our favourite tables in Sorrento and beyond

The Sorrento Peninsula is known for it’s amazing food and so the good news is that whereever you’re staying, you won’t be far from a fantastic restaurant. There are, however, good ones are bad ones and a terrace full of lemon trees or a stuning sea view doesn't necessarily mean that the food will be good. That’s why we are here to help you choose the right place for you.  

We live here on the peninsula and we have tried many restaurants. We have personally visited every restaurant that we recomend. Some restaurants we recommend for the exceptional food, others have an amazing location, offer particularly good value, are brilliant with children or simply provide an experience that we think is worth knowing about.

On the other hand we don’t want to upset anyone so we don’t do bad reviews. If we don’t recommend a restaurant, we simply don’t include it. And YES, we have been to a number of restaurants, including very expensive ones, that we tried and do not recommend.  

We haven't tried every restaurant in Sorrento - I'm not sure anybody could - and this guide will continue to grow as we find new places that deserve to be included, but these are the places we currently recommend.

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Best overall · Sorrento City · Priora · Puolo · Massa Lubrense · Amalfi coast

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A word on Sorrentina Cuisine

As is typical in Italy, Sorrento restaurnats tend to serve a lot of local dishes alongside some of the more traditional italian ones, and of course fresh seafood. Some local dishes to be aware of are  

• Gnocchi alla Sorrentina  

• Spaghetti alla Nerano, incredible tomatoes and mozzarella, local fish, lemons in absolutely everything and, being this close to Naples, some very good pizza.

• Delizia al Limone

The very best restaurants on the Sorrento Pensinsula

There are excellent restaurnts across the peninsula and so you don’t need to travel far to find great food. For the majority of your meals, you will find excellent restaurnts in the area that you happen to be. For example, if you’re staying in Sant Agnello and spending the day in Positano, you’ll find excellent places for lunch in Positano and dinner in Sant Agnello.  

However, there are a handful of restaurants around the peninsula that I think are worth making a special journey for. These are what I'd call destination restaurants: places where the restaurant itself is part of the day's experience rather than simply somewhere to eat because you're hungry. Here are our absolute favourites that we think are worth making that journey for:

• Relais Blu, at the far end of Massa Lubrense, this is our favourite overall on the peninsula. It’s michelin starred so, as you can imagine, the food is amazing but the setting is easily as good, if not better. The restaurant has the most incredible veranda looking directly across to Capri. It’s very special; go around sunset if you can.  

• Palazzo del Barone is unique because it’s small and intimate. The chef personally greets every guest and helps you decide what to order, so it’s like having a personal chef. The atmosphere is exclusive but relaxed with lovely views. If you’re looking to celebrate a special occasion but without michelin star prices, this would be my top choice!

• Antica Trattoria in central Sorrento is a perfect dining experience. They welcome you with a glass of prosecco as soon as you arrive. There is no sea view but the dining experience absolutely makes up for it in our humble opinion so, for us, this is a destination restaurant.  

Sorrento City

Central Sorrento has by far the greatest concentration of restaurants, and if you're staying here you'll have more choice than you need.

Many restaurants in Sorrento don’t take reservations and are walk in only. It seems that many people are happy with this arrangement but I, personally, would not want to queue for dinner. The good news is that there are many places in Sorrento that do accept bookings, so if you don’t want to queue, just book ahead!  

For the views

If the view is your priority, here are my recommendations in order of quality (and price!):  

• The Lorelei has 1 Michelin Star, incredible views across the Bay of Naples, and a price tag to match. If you afford it, though, it is worth it!

• La Pergola at Bellevue Syrene offers fine dinning in the evening and a more relaed menu at lunch time. The vines overhead provide amazing respite from the heat over the summer and this is easily one of our favourite spots in Sorrento.  

• The Foreigner’s Club is a more affordable sea view option but well worth it in our opinion. The food caters more to the international palate, the service is more relaxed, but the view is still incredible. One of our regular spots.  

• La Finestrella offers a more funky, boutique vibe with a view over Marina Grande. A really cool spot to take someone for a more unique feel.  

