There’s nothing quite like spending a summer day in Italy, but hopping on a plane to Europe isn’t always practical, so we’ve compiled a list of Italian restaurants in the United States so you can get a taste of Italy without having to travel.
Find all the Michelin-starred and Bib Gourmand-winning spots in the U.S. and dine in style without breaking the bank.
Please enjoy!
2 stars
California
Acquerello
1722 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, 94109, United States
With its distinctive A-frame ceiling and plush, warm furnishings, this dining room has been Chef Suzette Gresham’s home base since 1989. The food is of the highest standard, promising delicate and bold flavours in equal measure. Handmade pastas combine classic techniques with personal style, mimicking the art on the walls, with dishes like the carrot and ginger terrine and must-order cheese plate emerging as visual masterpieces. Sweets are a particular strength, with one of the best mignardise carts in town arriving loaded with chocolates, pâté de fruits and caramel rolls to devour every last bite. Speaking of best of all, the friendly sommelier is an essential guide through some of the country’s deepest Italian wine and champagne cellars.
Giancarlo Paterlini / Acquerello
One Star Green Star
California
Caruso’s
1773 S. Jameson Lane, Montecito, 93108, United States
Home to the Rosewood Miramar Beach, contemporary California cuisine with an Italian twist is the kitchen’s motto. Set in a separate building and right on the water’s edge, it’s a short walk to reach this elegant hideaway. The dining room is beautifully decorated with leather booths, tables draped with linen robes and white chairs, all with views of the crashing waves. But the focus is undoubtedly on the seasonal, prix-fixe menu, with an emphasis on local ingredients (California wheat milled in-house, sea urchins sourced from local divers). The Santa Barbara bluefin tuna tartare, studded with thinly sliced taggiasca olives and tofu aioli and served with a creamy almond granita, transforms familiar ingredients into originals.
Hannah Locke / Carusos
1 star
Florida
Boia de
5205 NE. 2nd Ave., Miami, 33137, United States
Tucked between a laundromat and a medical center in the Buena Vista shopping center, this restaurant is impossible to miss with its neon pink exclamation point above the front door. Run by chefs Luciana Giangrandi and Alex Meyer, “surprise” is the perfect word to describe this restaurant. Servers say the food is Italian, but is that really the case? Stracciatella-filled fried potato skins are garnished with caviar, beef tartare is garnished with a tonnato-style sauce and garlic-shallot crumbles, and the tagliolini nero, with king crab and vin jaune, is surprisingly served cold.
Rocca
323 W. Palm Ave, Tampa, 33602, USA
Chef Bryce Bonsack fuses his New York know-how with his Italian training at this cutting-edge restaurant, with impressive results. Of course, there are also a variety of house-made pastas, such as spaghetti al limone with blue crab, chunks of lemon, slices of garlic, and zucchini, which highlight traditional flavors and meticulous technique. Mozzarella, hand-pulled to order from a tableside cart, dazzles guests, but the flavor trumps the show. Perhaps most exciting is the display of inventive dishes, such as a vibrant kingfish carpaccio with green apple, capers, and horseradish. Dessert is the perfect way to end an impressive meal; a delicate brunoise of fresh apple and basil custard topped with a layer of streusel is perfect in every way.
Andrea Lorena / Boia De
Washington DC
Fiora
601 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, 20004, USA
With exposed stone walls, seasonal arrangements, and Warhol-esque prints, this DC powerhouse is a mix of retro glamour and country lodge vibe. Before even stepping through the door, diners are greeted by friendly servers who may gush about their favorite dishes, but take the time to explore the menu, which is packed with fantastic creations and playful twists.
Masseria
1340 4th St. NE, Washington, 20002, United States
Chef/owner Nicholas Stefanelli’s Puglian heritage is reflected in the menu, where his dishes, like a cigar box filled with focaccia, are a perfect balance of playful and serious (though you’ll want to save room for the macaroni with goat ragu). Desserts are off the charts, too: beet ice cream, anyone?
Greg Powers / Fiora
new york
Francie
134 Broadway, New York, 11249, USA
Francie is helmed by John Winterman and New York-born chef Chris Cipollone, and its haven, housed in a striking limestone-clad building in South Williamsburg, features polished ash and mosaic tile floors, exposed red brick walls, and widely spaced tables.
Lesbian Dragon
27 E. 20th St., New York, 10003, United States
If you’ve been fortunate enough to sample the exquisite cuisine of Emilia-Romagna, you can feast at Chef Stefano Secchi’s beloved Osteria. Tucked away in a well-designed space in the Flatiron District, this bright spot brings the signature dishes of this region of Italy to America.
Valeria Pinto / Lesbian
Colorado
Frasca Food & Wine
1738 Pearl Street, Boulder, 80302, United States
This trendy restaurant is located in the heart of downtown Boulder, on a charming street lined with shops and restaurants. Here, everyone is treated as a special guest and the food is Italian, but in a very specific way, from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy. The prix-fixe and tasting menus feature pasta and seafood, but Slavic and Alpine elements also make an appearance. The focused and distinctive menu showcases lesser-known parts of Italy, but the ingredients are clearly from Colorado. The plates are appealing with their minimalist and straightforward approach, like the charsones, half-moon shaped fresh spinach pasta pockets stuffed with English peas and potato puree. Make sure to save room for desserts, such as the beautifully presented goat cheese semifreddo.
