Restaurants in Italy 101

We're back for the second season of our podcast!

This week, we talk about visiting restaurants in Italy: Everything you need to know, from booking your table, to the order of courses – there are lots! – to paying the bill and tipping. 

We also explain why pizza isn't always as easy to find as you'd think!

Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at:

www.LittleRoadsEurope.com

www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope

We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland.

And our "alter-egos" as musicians:

www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Transcript

RISTORANTE 101 podcast notes

Note: This is not a complete transcript, but rather the show notes we write in advance to prepare for the episode. 

INTRO: 

Welcome to Little Roads Unfiltered: Italy and Beyond

Today we’re talking about restaurants in Italy - 

Among other things, you’ll hear about…

- why you should always have a reservation 

- why you shouldn't drink a cappuccino after a meal

- why it’s not always easy to find a pizza in italy 

[music up then down to 20%]

This is Matt Walker          …and I’m Zeneba Bowers - 

We’re recording while sitting on the terrace of our tiny home in Italy - so you’ll get a sense of the sounds of life in our little town. We want this to be more like a casual conversion with us - complete with church bells, cats meowing, motor scooters and whatever else 

- so pour yourself a drink and join us as we talk about visiting Italian restaurants - here on Little Roads Unfiltered: Italy and Beyond.”

[Music up then fade out]

For those of you who don’t know us: We are professional musicians and also travel writers and consultants, living and working here in Italy for the past 6 years. 

If you want to learn more about us and our lives, you can find us on our website LittleRoadsEurope..com, on our socials, and now here on our new podcast, which we’re going to do unedited, as if you’re sitting here chatting with us - 

…and by the way, we hope you like our intro music - Matt arranged it, and we recorded it right here in our house! Since we’re musicians working here in Italy, ecc ecc ecc

So let’s get to talking about restaurants!

NAMES

This is actually a great time for our new segment: Ask Us Anything. A listener asked us, what is the deal with all those different names for restaurants? 

Ristorante, Osteria, Trattoria, and Locanda. Ristorante fanciest, Trattoria more casual, Osteria also casual, Locanda often meant with rooms. But those names don’t always carry that same meaning anymore. 

ENOTECA, RISTORANTE-PIZZERIA (vs plain pizzeria shop)

RESERVATIONS 

We always make reservations for ourselves, and that is also part of our service for our clients. 

For big cities, at least a month in advance. 

In small towns, usually 1-2 weeks, unless you have a large group. 

Same day: If the restaurant has space (Walk in at noon and ask for a 1:00 table.) 

Some of the restaurants we recommend are real mom-and-pop places, and some are upscale. But you have to book anyway - MOM AND POPS book up 

Sometimes we make a reservation and then be the only people eating that day. The reservation just ensures that the restaurant opens at all! 

In the US an empty restaurant could be a sign of poor quality, but not true in Italy. 

No reservations are required (or even possible) in pizzerias and small sandwich shops, reservations are only for sit-down restaurants. 

SUNDAY LUNCH

Your table is yours for the night - no turnover or pressure

It’s considered very rude to put “il conto” (the bill) on the table.Ask for the bill or just get us and pay on your way out.

(This is not true in cities like Rome or Florence, some restaurants do double or triple seatings.)

Meals are slow, and there can be a good amount of time in between courses (see below), as they are making your dish from scratch. If you want a faster meal, try a paninoteca (sandwich shop), pizzeria, or bar, or grab a picnic lunch at a grocery store.

SPLITTING THE BILL VS. SEPARATE CHECKS: 

DRESS 

No ties/jackets are required; our clients hear “reservation”and assume “dressy”

However: No shorts or flip flops, swimwear

SUBSTITUTIONS 

Substitutions on menus are not a thing here. The dish is served as the chef presents it, so if there is an element you do not like, best to just choose another dish. 

One notable exception: allergies, e.g. celiac

MEAL TIMES

Seatings for pranzo (lunch) generally happen no earlier than 12:30 and no later than maybe 2:00. Shoot for 1:00-1:30 to be safe. If you’re looking for a place to eat at 2:30, you may be totally out of luck. 

Cena (dinner) starts at maybe 7:30 absolute earliest, and goes on until everyone is done eating. Again, if you wait much later than 9:00, they may turn you away.

[Exceptions in larger cities]

ITALIAN MEAL COURSES

The first thing is water: acqua 

This will always be bottled water, and can be naturale (flat) or frizzante/gassata (sparkling). Don’t ask for tap water — this would be like asking for a drink out of the garden hose. Don’t worry, bottled water here is very cheap. (in US, bottle of Pellegrino cost us 9 bucks)

Bread will not come with butter or a dish of oil; it is meant to be used to soak up sauces on your plates. 

You’ll see that a per-person coperto (cover charge) is indicated on the menu. Typically a couple of bucks, meant to stand as a minimum service charge. (Used to be “pane e coperto”)

— “ADVERTISEMENT” BREAK —

That reminds me that we need to stop for a word from our sponsor - - - -  just kidding, we don’t have any sponsors - instead, today’s show is brought to you by: A Good Idea. 

And today’s Good Idea is: 

DON’T FEED BREAD TO DUCKS & other birds

That’s it!   … So anyway, where were we?

(That’s new bumper music by the way - Matt arranged, we recorded in the house here

Meals are served in courses:

Antipasti — appetizers - TAGLIERE and variations
Primi — pastas, soups or risotto
Secondi — meat dishes - this will be just meat; if you want a side dish, order a contorno to go with it
Contorni — vegetables, potatoes, salad
Dolci — desserts; occasionally this list will include a cheese plate
Caffe / digestivi — coffee (not cappuccino!) or digestive liqueur, like an amaro or a grappa

Not obligated or expected to order a dish from every course… However, in an especially charming or romantic location, make it an “epic” meal. Don’t take up a table and eat like a bird 

WINE

We almost always order house wine vino della casa -  in a carafe - mezzo litro, quartino, litro

Sometimes house wine is in bottle

TIPPING - (explain)

Note: PLEASE DO NOT try to pay for anything or tip in US dollars (or other foreign currency).

OUTRO: 

I think that’s a good place to wrap it up here - we hope you enjoyed joining us for our restaurant chat !

Don’t forget about our “Ask us anything” - you can write in and …

We’ll be talking about a wide variety of topics here on this podcast, from travel tips to slice-of-life stories - we’ll be posting a new episode each Tuesday. 

So catch us next time - we’ll see you down the Little Roads… CIAO!