Breaking news: the famous Torre di Sarrancino has recently relocated to La Bellevue Syrene hotel and may take the top spot in this list, but we haven’t tried it yet so watch this space!

For the food

If the quality of the food is your top priority, try the following:  

• L'Antica Trattoria is hidden beneath a beautiful pergola in the historic centre and is our top choice for excellent Italian food in Sorrento.  

• Qui Sorrento is slightly outside the old town and offer michelin-style dining without the pretentious price tag.  

• Trattoria Da Emilia in Marina Grande offers fresh seafood right on the water. We love the atmosphere and the food and it’s one of our go-tos!  

• Bistrot Sorrento has wonderful service, and exceptionaly good meat. It’s particularly interseting if you’re looking for a change from pasta or pizza. It has a trendy atmosphere and a free pickup service to and from your hotel.  

For Kids

If you’re travelling with Kids, we recommend:

• Da Filippo, which is just 1.1 km from Piazza Tasso, offer a small outside playground and great, local food.  

• Nonna Gianna, which is in Sant Agnello, also offer a small, outdoor playground, a large relaxing garden, and a delicious restaurant. It’s part of the Hotel Alpha, so most of the clientel are tourists.  

Priora

Just outside Sorrento is a small place called Priora where many tourists end up staying because there are many villas in this area. If you find yourself here, I recommend the fol

• Trattoria da Luciano is a small, no frills Trattoria with great, homely food and friendly service. They have an impressive 5* on Google from 381 reviews, which says it all. Don’t expect too much but do leave them a 5* review

• Palazzo del Barone is a beautiful boutique hotel with a small restaurant for hotel guests, but if you ask they will accommodate you. It feels like having a private chef because the chef, Eduardo, discusses your food with you and personally curates each plate. Roughly 100-150 Euros per person.  

• Il Nido Hotel has a restaurant mainly for hotel guests but if you’re in the area, it’s well worth a visit for the views alone. Great food, friendly staff, and cracking view.  

Puolo

Puolo is a small fishing village just around the coast from Sorrento. It’s only a few kilometres away but feels completely different, with a small beach, fishing boats and restaurants literally on the water. If you’re staying in Sorrento and want a change of scenery without travelling very far, it’s well worth coming down here for lunch or dinner.

The restaurants are mostly traditional and seafood-focused, so don’t come looking for Michelin-star fine dining. Come for fresh fish, pasta, local wine and the experience of eating next to the sea.

• La Tavernetta is right on the beach and is one of our favourite places in Puolo. Expect traditional seafood, pasta and fresh fish in a very relaxed setting. They also offer a shuttle service from Sorrento, which is useful because getting down to Puolo without a car isn’t always straightforward.

• Trattoria da Maria Grazia is another simple, traditional restaurant right by the water. Again, this is the sort of place to order whatever fish is fresh that day, some pasta, a bottle of wine and enjoy the setting rather than overthinking it.

Massa Lubrense

Massa Lubrense covers a surprisingly large part of the peninsula and includes lots of small villages, hills and bits of coastline. It’s much quieter than Sorrento and there are some really excellent restaurants scattered around the area.

If you’re staying here, there is absolutely no reason to travel into Sorrento every evening for dinner. In fact, some of our favourite restaurants on the entire peninsula are in Massa Lubrense.

• Relais Blu is our favourite restaurant on the peninsula and one of the few places we would genuinely recommend travelling across the peninsula specifically to visit. It has a Michelin star, incredible food and probably one of the best restaurant views anywhere around here. The veranda looks straight across to Capri and is particularly special at sunset. It’s expensive, obviously, but in our opinion it’s worth it for a special occasion.

• Da Michele in Marina della Lobra is almost the complete opposite of Relais Blu, but we love it for completely different reasons. It’s a relaxed family restaurant overlooking the little harbour with good pizza, fresh fish and very reasonable prices.  

• La Torre One Fire in Annunziata is another great local option. It’s a traditional, family-run restaurant with friendly service and good local food. There is also an amazing viewpoint nearby looking directly towards Capri, so I would recommend going up before sunset, stopping for the view and then heading to La Torre for dinner.

