessed little corner of Campania on the southern strip of the Sorrentine peninsula is a paradise for gourmets. Back in the 1960s, the first Italian Michelin star was bagged by La Caravella in Amalfi, and now the area has one of the highest concentration of stars in Italy. But that’s not the whole story and some of the best eating experiences are to be had in authentic trattorie that are well off the tourist radar. The culinary traditions here are influenced by the dual existence of sea and mountains and the warm, sunny climate: flavours are bold and colours are bright. So without further adieu, these are the best restaurants on the Amalfi Coast

Hostaria di Bacco

Eating options are limited this high up in the mountains, but it’s worth the trek first to visit Marisa Cuomo’s winery and second to eat at her sister Ermina’s exceptional restaurant just up the road. The menu gives equal billing to elegant seafood, meat and vegetable dishes served on a terrace with dizzying views; the signature ferrazzuoli alla nanarella (pasta with smoked swordfish, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts and sultanas) is a must and dessert includes cicale di furore’ little cakes made with prickly pears and almonds. The wine list features many interesting local labels, but the obvious choice is a bottle of Cuomo’s superb white Fiorduva.

Address: Via Lama 9, Furore
Website: baccofurore.it

Lido Azzurro

Ask the locals about their favourite Amalfi coast restaurants for seafood, and many will come up with the name Lido Azzuro, a busy restaurant with a terrace overlooking Amalfi’s port. Chef Antonio Pisani (aka ‘Bijoux’) has been serving unfussy fish and seafood dishes based on the catch of the day landed by the local boats for decades; the late Gianni Agnelli was a regular. Warm seafood salad, spaghetti alle vongole, risotto alla pescatora and whole fish baked in a salt crust are all classic dishes brilliantly executed. A bottle of Giuseppe Apicella’s chilled rosé from Tramonti up the hill is a perfect wine pairing.

Address: Via Lungomare dei Cavalieri 5, Amalfi
Website: ristorantelidoazzurro.it

Armandino

Although this place has been well and truly discovered and is often packed, the tables laid under the towering cliffs of the tiny fishing village La Praia still make a fine setting for a simple meal and a good bottle of local wine. Jovial host Armandino serves up traditional fish and seafood dishes (plus the odd banal meat choice) according to what the fishermen bring in that day: that could mean golden-crisp, deep-fried alici (anchovies), risotto alla pescatora and grilled swordfish steaks drizzled with the local minty dressing.

Address: Via Marina di Praia, 84010 Praiano SA
Website: facebook.com

Pasticceria Sal De Riso

Minori is a pretty little town just east of Amalfi whose attractions include the remains of a Roman villa, a pretty beach and this famous pastry shop and bar, set just behind the seafront. The De Riso family have been turning out sweet treats since 1908, and today it is Sal (Salvatore) who is the maestro pasticciere producing heavenly cakes and pastries, all beautifully displayed in glass cabinets in his smart shop. Don’t miss the pear and ricotta tart, the melting, ricotta-filled sfogliatelle and the babà doused with either rum or limoncello. The homemade gelato is superb too.

Address: Via Roma 70, Minori
Website: salderiso.it

La Torre, Annunziata

The northern stretch of the Amalfi peninsula is well worth exploring, not least for its plethora of excellent restaurants, and this little family-run place, high up in the hills above Massa Lubrense, is one of our favourites. Bag a table under giant white umbrellas on the flower-festooned terrace to feast on local dishes prepared by the personable Maria Mazzola, starting with the generous house antipasto before moving on to the likes of pasta with sea urchins and polipetto affogato, baby octopus ‘drowning’ in rich, sweet tomato sauce before winding up with Maria’s much-lauded tiramisù. And don’t miss the fabulous views of Capri from the nearby Belvedere.

Address: Piazzetta Annunziata 7, Massa Lubrense
Website: latorreonefire.com

La Sponda

Not only is La Sponda at the Le Sirenuse one of the very top tables in Positano, but it is also arguably the most romantic. Dinner on the terrace with the theatrically-lit town laid out before you being serenaded by a couple of old-timers on mandolin and guitar is a unique experience. Young chef Gennaro Russo’s unfussy yet sophisticated modern food delivers local flavours that are fresh and clean; seared tuna with beans and candied lemon peel, beef-stuffed fagotelli pasta with aged parmesan cheese and black truffle and baked, line-caught sea bass. For a finishing flourish, there is a light-as-air Neapolitan babà. Add a weighty wine list and exquisite service to the mix, and you have near perfection.

