Brian Nagele
Once an independent coastal nation, Amalfi has since become the jewel of Italy’s Mediterranean coast.
Amalfi’s stunning scenery features verdant mountains dotted with terra cotta roofed villas and severe rock cliffs that drop into the clear blue-green ocean below.
A more paradisiacal setting is hard to find, which is why Amalfi and its neighboring city of Positano are some of the most sought-after tourist destinations.
As a coastal town, Amalfi has a seafood-centric culinary tradition.
After a day sailing along the calm Mediterranean waters, you can dine on some of the freshest Italian coastal cuisines at one of many charming ristorantes, trattorias, or osterias.
You can check out my list of the best restaurant in Amalfi below.
Ristorante L’Abside
Piazza dei Dogi, 31, 84011 Amalfi SA, Italy
Phone: +39 089 873586
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Ristorante L’Abside is a charming family-owned Italian restaurant and wine bar in the center of Amalfi overlooking the Piazza dei Dogi.
The interior is comfortable and bright, with all-white stucco walls and arched ceilings with rustic wooden tables.
The outdoor streetside seating is perfect for people watching the locals buy fresh fruits and vegetables or sipping espressos at the neighboring locales surrounding the piazza.
Ristorante L’Abside uses family recipes to create a menu of fresh fish, vegetables, pasta, pizza, and desserts.
I delighted in a risotto alla Pescatore paired with a tasty shot of limoncello.
Taverna Buonvicino
Largo Santa Maria Maggiore, 1, 84011 Amalfi SA, Italy
Phone: +39 089 873 6385
Meaning “good neighbor” Taverna Buonvicino is as friendly and cozy as its name purports.
It is a tavern and a full-service Mediterranean restaurant and pizzeria with a tasteful, dimly lit interior with a piano serenading dinner hours.
The outdoor courtyard is the star of the show, surrounded by trellised walls and tall iron fences strewn with tee lights.
They serve a wide list of wines along with an impressive menu of Neapolitan pizza, fresh fish, scratch-made pasta, and small plates.
I loved their pizza. I tried the Buonvicino Pizza with fior di latte mozzarella, anchovy, hazelnuts, lemon zest, and fresh basil.
Agricola Fore Porta
Via Paradiso, 26, 84011 Amalfi SA, Italy
Phone: +39 339 243 6450
A trip to Agricola Fore Porta is a trip back in time to ancient Amalfi, surrounded by unfettered nature.
Agricola Fore Porta is both a farm and a restaurant that captures Amalfi’s paradisiacal spirit perfectly.
Fore Porta is the last inhabited house in this ancient countryside that’s now essentially a Medieval time capsule.
You can walk along a road, aptly named Via Paradiso, leading from Amalfi town center inland to reach this secret garden setting.
The rustic interior feels like the inside of a country home while the outdoor patio seating is too stunning to describe.
The cuisine is the very definition of farm-to-table, sourcing every ingredient from the same organic farm grounds.
Da Ciccio Cielo Mare Terra
Via Giovanni Augustariccio, 21, 84011 Amalfi SA, Italy
Phone: +39 089 831265
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Originating in 1911, Da Ciccio Cielo Mare Terra is one of the oldest family-owned restaurants on the Amalfi Coast.
The Laudano family owns an organic farm and a winery for over a century.
Currently, the fourth generation runs the business, each family member occupying the roles of the sommelier, Maître, and Executive Chef.
Da Ciccio Cielo Mare Terra is north of Amalfi along the stunning Amalfi coast highway, Via Giovanni Augustariccio.
The cuisine is traditional Mediterranean Italian, using organic ingredients from the family farm.
I recommend the spaghetti on baking parchment paper with clams, olives, capers, fresh tomatoes, and oregano, which has been on the menu since 1965.
Da Gemma
Via Fra Gerardo Sasso, 11, 84011 Amalfi SA, Italy
Phone: +39 089 871345
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Located in a hidden winding alley off Amalfi’s main square that houses the Duomo, Da Gemma is an upscale trattoria specializing in coastal cuisine.
Using the chef and owner Donna Gemma’s innovative recipes presented in colorful displays of raw seafood art, Da Gemma offers a bright and airy atmosphere with a charming sunroom to enjoy a high-end seafood meal.
You can choose between various multicourse tasting menus, or a beautifully curated a la carte menu.
The tuna carpaccio melted in my mouth, marinated in citrus, and served with baked apple and fresh citrus pulp.
I had fried shrimp and squid with crispy vegetables for the main course.
Da Maria
Via Lorenzo D’Amalfi, 14, 84011 Amalfi SA, Italy
Phone: +39 089 871880
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A treasured family-owned pizzeria and trattoria a quick walk from the Cathedral, Da Maria is a casual, rustic, and cozy atmosphere to enjoy the most authentic Amalfi comfort food.
The restaurant started as an ode to the original owner’s grandmother who provided all the recipes you see on the menu today.
Da Maria has been serving unpretentious and updated takes on simple street food since 1968.
I went for lunch after walking around town and started with the house specialty of assorted fried fish with strips of the freshest catches and calamari.
As ordinary as it sounds, the classic Margherita pizza at Da Maria is the height of comfort.
Hostaria Acquolina
Via Valle di Pogerola, 84011 Amalfi SA, Italy
Phone: +39 089 214 4987
Winner of Tripadvisor’s traveler’s choice award, Hostaria Acquolina is a fine dining restaurant that fuses South American and Japanese cooking methods with Italian ingredients and flavors.
Located in the northern Amalfi region of Pogerola Valley, Hostaria Acquolina is situated on the coastal cliffs with an outdoor deck overlooking the ocean and surrounding mountains.
The creative menu has three main sections, including the pizzeria, steakhouse, and Neapolitan Street food. I’ve never seen a more incredible pizza menu in my life.
I wish I could’ve eaten there every day for my entire stay to sample all of them.
There was a classic pizza and a gourmet pizza menu.
My favorite was a gourmet pizza called Meraviglia Bolognese with pistachio cream, smoked mozzarella, mortadella, mashed potatoes, and extra virgin olive oil.
Ristorante La Caravella
Via Matteo Camera, 12, 84011 Amalfi SA, Italy
Phone: +39 089 871029
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Ristorante La Caravella is a museum and restaurant inside a 12th-century palace and Southern Italy’s first Michelin-starred restaurant.
The restaurant opened in 1959 and has been a globally famous culinary, architectural, and artistic destination ever since.
The restaurant itself has only 12 tables in rooms adorned with art exhibitions.
At the bottom of the palace is a wine cellar with an impressive selection to accompany various options for pre-fixe meals.
You can choose a four-course, seven-course, nine-course, or ten-course chef tasting menu.
They even offer a fully vegetarian nine-course meal.
I went with the nine-course meal. My favorite dish was the buffalo ricotta cheese and pear with Aglianico-wine and raw red shrimp.
Lo Smeraldino
Piazzale dei Protontini, 1, 84011 Amalfi SA, Italy
Phone: +39 089 871070
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A romantic oceanside restaurant, Lo Smeraldino is a seafood kitchen, wine bar, and pizzeria in a stunning dining space with panoramic windows.
There’s also a large deck overlooking the charming Port of Salerno and the Amalfi skyline dotting the mountains above.
Lo Smeraldino has been serving romantic dinners and sunny lunches since 1949.
The menu has a variety of seafood antipasti, pasta, main courses, and a wide variety of wood-fired pizzas.
I started with the smoked anchovies stuffed with smoked mozzarella.
My favorite pasta was the homemade pasta with local clams and yellow cherry tomatoes.
