The 22 best restaurants on the Amalfi Coast
Fresh seafood and a sea-view terrace are the desires of most when it comes to restaurants on the Amalfi Coast, but it can be difficult to separate the tourist traps from the truly great. Here, our expert Nicky Swallow rounds up the best places to dine on zuppe di pesce (fish soup), sip on ice-cold limoncello, or try local speciality colatura di alici (anchovy sauce) – be it at a seaside shack only accessible by boat, or one of those most-coveted bougainvillea-clad terraces.
For further Amalfi Coast inspiration, see our guides to the city's best hotels, nightlife and things to do.
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Positano and around
La Cambusa
This Positano classic, set just above the main beach, has been serving locals and visitors alike since 1970 and the impressive display of hopping fresh fish and seafood near the entrance showcases the best of what the local waters have to offer. The all-day menu features refreshing starters such as sea bass, fennel and citrus carpaccio (brilliant on a hot day) and zuppa di pesce (the local take on bouillabaisse), or whole fish baked on a bed of sliced potatoes and cherry tomatoes. The veranda is a prime people-watching spot.
Contact: lacambusapositano.com
Prices: ££
Reservations: Essential for dinner in high season
Da Adolfo
Although it has been well and truly ‘discovered’, Adolfo’s seaside shack is a fun place to escape to on a hot sunny day, and plenty of Positanesi rate it too. It is set on miniscule Laurito beach, a 10-minute boat ride from Positano; to reach it you have to join the queue for the wooden ‘gozzo’ (a wooden boat) with a red fish strapped to its mast. This is a casual lunch place with tables right on the pebbly beach and a menu of simple but super-fresh dishes such as mozzarella di bufala baked on lemon leaves, mussel soup and grilled catch-of-the-day dressed with mint lemon and mint, all whipped up by Daniele, son of the original owner. You can rent a sunbed for an after-lunch nap.
Contact: daadolfo.com
Prices: £
Reservations: Essential
Next 2
This sleek, contemporary restaurant and bar is located in the upper part of Positano and offers a modern take on the sunny, traditional dishes of Campania. Grab a table inside (all pristine white paintwork and brick arches) or under the big white umbrellas on the jasmine-perfumed terrace and order up dishes such as swordfish carpaccio with gazpacho and seaweed powder, risotto with yellow tomatoes, basil pesto, black garlic and provolone and seared, herb-crusted tuna. The wine list is full of interesting local labels and they mix an excellent cocktail too, making this a popular after-dinner spot.
Contact: next2.it
Prices: ££
Reservations: Essential in high season
Donna Rosa
A 20-minute drive into the hills above Positano brings you to the small village of Montepertuso which, at 400 metres above sea level, offers cooler air, beautiful views and this rather elegant, family-run restaurant. One daughter oversees 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 home-made 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.
Contact: drpositano.com
Prices: ££
Reservations: Essential in high season
La Zagara
If you don’t want to shell out for a full meal in Positano, or just need a pit stop for coffee and cakes, this café/piano bar, set halfway down the main tourist drag to the beach, is a good bet. It has a glassed-in veranda and a shady, plant-filled patio where you can order a cappuccino or cooling iced tea and a homemade pastry (a lemony delizie, maybe), or a slice of pizza or filled focaccia. The ice cream and granita is good too. It’s a popular cocktail spot in the evening with live music courtesy of a crooning pianist.
Contact: lazagara.com
Prices: £
Reservations: Walk-ins only
Casa e Bottega
A breath of fresh air on Positano’s often predictable eating scene, Casa Bottega is a restaurant and interiors shop rolled into one. This bustling, breezy place specializes in light, healthy, fresh food with plenty of veggie and vegan options. Breakfast choices include homemade pastries, pancakes, porridge and muesli with Greek yoghurt and fresh fruit while the lunch menu offers the likes of courgette ‘spaghetti’ with pesto, beetroot hummus, chicken Caesar salad and seared salmon fillet with aioli. In between there is coffee, tea, juices and homemade cakes and ice cream. All around are colourful, locally made ceramics, interesting textiles, glassware and edible goodies; everything’s for sale.
Contact: casaebottegapositano.it
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: £-££
Lo Scoglio
This famous restaurant is built on stilts over the beach at pretty Marina di Cantone (you can reach it by car, but it’s more fun to hire a boat from Positano). The De Simone family has been serving un-fussy fish and seafood dishes to a celeb-studded clientèle for decades, but there is nothing stuffy about their restaurant. They grow all their own vegetables in a nearby plot, and the must-try house speciality is spaghetti alle zucchini (with courgettes). Follow this with whole fish poached ‘all’acqua pazza’ (in a tomato broth) or a selection of flavour-packed grilled vegetables straight from the garden.