Address: Via Cristoforo Colombo 30, Positano
Website: sirenuse.it

Il Grottino Azzuro

Most of the restaurants down on the beach in Positano are over-priced, over-crowded and offer mediocre food, while this little gem – located by the bus stop at the top of the town – knocks up delicious local specialities at reasonable prices. Both Positanesi and tourists-in-the-know pack the two simple rooms done-out in cheerful blue and white to feast on dishes from the daily menu; linguine with crab or lobster, pumpkin soup with seared calamari, insalata di polpo (octopus) and rustic local sausages with bitter greens. The walk back down the hill will see off any indigestion.

Address: Via G. Marconi 302, Positano
Website: facebook.com/ilgrottinoazzurro

Lo Scoglio

Hire a boat from Positano to reach this famous beachside restaurant where the emphasis is on fresh, local vegetables (from the De Simone family’s garden) and freshly-caught fish and seafood; the summer dining room, an expansive wooden deck built over the sea, is a perfect place to sample the famous spaghetti alle zucchini. Catch of the day poached “all’acqua pazza” (in a tomato and herb-flavoured stock) makes a good secondo. You could try the curious local speciality, melanzane al cioccolato (aubergine and chocolate pudding), for dessert. A handful of bright and breezy rooms (recently smartened up) overlooking the beach are available for rent.

Address: Piazza delle Sirene 15, Marina di Cantone
Website: hotelloscoglio.com

Acquapazza, Cetara

There are several excellent restaurants in the small fishing village of Cetara, but Acquapazza is our favourite. Located down near the quayside and with a pared-back modern vibe, it’s a great place to sample the local speciality of colatura di alici (a kind of anchovy essence) as they make their own. Two Gennaro’s (one in the kitchen, the other front-of-house) run the place which offers dishes made with just-landed fish and seafood brought in by the local boats. Steaming piles of spaghetti are dressed with garlic, parsley and salty colatura and linguini come with sea urchins and a whiff of candied lemon peel. Mains include whole, oven-roast pezzogna (a local bream) with potatoes and pomodorini. There’s a fine wine list showcasing excellent local whites.

Address: Corso Garibaldi 36, Cetara
Website: acquapazza.it

Lo Stuzzichino

With its bright, open kitchen, Mimmo De Gregorio’s contemporary trattoria lies high in the hills in the small town of Sant’Agata which straddles a ridge with expansive views over the gulfs of Naples and Salerno. A Slow Food ethos drives the strictly seasonal menu, which gives equal billing to meat, fish, seafood, and vegetable dishes using ingredients sourced from artisan producers. Expect exemplary versions of aubergine parmigiana, gnocchi alla Sorrentina and other favourites, but also curiosities like fried delicate pink prawns from Crapolla, citrussy sea bass fillet and grilled ‘Laticauda’ lamb chops with rosemary-spiked roast potatoes. The award-winning wine list includes plenty of regional gems, and mark-ups are honest.

Address: Via Deserto 1A, Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi
Website: ristorantelostuzzichino.it

Maria Grazia

A rival operation to Lo Scoglio and at the other end of the pebbly beach, this little place is cheaper and more laid back. Maria Grazia claims to have invented the now ubiquitous local speciality spaghetti con zucchine alla Nerano in her pretty tiled kitchen at the back, and her version is very delicious. The antipasti of stuffed peppers, parmigiana and tiny pink local prawns are also top-notch, and a jug of white wine with chunky peach slices is a fresh, brilliant pairing. Go for lunch and enjoy some time on the beach too.

Address: Via Marina del Cantone 65, Marina di Cantone
Website: ristorantemariagrazia.com

Casa e Bottega

Suppose you wander around Positano at breakfast or lunchtime and feel like something fresh, light and a little different. In that case, Tanina Vanacore’s bright, modern, plant-filled café-restaurant-interiors shop is a good bet (she founded the excellent Next2 up the road). The day starts with avocado toast, savoury muffins with smoked salmon, homemade pastries, freshly squeezed juices and smoothies. Alternatively, the lunch menu offers hummus, rice bowls with seared tuna or grilled chicken and interesting salads. You can’t book, but while you wait, you can peruse the locally-made textiles, glassware and ceramics for sale.

