The best Amalfi Coast restaurants

Expert guide to the Amalfi Coast

1. Overview

2. Restaurants

3. Nightlife

4. Things to do

5. Hotels

6. Shopping

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. 

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: 00 39 089 875432; lacambusapositano.com
Prices: ££
Opening times: Late December to early November, daily, 12pm-11pm
Reservations: Essential for dinner in high season

Da Adolfo

Adolfo’s seaside shack 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: 00 39 089 875022; daadolfo.com
Prices: £
Opening times: May to mid-October, daily, 10am-8pm
Reservations: Essential

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Next 2

This sleekly 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, fettuccelle pasta with blue lobster or a platter of grilled catch of the day. The wine list is full of interesting local labels and they mix an excellent cocktail too, making this a popular after-dinner spot.

Contact: 00 39 089 8123516; next2.it
Prices: ££
Opening times: April to October, daily, 6.30pm-11pm.
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: 00 39 089 811806; drpositano.com
Prices: ££
Opening times: April to October, Wed-Mon, 11am-2pm and 5.3pm-9.30pm
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:00 39 089 875964; lazagara.com
Prices: £
Opening times: mid-March to October, daily, 8am-10pm
Reservations: Walk-ins only

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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: 00 39 081 8081026; hotelloscoglio.com
Prices: ££
Opening times: Daily, 8am-10pm
Reservations: Essential in high season

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: 00 39 081 5330010; ristorantelostuzzichino.it
Prices: ££
Opening times: Daily, 12pm-3pm and 6.30pm-11pm
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 November to 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 and 630pm-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, 

Marina Grande

Many of the restaurants in Amalfi are geared towards the ‘fixed menu’ tourist end of the market; one of the exceptions is this elegant, beachside place built on stilts directly over the sand. A beach club during the day, Marina Grande transforms into a romantic restaurant at night (particularly if you time dinner to coincide with sunset) with a large terrace, a contemporary look and creative menu of dishes such as risotto with clams, saffron and bone marrow, John Dory ‘alla parmigiana’ (a fishy variation of the classic aubergine and mozzarella version) and warm citrus soufflé.  

Contact: 00 39 089 871129; ristorantemarinagrande.com
Prices: ££-£££
Opening times: Mar-June and Sept-mid Nov lunch and dinner Thur-Tue; July and Aug daily
Reservations: Recommended for dinner 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: 00 39 089 874226  
Prices: £-££
Opening times: Mid-March to October, daily, 12.30pm-3.30pm and 7pm-11pm
Reservations: Recommended for a table on the terrace

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Atrani to Vietri

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: 00 39 089 26 16 0; acquapazza.it
Opening times: Mar-May and Sept, Oct Tue-Sun lunch and dinner; June-Aug daily; Nov-Feb Thur-Sun
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: 00 39 089 871840; ristoranteparanza.com
Opening times: open all year apart from 2 weeks in Dec, Mon, Wed-Sun lunch and dinner; open daily in summer.
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: 00 39 089 853618; salderiso.it
Opening times: June-Sept daily 7.30am-1am; Oct-May closed Wed.
Prices: £

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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