Contact: hotelloscoglio.com
Prices: ££
Reservations: Essential in high season
Il Grottino Azzuro
This cheerful little place – a couple of simple rooms done out in crisp blue and white plus a small terrace – is located at the top of the town by the bus stop, so far from the sweaty crowds below. Catch the bus up and walk down to work off the calories once you have feasted on the likes of paccheri pasta with a fishy ragù, spaghetti with broccoli greens and spicy sausage, mussel soup and a fabulous eggplant parmigiana. The short menu changes daily and focusses on fresh, local, and seasonal produce; it’s all delicious and prices are reasonable for Positano.
Contact: 00 39 089 811065, facebook.com/ilgrottinoazzurro
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Lo Stuzzichino
One of the best places to sample some of typical Campanian home cooking lies a 20-minute drive above Positano in Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi, a small town named for its over the Naples and Salerno gulfs. Mimmo de Gregorio and his family serve up textbook versions of the classics in a cheerful, rustic setting: melanzane alla parmigiana, paccheri pasta tubes with tomato sauce made with sweet piennolo tomatoes from Vesuvius and sea bass with capers and tomatoes. For pudding, try the delectable pear and ricotta tart. The wine list features lots of local labels; ask Mimmo for his expert advice.
Contact: ristorantelostuzzichino.it
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended for dinner in high season
Le Grottelle
There’s no such thing as a cheap lunch in Capri, but this place offers better value than some. It's set on the footpath that leads down to the Arco Naturale from the Piazzetta, partly housed in a cavern and spilling out onto a spectacular terrace overlooking the verdant hillside down to the sea. The menu offers a range of tasty, traditional dishes (both fish and meat), nothing fancy but all reliably prepared; you can go for something simple like a Caprese salad (when in Capri…) or spaghetti with clams, or try the pezzogna (local bream) in acqua pazza. The homemade lemon tart will round everything off nicely.
Contact: 00 39 081 8375719
Prices: ££
Opening times: Apr-June, Sept, Oct, Wed-Sun, lunch and dinner; July-Aug, daily for lunch and dinner. Closed Nov-Mar
Reservations: Recommended for dinner in high season
Praiano to Amalfi
Da Armandino
With tables laid out on the beachfront terrace, beneath the cliffs that tower over the tiny fishing village of La Praia, this lovely little trattoria makes a beautiful and rather dramatic setting for a simple meal and a good bottle of local wine. Jovial host Armandino serves up traditional seafood dishes (plus the odd meat choice), creating his menus according to what the fishermen bring in that day. Diners might expect to see golden-crisp, deep-fried alici (anchovies), risotto alla pescatora or grilled swordfish steaks drizzled with the local minty dressing.
Contact: 00 39 089 874087
Prices: £
Opening times: Mid-March to November, daily, 1pm-3.30pm, 6.30pm-11.30pm
Reservations: Recommended in high season
Trattoria dei Cartari
For a cheap and cheerful meal with the locals, head to the terrace of this friendly, family-run trattoria located in Amalfi’s hinterland, well away from the worst of the tourist hordes. The menu features authentic, Amalfitana specialities that vary according to season and market availability. Melanzane alla parmigiana (aubergine, tomato and mozzarella bake) is a classic starter or you could try the hearty squid and potato stew. Follow that with paccheri pasta with an onion-y meat sauce (‘alla Genovese’) or with monkfish and shrimp, and wind up with a home made pud and a shot of ice cold limoncello.
Contact: 00 30 089 872131
Prices: £
Opening times: Tue-Sun, 12pm-4pm, 7pm-11pm
Lido Azzurro
This popular restaurant serving unfussy fish and seafood dishes has a terrace overlooking Amalfi’s small port where the boats supplying the hopping fresh catch-of-the-day are moored. It’s also a beach club, and at lunchtimes in summer (when there is also a cheaper menu including salads and snacks) is full of families and sun-worshipers taking a break from their sandcastles and sunbeds. In the evening, a table on the lovely terrace is a romantic setting for spaghetti with clams or scampi, fritto misto di mare (mixed fried seafood) and local fish fillets in a zingy lemon sauce. Leave room for the lemon soufflé – made with Amalfi lemons of course - to round things off.
Contact: ristorantelidoazzurro.it
Prices: ££-£££
Reservations: Essential for dinner in high season
Hostaria da Bacco
Known as ‘the painted village’ thanks to its many murals and accessed by a series of switchback bends, sprawling Furore lies high above the coast road. Just outside the village and with a dizzying sea-facing terrace, family-run Da Bacco has been around since the 1930s and serves up an interesting take on the local cuisine with a Slow Food ethos. Chef Erminia Cuomo’s signature dishes include ferrazzuoli alla Nannarella (pasta twists with smoked swordfish, tomato, pine nuts and rocket), and an unmissable zuppa di pesce, but there is also local chicken, rabbit and pork plus lots of seasonal veg. A crisp white wine such as Fiorduva from Erminia’s sister Marisa Cuomo’s award-winning winery is a must. Finish off with a few cicale di furore, small cakes made with almonds and prickly pears.