Address: Via Pasitea 100, Positano
Website: casaebottegapositano.it

A’ Paranza

This informal trattoria is a very fine place for a traditional seafood meal that’s not going to break the bank. One of the draws is the fantastic array of fishy antipasti della casa; the choice varies daily, but standouts on a recent visit included deep-fried courgette flowers stuffed with smoked mozzarella, ricotta and swordfish and gratin of minced squid. Follow this with a simply-grilled local pezzogna (blue-spotted bream) and homemade ricotta and pear flan; there won’t be room for much more. The wine list includes many local curiosities, but you could try one of the excellent whites from nearby Tramonti.

Address: Traversa Dragoni 2, Atrani
Website: ristoranteparanza.com

Kasai

This lively, boho-chic risto-shop lies on a quiet lane above Praiano’s main street and has a roadside terrace overlooking the coast far below. The menu is based on local fish, seafood and meat dishes prepared with a touch of creative flair that mostly works well; pasta with local red squid, truffles or fishy ragù, lamb, baccalà (salt cod) and pizza. Daily specials might include pasta with fresh tuna and aubergine or pizza topped with shrimp and citrus pesto. Finish off with a chocolate and almond torta caprese, a speciality of Capri.

Address: Corso Umberto I 85, Praiano
Website: facebook.com

Donna Rosa

A 20-minute drive into the hills above Positano brings you to the small village of Montepertuso which offers cooler air, beautiful views and this rather elegant, family-run restaurant. One daughter oversees the front-of-house while her sister and mother preside over the open kitchen producing seasonal dishes that reflect the dual influence of sea and mountains such as homemade pappardelle with porcini mushrooms and prawns. The famous hot chocolate soufflé is worth leaving space for and the wine list features many interesting local labels as well as rich pickings from other Italian regions.

Address: Via Montepertuso 97/99, Montepertuso
Website: drpositano.com

Cumpa Cosimo

Netta Bottone’s family have been running this rustic place (all dark wood furniture, white cloths and walls stacked with paintings and photos) for 80-odd years, and while firmly on the tourist map, it’s a good choice for a simple, authentic meal. Jackie Kennedy used to come here to escape the paps when she was visiting in the old days. The classic starter here is the misto di primi, a quintet of homemade pasta dishes that varies according to the personable Netta’s mood. Followed by a salad and one of the house desserts, which should be enough, but the meat dishes are also good; the family’s butcher shop is just next door.

Address: Via Roma 44/46, Ravello

Il Glicine, Amalfi

The wisteria-draped terrace of the Hotel Santa Caterina is one of the loveliest Amalfi Coast restaurants, and chef Giuseppe Stanzione’s stellar food well lives up to the setting; this is a place for a special treat. Many of his cleaver, mod-Mediterranean dishes are firmly rooted in his native Campania; luxurious ingredients such as truffles, oysters, foie gras and turbot appear alongside pasta from Gragnano, buffalo mozzarella from Paestum, Amalfi lemons and tiny pink shrimps from the local waters in re-interpretations of local culinary traditions. Service is formal, but this being southern Italy, it’s never pompous.

Address: SS Amalfitana 9, Amalfi
Website: hotelsantacaterina.it

Volta del Fuenti, Vietri-sul-Mare

This gourmet newcomer is part of a recently opened beach club set below terraced gardens that tumble down to the shore between Vietri and Cetara. Helming the kitchen, chef Michele De Blasio stays close to his Campanian roots, adding large doses of creativity and technical wizardry in palate-teasing fish and meat dishes that are both familiar and surprising. The spare, white décor means that only the fabulous views distract from the food: ‘caesar di mare’, a fresh, zinging fishy riff on the famous salad, tataki of red tuna, Iberico suckling pig and foie gras parfait and dark chocolate mousse with olive powder. The wine list is as interesting as the food; be guided by the sommelier.

Address: SS 163 Amalfitana km 47 + 300, Vietri-sul-mare
Website: giardinifuenti.com

La Tagliata

An excellent place to head for when you’ve had your fill of fish and with a vast panoramic terrace, rustic La Tagliata is located in the village of Montepertuso, just above Positano, and serves up hearty, homemade meat and vegetable-centric dishes at affordable prices. Produce is sourced from the restaurant’s kitchen garden while meat and poultry are local; expect hearty pasta e fagioli, fusilli with spicy sausage and broccoli greens and stuffed gnocchi and, for mains, grilled meats including a vast ‘bistecca alla fiorentina’. Transport is available from Positano on request; just be sure to book ahead.