• Il Cantuccio in the centre of Massa Lubrense has great views of Capri and a relaxed atmosphere. It’s become a little expensive nowadays, compared with other similar places, but if you’re nearby I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.  

Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi

Sant’Agata is a small town in the hills between Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast and, considering its size, it has a surprisingly good selection of restaurants.

If you’re staying here, definitely don’t assume you need to head into Sorrento every night. There are some very good places within walking distance.

• Lo Stuzzichino is a family run restaurant which has grown from modest roots to a destination in its own right. The charasmatic owner, Mimmo, will always make you feel welcome and to be honest, we are always impressed with the food and the service.  

• Tutt’Appost is much more relaxed and is a great option if you’re looking for good wine, meat and something a bit different from the endless seafood and pasta you may have been eating all week. It has a modern, informal atmosphere and is right in the centre of Sant’Agata.

• Da Mimì is one of the classic local options and a good place for pizza and traditional food without spending a fortune. It’s especially useful for families and groups and is exactly the sort of place I’d go for a relaxed midweek dinner rather than a big occasion.

Nerano and Marina del Cantone

For a small village, Nerano punches well above it’s culnirary weight. Until recently it had 2 Michelin starred restaurants but one closed and now it has only one, plus a number of other famous restaurants. We recommend:  

• Maria Grazia is the restaurant most closely associated with the invention of Spaghetti alla Nerano, so if you want to try the dish in the place where it all started, this is the obvious choice. It’s a traditional seaside restaurant rather than somewhere fancy, and the history is a big part of the reason to visit.

• Il Cantuccio is our personal favourite in Marina del Cantone. It’s right on the beach, serves excellent seafood and, unsurprisingly, a very good Spaghetti alla Nerano. You can sit right above the water, which is a nice touch.  

• Africana is another good option in Nerano and well worth considering if you’re spending the day around Marina del Cantone. Like most of the restaurants here, seafood and local dishes are the main attraction.

• La Conca del Sogno is a completely different experience and so much fun! It’s hidden in its own little cove and is very popular with people arriving by private boat. If you want a glamorous lunch as part of a boat day, this is ideal. Seafood, wine, swimming and a very long lunch.

If you’re coming to Nerano specifically for lunch, I wouldn’t rush it. This is one of those places where the whole point is to sit by the sea for a couple of hours, eat too much and accept that you’re probably not achieving very much afterwards.

Amalfi Coast

We are still exploring the Amalfi coast but we try restaurnas as we go and we recommend the following ones. For the record, we have eaten in many more restaurnats than this but we only incluede the ones that we truly recommend.  

Positano

• Lo Guarracino is one of our favourite places in Positano because it manages to combine a lovely sea view with genuinely good food without being quite as silly on price as some of the more famous restaurants. It sits on the path between Spiaggia Grande and Fornillo Beach and feels a bit calmer than the centre of Positano. We particularly loved their pasta Genovese with tuna tartare.

Praiano

• Mirante Cafe is more of a sunset bar/café than a serious restaurant, but I’m including it because the view is fantastic. It looks back towards Positano and is a lovely place for a cocktail, aperitivo or simple meal around sunset. Don’t go expecting fine dining; go for the view, have a drink and enjoy where you are.

Ravello

• Osteria Ravello is a good option if you want something more relaxed and affordable than some of Ravello’s very expensive hotel restaurants. It’s only a few minutes from the main square but feels considerably quieter, with lovely views over the surrounding hills. Traditional food, fairly simple, and good for a relaxed lunch while exploring Ravello.

Don’t overthink every meal

One final piece of advice is not to turn every meal of your holiday into a military operation.

There are some restaurants on this page that I would absolutely recommend booking in advance and planning your day around. If you want dinner at Relais Blu at sunset, for example, then yes, organise it properly. But you don’t need to do that for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.

If you’re spending the afternoon in Nerano, stay there for lunch. If you’re walking around Sorrento and fancy pizza, have pizza. If you find yourself sitting by the sea in Puolo and somewhere looks nice, order a drink and see what happens. There are fantastic restaurants all over the Sorrento Peninsula and part of the fun is discovering them.