Contact: baccofurore.it
Prices: ££-£££
Reservations: recommended at weekends
Kasai
Cosy little Kasai is hidden away on one of Praiano’s quiet back lanes above the main drag. A lively place with rustic, shabby-chic interiors and a gorgeous little pavement terrace overlooking the coast far below, it has a young, casual vibe and a menu of mainly fish and seafood dishes with a creative slant. The menu includes the likes of tuna tartare cut with tart apple, linguine pasta with sea urchins, homemade tagliolini with shaved black truffle (the house speciality) and amber jack with black olives and capers. For a final flourish, try traditional Neapolitan ‘babà’.
Contact: onefirebeach.com
Reservations: Highly recommended
La Tonnarella
Unless you want to negotiate hundreds of steps down (and up again) to this simple beach tratt nestled under towering cliffs in the pretty fisherman’s hamlet of Conca dei Marini, the only way to arrive is by boat. The fish is delivered daily according to availability, so the menu varies often, but you can expect classics such as marinated anchovies, octopus salad, spaghetti with courgettes (known here as spaghetti alla Jacqueline after once of the restaurants’ more illustrious erstwhile customers) and grilled pezzogna (a kind of local bream).
Contact: ristorantelatonnarella.com
Prices: £-££
Reservations: Essential in high season
La Brace
This rather old-fashioned restaurant lies on Praiano’s main drag and has a large, scenic verandah overlooking the coast. Order a classic pizza margherita (with local tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala and basil) baked in a wood-fired oven or a dish from the main menu; maybe an octopus salad followed by a steaming plate of spaghetti with clams (vongole). If you don’t want fish, there is pappardelle with rabbit sauce and ravioli with meat ragù. In autumn, there is delicious homemade fig tart; in spring, it’s cherry. There are no frills here, and service can be a little gruff, but the views are stupendous.
Contact: labracepraiano.com
Prices: £-££
Opening times: Mid-March to October
Reservations: Recommended for a table on the terrace
Amalfi to Vietri sul Mare
Volta del Fuenti
Michele de Blasio helms this gourmet restaurant, part of the newly-opened Giardino del Fuenti beach club just west of Vietri sul Mare. In a spectacular contemporary vaulted space overlooking the Bay of Salerno, he serves up brilliant dishes which, in spite of the complex techniques involved never stray too far from his Campanian roots and the seasonal, produce that abounds in this region: fish and seafood from the coast, local lamb and pigeon, cheeses and fresh produce from the Monti Lattari.
Contact: giardinodelfuenti.com
Prices: £££
Reservations: essential
Acqua Pazza
This restaurant, located down near Cetara’s quayside, is the best place to sample the local speciality of colatura di alici (a kind of anchovy essence); they make their own in-house. Run by two Gennaros (one in the kitchen, the other out front), it offers unfussy, totally delicious dishes made with local fish and seafood fresh from the water. Spaghetti is dressed with garlic, parsley and salty colatura and linguini with sea urchin and a sniff of candied lemon peel. Mains include whole local fish poached in acqua pazza (a rich, tomato broth). There’s a fine wine list showcasing the excellent local whites.
Contact: acquapazza.it
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended in high season
A’Paranza
Don’t be put off by the lack of outside tables and cave-like feel of this elegant little restaurant; the food more than makes up for it and the air con is welcome on a hot day. Located in the backstreets of tiny Atrani, it is famous for its antipasti, a series of mostly fish, seafood and veg tapas-style dishes to begin the meal. They vary according to season, but you can expect the likes of squid stuffed with local provolone cheese, mussel gratin, stewed calamari and stuffed courgette flowers. Follow this with a seafood risotto plus a slice of pear and ricotta tart if you still have room.
Contact: ristoranteparanza.com
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended in high season
Pasticceria Sal De Riso
This famous pastry shop and bar, set on a pretty little piazzetta just back from the Minori seafront, has been run by the De Riso family since 1908. Today, it is Sal (Salvatore) De Riso who turns out the superb cakes and pastries, displayed in glass cabinets and attracting droves of fans, particularly at weekends when the place is full of families choosing something delicious for Sunday lunch. Specialities include a fantastically good pear and ricotta tart, light-as-air babà and warm, ricotta-filled sfogliatelle. The homemade ice cream is delicious, and the coffee granita is delightfully refreshing on a hot day.
Contact: salderiso.it
Prices: £
Ravello
Cumpa Cosimo
Netta Bottone’s family have been running this rustic place for 80-odd years, and while firmly on the tourist map, it’s a good choice for a simple, authentic meal. You need a big appetite for the classic starter here; the misto di primi is a quintet of homemade pasta dishes that varies according to the personable Netta’s mood - spaghetti with seafood, maybe, or with carbonara sauce. Followed by a salad and one of the house desserts, that should be enough, but the family have a butcher’s shop next door and the meat dishes are also good.
Contact: 00 39 089 857156
Opening times: Mar-Dec, daily, lunch and dinner; Jan-Feb, closed Mon
Prices: £-££
Reservations: Essential in high season
How we choose
Every restaurant in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighbourhood favourites to Michelin-starred restaurants – to best suit every type of traveller’s taste – and consider the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest opening and provide up to date recommendations.
