Where To Eat In Sorrento - The Sorrento Restaurant Guide
From the first moment when I know I’m visiting Italy, I quickly start assembling my food and drink checklist in my mind. It’s a short yet critical list that truly signifies a trip to Italy for me.
Gelato.
Gnocchi.
Aperol spritz.
Pizza.
Pasta.
Cheese.
Wine.
Because my food bucket list is short and to the point, the goal is to try each more than once. Obviously, Italian cuisine is wide-ranging and diverse, and certain regions have other specialties beyond these, but these are my go-to choices. So now that we have those clarified, the list of restaurants below will ensure you’re getting the best out of your Sorrento adventure.
One quick note, Sorrento caters to thousands of tourists every summer, so you’ll see the tourist traps and their common tactics. The most common tactic you’ll notice is while you walk the streets at night exploring and deciding on a location for dinner. Hosts outside of the different restaurants will start pitching you on why you should come to their restaurant. It can be overwhelming. I don’t know how many times I had to say no thank you as we walked around the city. With the list below, you can mostly avoid those types of restaurants. Neither of these restaurants below have people out front pitching passersby. The restaurants on this list rely on word of mouth, locals, and creating good food with great experiences, and they don’t have to hassle you into coming to dinner. I found most of these hidden gem Sorrento restaurants through reading Rick Steves’ guide to Sorrento. So if you find these recommendations helpful and you want more, his guide is a great for everything from food to things to do. And if you’re going to more places in Italy, the full Italy guide is worth getting!
This post includes affiliate links. They will come with a tracking code. If you purchase a product after clicking on my affiliate link, I will earn a small commission at no further cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more about this on my privacy policy.
Hidden Gem Restaurants in Sorrento
Most, if not all, the restaurants noted below are truly hidden gem restaurants in Sorrento 💎 for one reason or another. First and foremost, most of these restaurants are actually fairly hidden. Whether it’s down a side alleyway, tucked into a different part of the city, or downstairs in actual cave, the hidden element is usually a good sign to me. It means that it weeds out the faint of heart who don’t desire to search a little harder to find the perfect pasta. These restaurants are also gems because of something unique about them or a special experience we had. For some they are gems because they ae family run or the waitstaff are incredible. For others, they’re gems because the prices are right and the food is incredible value for the money. And some restaurants are gems because the view or the setting is otherworldly. Those are the types of restaurants I LOVE — the restaurants that make you feel like you made the best choice of the trip.
7 Hidden gem restaurants in Sorrento:
Chantecler’s Trattoria
Pizzeria Da Franco
Ristorante Il Buco
Bagni Torre Saracena - Capri
Marameo Beach
Gelateria David
Ristorante Da Gigino / Ristorante Pizzeria Da Gigino
Chantecler's Trattoria
I probably wouldn’t have found this restaurant if I didn’t bring a guidebook along. It’s off the main roads on its own little alleyway behind a church, so yes a little hidden (pictured in the top image). It’s a gem with wonderful food, affordable prices, and other diners who were friends of the owners giving it an authentic feeling. Really sealing the less touristy and more local feel, our waitress was the daughter of the owners, and her mom was one of the main chefs in the kitchen — a lovely family-run spot. We ate here on our first night so we went a little overboard both getting starters, mains, and sharing a tiramisu at the end, but you can’t go wrong with anything.
“Our waitress was the daughter of the owners, and her mom was one of the main chefs in the kitchen”
Pizzeria Da Franco
This is probably my favorite find when I’m traveling and exploring. It’s local, yummy, cheap eats for a casual night. The type of food to pick up and bring back to the room after a long day of adventure. That’s exactly what we did. We felt tired from a day on a boat tour, so we were ready to relax. It’s one of the more popular pizzerias in Sorrento with both tourists and locals alike.