Casey Wilson / Frasca
California
Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura
347 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, 90210, United States
Chef Massimo Bottura put the talented Mattia Agazzi at the helm of the kitchen inside the Gucci boutique on Rodeo Drive, and the results are truly impressive. It’s whimsical yet down-to-earth cuisine. Seafood salads are tossed with lemon, olive oil and sliced radishes and served perfectly warm and tender, while risotto is disguised as pizza with tomato, stracciatella and toasted caper dusting that evokes the taste of a charred crust. Thumb-sized tortellini are stuffed with a classic mix of mortadella, veal and prosciutto and beautifully presented in a glossy sauce flavored with Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Osteria Mozza
6602 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, 90038, United States
The bread is a particular favorite here, as is the mozzarella menu. Chef Nancy Silverton’s team strives to guide you through every corner of Italian cuisine. The crispy chicken legs are home-cooked, pure and simple, and the pastas are predictably excellent. Try the orecchiette with sausage and Swiss chard. Save room for dessert, such as Executive Pastry Chef Daria Narvaez’s Torta della Nonna with California Honey.
sorrel
3228 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, 94115, United States
Quince-trained chef Alexander Hong has a real knack for making pasta at this Pacific Heights restaurant. A rooftop garden grows herbs, edible flowers, herbs and seasonal vegetables. Smoky potato zulikurofi with sharp plum mostarda and shredded horseradish, or thick stracinatis with soft butter beans and lovage in an ‘nduja-inspired sauce are two highlights. His ricotta gnudi is the epitome of the perfect dish: cloud-soft and accented with crispy fried sage and vibrant sour cherries.
Joseph Weaver / Sorel
Bib Gourmand
California
A16
2355 Chestnut St., San Francisco, 94123, United States
Bettina
1014 Coast Village Road, Santa Barbara, 93108, United States
Cesarina
4161 Voltaire St., San Diego, 92107, United States
Ciccia Osteria
2233 Logan Ave., San Diego, 92113, United States
Ciccio
6770 Washington Street, Yountville, 94599, United States
Cola Pasta
1241 5th St., Santa Monica, 90401, United States
Cucina Urbana
505 Laurel Street, San Diego, 92101, United States
Italian
341 California Avenue, Palo Alto, 94306, USA
MAMA Auckland
388 Grand Ave., Oakland, 94610, United States
Mentone
174 Aptos Village Way, Aptos, 95003, United States
Pizzana
11712 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, 90049, United States
Pizzeria Mozza
641 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles, 90036, United States
Rosso Blue
1124 San Julian Street, Los Angeles, 90015, United States
Solare
2820 Roosevelt Road, San Diego, 92106, United States
Factory Kitchen
1300 Factory Place, State 101, Los Angeles, 90013, United States
Union
37 Union Street, Pasadena, 91103, United States
Randy Smerick / Solare
Colorado
Tavernetta
1889 16th St. Mall, Denver, 80202, United States
Casey Wilson / Tavernetta
Chicago
Ciccio Mio
226 W. Kinzie Street, Chicago, 60654, United States
Daisy
2375 Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, 60647, United States
Lardon
2200 California Avenue, Chicago, 60647, United States
Munno Pizzeria & Bistro
4656 N. Clark St., Chicago, 60640, USA
Nella Pizza and Pasta
1125 E. 55th St., Chicago, 60615, United States
Tortello Pastificio
1746 W. Division St., Chicago, 60622, United States
Neil Burger / Daisy
new york
Cafe
702 Grand St., New York, 11211, United States
Bar Primi
325 Bowery, New York, 10003, United States
Boro 6 Wine Bar
549 Warburton Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson, 10706, United States
Cafe Alaia
128 Garth Rd., Scarsdale, 10583, United States
Cafe Mars
272 3rd Ave., New York, 11215, United States
Kotena
21 Bedford Street, New York, 10014, USA
Enoteca Maria
27 Hyatt Street, New York, 10301, United States
Enzo of Williamsbridge
1998 Williamsbridge Road, New York, 10461, USA
flora
1021 8th Ave., New York, 11215, United States
Le Fanfare
1103 Manhattan Avenue, New York, 11222, United States
Maria Restaurant
11 Huguenot St., New Rochelle, 10801, United States
Norma Gastronomia Siciliana
438 Third Ave., New York, 10016, United States
Rafel Lai
26 Purchase Street, Rye, 10580, USA
cooking
39 Chestnut St., Dobbs Ferry, 10522, United States
Torra di Noi
622 E. 187th St., New York, 10458, United States
Tredici Social
104 Craft Avenue, Bronxville, 10708, USA
TVB Production: Pax Romana
171 E. Post Rd., White Plains, 10601, USA
Salvatore Fraterigo Garofalo / Norma Gastronomia Siciliana
Washington DC
Sfoglina
4445 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, 20008, USA
Stellina Pizzeria
399 Morse Street NE, Washington, 20002, USA
Red Hen
1822 1st St. NW, Washington, 20001, United States
Stellina Pizzeria
Miami
Jaguar Sun
230 NE. 4th St., Miami, 33132, United States
Jaguar Sun
Hero Image: Dartmouth/Bettina