Address: Via Tagliata 32B, Montepertuso, Positano
Website: latagliata.com

Bar Bruno

It’s a bit of a trek up to this family-run restaurant that straddles the high coastal road leading out of Positano, but the narrow pavement terrace is a fantastic spot for an informal meal thanks to jaw-dropping views and reliable food. The all-day menu features local standards such as marinated anchovies, spaghetti with mixed seafood (bursting with clams, mussels and prawns), eggplant parmigiana and fishy fritto misto. Finish off with delizie al limone (sponge cake smothered in lemon cream), and order something cold, local and white to wash it all down.

Address: Via Cristoforo Colombo 157, Positano 
Website: brunopositano.it

Da Adolfo

While this enduring Positano favourite is a far cry from the off-radar beach shack it once was, the spirit of Adolfo Bella’s original restaurant lives on in its casual, toes-in-the-sand vibe. You still queue up on the beach for the boat with the red fish on its mast to reach it. The menu, unchanged in decades, is chalked up on a blackboard; grilled mozzarella on lemon leaves is a classic, as is zuppa di cozze (mussels) and grilled whole catch of the day. There are jugs of iced sangria, bottles of local white to slosh, and sunbeds to sleep it all off. Touristy? Yes, but it's still fun.

Address: Via Laurito 40, Positano
Website: daadolfo.com

Armatore, Cetara

Along with the increase in visitors to the weathered old fishing village of Cetara have come some enjoyable new eating and drinking options. Armatore, owned by the eponymous producers of canned tuna and anchovies et al., is one such place, tucked under the arches of the ancient town walls with a sea-facing terrace. The vibe is casual, with a short-ish menu based on what the local waters offer: deep-fried anchovies or octopus tentacles, paccheri pasta with monkfish ragù and seared tuna steak with crispy sea lettuce. The three-course tasting menu is reasonably priced at €35; or you can simply pop in for an aperitivo.

Address: Via Galea 1, Massa Lubrense
Website: armatorecetara.it

Casa Mandina, Maiori

One of the new generation of restaurants recently opened in the area, the Pappalardo brothers’ relaxed, contemporary Casa Mandina, is in Maiori, just east of Amalfi. After stints in some of the Costiera’s finest kitchens, the sibling chefs set out to offer something a bit different, hence their Chef’s Table, where diners can book seats at a counter for a five-course tasting menu which comes with ringside views of the action in the kitchen and direct contact with the chefs. Alternatively, you can choose à la carte; dishes are based on local traditions with the odd diversion, hence beef tartare with black truffles, risotto with red mullet and saffron, tempura of salt cod and pig’s cheek with ginger and black truffle. Finish with tarte tatin made with local annurca apples.

Address: Via Casa Mandina, Maiori
Website: casamandina.it

Mimì, Ravello

This bright, cheerful ‘Pizzeria-Cucina’ is set on the stepped lane leading to Villa Cimbrone, with a pavement terrace and a lovely garden; it serves up excellent pizza plus other traditional dishes using produce that is sourced locally, much of it from the Mansi family’s kitchen garden. The pizzaiuolo is Neapolitan, so the wood-fired pizzas come with puffy, perfectly-charred crusts; the stand-out ‘Nerano’, with courgettes, basil and provolone cheese from nearby Agerola, pays homage to the famous local pasta dish and the ‘Napoli’ uses anchovies from Cetara. Then there is marinated tuna carpaccio, linguine with seafood, salt cod and rum babà to finish, washed down with an ice-cold, homemade limoncello.

Address: Via di San Francesco 12, Ravello
Website: mimravello.it

Da Lorenzo, Scala

That the Apicella family’s trattoria just outside the quiet, pretty little village of Scala is an enduring favourite of celebrity chef Alain Ducasse is endorsement enough for us, and indeed, the fresh, seasonal food is excellent. Tables are laid on a gorgeous terrace overlooking Ravello and filled with punters from around the world (locals too) who flock here for the regional, unfussy cooking that showcases hopping fresh local fish and seafood; standouts include melanzane alla parmigiana, paccheri pasta with red prawns, grilled breaded calamari and hazelnut semifreddo with chocolate sauce.

Address: Via Frà Gerardo Sasso 8, Scala
Website: trattoriadalorenzo.com