You take your luggage, take a flight and step into a new country for your new travel. What’s the first thing you’ll have in your mind after a long journey? Food of course! In Italy, you don’t need to worry about eating a delicious meal with the abundant delicacies all over the peninsula. The biggest issue is what to choose and where to eat it.
Every region, every city offers a different perspective of Italian cuisine. Either it’s a an osteria or a trattoria or simply a wine bar, you will be able to experience the beautiful bite from this country. Honestly it is quite hard to choose the best Italian food when there are so many.
When you think about the cities you’ll visit such as Milan, Rome, Venice or Naples; they all have their signature dishes. We have narrowed down our list to 10 best Italian dishes. But there are so many places to eat them, right? We got your back, we present you the 10 best Italian dishes and where to eat them!
1. TAGLITELLE AL RAGU BOLOGNESE
Bologna is without a doubt the best student city in Italy. However it has more to offer than cocktail bars and cheap eateries: Ragu Bolognese. It’s not the only but probably the best sauce of Bolognese cuisine. A rich and deep meat sauce that has to be simmered at least 2 hours to extract the essence of the ingredients. Also in Bologna, a Bolognese is never served with spaghetti. It is either with taglietelle or in a tortellini. Caminetto D’Oro is a restaurant owned by Carati family in central Bologna. Their pasta is fresh and home-made, they have the best bread served with the meal. You can’t go wrong with those.
Address: Via De’ Falegnami 4 – Bologna
Phone:+39 051 263494
2. BISTECCA ALLA FIORENTINA
Florence is the heart of the renaissance but it may also capture your hearts with this outstanding dish. Most of the travelers visit the city for famous museums, paintings and statues but within this tiring trip they shouldn’t forget to take a bite from local cuisine. Also known as Florentine Steak in English, Bistecca alla Fiorentina is a Tuscan version of T-bone steak with a thicker cut and cooked rare. Traditionally, this steak is made with local breed Chianina in Florence. It looks very simple when you see it on your plate: Meat, some spices -usually salt and pepper- and that’s it. After you taste it you will realize it is simply more than that. Try it at Palle D’Oro, a local favorite spot in the center of Florence. You might be the only tourist in the whole restaurant ,that means you are in the right place!
Address: Via S.Antonino 43/r , Florence
Phone: +39 055 288383
3. PIZZA NAPOLETANA
For an Italian, a pizza eaten outside of Italy is never a pizza. For a Napoletana – a person who is from Naples- , a pizza eaten outside of Naples is not a pizza. Pizza Napoletana is the star of Naples for sure and highly appreciated through Italy. It’s the only geographically protected dish with TSG (Traditional Specialities Guaranteed) and the ingredients are very specific and you have follow a strict recipe protected by law. In Pizza Napoletana, you have to use San Marzono tomatoes which is a very special tomoto variety grows in hillside of Mount Vesuvius. Also, the cheese should be Mozzarella di Bufala Campana which is a PDO mozzarella from Campana region. In Naples, try Pizza Napoletana in Sorbillo, it’s a family pizzeria and now managed by third generation of the family.
Address: Via Tribunali, 32 – Naples
Phone: +39 081 1933 1280
4. TIRAMISU
You probably have eaten Tiramisu a countless times no matter what the location is. However the most probably they were much different that what you’ll be having in Italy. Right now, it is considered that Tiramisu is from Treviso in Friuli-Venezia region. Tiramisu contains egg yolk, sugar, coffee, cocoa and most importantly Mascarpone cheese, Savoiardi biscuits and usually Marsala which is a wine coming from Sicily. Tiramisu actually means lift me up in Italian. It surely will increase your mood after you eat this light and astonishingly flavorful dessert. Best place is to have Tiramisu is Le Beccherie in Treviso since it is the birthplace of the dish.
Address: Piazza Giannino Ancilotto ,9 – Treviso
Phone: +39 0422 540871
5. PASTA CON PESTO ALLA GENOVESE
Delete all Pesto Genovese memories from your mind because here is the whole another level. The name of the sauce you know as pesto is actually Pesto alla Genovese: gracious amount of Genovese basil, pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano , Fiore Sardo Pecorino. All ingredients are carefully pounded preferably in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle. Type of pasta usually is trofie which ubiquitous in Liguria region. In Cavour 21, you can indulge in this appetizing dish for a shocking price for 6,5€ and it’s the best in town. It certainly deserves waiting in the line for this.