Ristorante Il Buco
In the spectrum of restaurants, I love to experience all levels and types while traveling. From a $1 slice of pizza to an expensive tasting menu, I want to try it all. Il Buco in particular falls on the lux, Michelin Star side of the spectrum. It’s a beautiful space with tables outside under an arched walkway and tables inside an old monastery cellar for . They offer both a tasting menu and an a la carte menu. We were there for the full experience so we opted for the tasting menu. We made the mistake of eating a decent sized lunch fairly late in the day (pizza), so we weren’t really prepared for the multiple dishes that were about to come our way. The menu consisted of a beautiful bread box, different types of pasta, seafood dishes, meat dishes, and multiple dessert courses. They care deeply about their guests enjoying the experience so when Alex didn’t finish a dish because he didn’t like something about it (he was too full), they brought us out a special pasta cooked just for us. Overall, the staff at il Bucco, from the head chef to the waitstaff, are extremely accommodating and make it memorable. Make reservations. Stop by yourself or have the hotel call to make the reservation. We sat inside, but the tables outside looked really magical, so try for one of those.
Bagni Torre Saracena - Capri
Okay, so 100% this place is meant for tourists. We didn’t pick it ourselves; our boat driver dropped us here for lunch. For us, it was super convenient, and it had a great view. We had been boating for most of the morning and part of the afternoon by this point. Because it was a busy weekend, instead of dealing with the boat traffic at the main marina, the boat captain took us to this restaurant situated on its own. It has its own pier and is easy to get in and out of by boat. The tourist note is due to the clientele and the higher prices. The food quality was still good and the experience was overall enjoyable. I would recommend sticking to sharing a starter and a pasta dish or two. Keep it simple, take in the view, and leave it at that. I included it on the list because we enjoyed it between ourselves and have nice memories from it. Additionally, there are steps leading straight up from behind the restaurant. We were hoping to find the town but got too tired. That said, we did get some wonderful photos from up there!
Marameo Beach
Cliff faces dominate the waterfront all along the Sorrento coast. With that, normal sand beaches or rock beaches are hard to come by. Instead, different beach clubs and restaurants have built long piers, floating and stationary, to provide space on the water for chairs and sunbathing. There are many to choose from, and they all run about the same price, but they’re great for waterfront lounging and dining. We spent two days on the piers at Marameo Beach where one day we had sandwiches delivered to our sun loungers and another day we sat at the restaurant. Both meals provided what we needed — not spectacular, but decent enough. It’s a little overpriced because of the location, but it is a nice place to enjoy a meal by the water in the sun.
Gelateria David
The biggest mistake we made was not visiting Gelateria David every night for gelato. They have endless choices of flavors, and I needed to experience more than the two flavors I ordered from our one visit, but everyone needs a reason to return, right? Sorrento has countless gelaterias throughout the city, but we searched this one out based on being recommended by multiple sources, and we’re so happy we tried it. It’s just off of the main road from the train station to the main square, so it’s hidden just enough. They serve food beyond just gelato, which looked like quick eats like sandwiches and burgers for affordable prices. Part of its charm is that it’s been family run for years, and the other part is its many flavors are made onsite. Overall, it’s one of those places to serve something common throughout the city, but it’s slightly off the main path, so it usually has better quality and better prices to draw visitors.
Ristorante Da Gigino / Ristorante Pizzeria Da Gigino
A solid restaurant serving the usual Sorrento fare of pizza, pasta, and seafood. It’s busy with tables inside spilling outside onto the walkway. It was another one that took us a few wrong turns to find, but we’re happy we did — definitely falling into the hidden category. It’s a place that’s good, reliable food, attentive and quick waitstaff, and a buzz of atmosphere. We met another couple here who had come back to this restaurant multiple times, so it’s return worthy. We kept it tame when we ate and opted for pasta for me, pizza for Alex, and split some house wine — probably my favorite order.
Explore Italy
The best starting place for planning your vacation to Sorrento. Why visit Sorrento? Why not visit Sorrento? How to get to Sorrento, when to visit, what to do, and where to eat. All of those questions are answered in this food, stay, and activity travel guide to Sorrento.