Address: Piazza Cavour, 21 , Genova
Phone: +39 393 851 1140
6. MELANZANE ALLA PARMIGIANA
Aubergines with Parmigiano Reggiano: A long-loved vegetarian dish from the very heart of Campana region. Another well known Italian dish on the list but again wait until you taste it here. In Italy, Melanzane alla Parmigiana may act as a main dish alone. It’s beautiful merge of a fried aubergine dressed and layered with Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese -sometimes with an addition of mozzarella and tomato sauce and after baked in oven. You might wonder how so little ingredient list become one of the most satisfying Italian dish. Osteria da Carmela is a Napolitan gem in Campana region which serves the best melanzane alla parmigiana.
Address: Conte di Ruvo 11/12, 80135, Napoli
Phone: +39 081 549 9738
7. ARANCINI
Honestly, Arancini are everywhere in Italy however the best ones belong to a very special island region: Sicily. Arancino literally means small orange because the shape of these filled and fried rice balls looks exactly like one. Traditional version is filled with ragu – known as arancini al ragu. You can also find variety of other fillings such as eggplant, cheese or a mix. In the eastern part of Sicily like Messina, arancini are rather in conical shape than a a round one. Also usually have a saffron rice. It is thought that the rice balls were made leftover risotto to not waste it. Well, rest assured because it surely didn’t! It makes a perfect quick snack while you are strolling in the streets. Ke Palle in Sicily offers the best arancini: Freshly fried with abundant flavors.
Address: Via Emerico Amari ,154- Palermo, Sicily
Phone: +39 091 611 2009
8. PASTA ALLA CARBONARA
The fame of Carbonara sauce goes a long way and it is now cherished by almost every country in Europe and USA. Then what is so good about Carbonara? Originating in Rome, it is the most popular dish among the travelers visiting the capital. The gooey egg yolks, guanciale – smooked pork jawls, Pecorino Romano – a regional hard cheese, freshly grounded black pepper and of course high quality dried past. Those are the essentials of a well prepared Pasta Carbonara. The shape of the pasta depends on the place, it is either rigatoni or spaghetti. In Santo Palato , a modern trattoria in Rome, will serve you the best one. Just by seeing the plate itself, you will enjoy the vivid color of the sauce and cripsy looking cuts of guanciale.
Address: Piazza Tarquinia, 4/A/B , Rome
Phone: +39 06 7720 7354
9. OSSOBUCO
If you are visiting Milan, eating Ossobuco is a must. Doesn’t matter if it’s winter or not, this casserole dish will give you more than you ask for. The name Ossobuco stands for bone with a hole. A veal shank which is cross cut contains fiber and muscular parts therefore it requires a long cooking time. Usually it is braised with variety of vegetables – mostly cold season ones-. It is served along with a local carb-based food: Risotto alla milanese, polenta or gnocchi. While serving they will garnish with gremolata to freshen up the meat. It’s is basically a mixture of lemon zest, parsley, garlic and sometimes anchovy. Ossobuco needs experienced hands for cooking. So be careful where you eat it otherwise you might end up with chewy bites and bland sauce. Fortunately, L’Immagine exist for you to try best traditional Milanese cuisine.
Address: Via Varesina 61- Milan
Phone: +39 02 3926 4564
10. BACCALA MANTECATO
You know when you visit Venice, cicchetti and bacaro are two inseparable terms. Ciccheti are the bite-size snack foods offered in bacari -wine bars in Venice. Baccala Mantecato is one those cicchetti yet it’s not a simple one. Baccala is a term for stock fish and in Veneto region this is only used for salted or air dried codfish. It takes a long time to preserve the fish itself in this way. Also for the cooking, it requires a pre-soaking couple of days before.
Baccala Mantecato is made with this special salted codfish and creamed. Sounds very simple right? But it’s not creamed with a cream. Olive oil is slowly incorporated to the shredded cod -like making an emulsion. In the end dried codfish steadily absorbs the olive oil. There you go! You have most beautiful fish spread in Italy! You have to taste this dish in Venice and it has to be in El Sbarlefo.
Address: Sestiere Cannaregio 4556/c,
Phone: +39 041 524 6650