RFK Editorial · The Worldwide Italian Authority
Top 50 Italian Restaurants Outside Italy
Published · Updated
From Otto e Mezzo Bombana Hong Kong (the only three-Michelin Italian outside Italy) and Niko Romito Dubai to Carbone New York, Marea, The River Cafe, Funke Beverly Hills, Cipriani Monte Carlo, Bulgari Luca Fantin Tokyo, plus Cecconi's, Casa Tua, Fasano, and forty-two more pasta rooms, trattorias, and Michelin-starred Italian institutions across 18 cities.
Methodology
We assess every restaurant on this list against five Italian-outside-Italy variables: regional Italian authenticity (do the dishes belong to a single Italian region's culinary tradition rather than a generic pan-Italian register), pasta-making seriousness (hand-rolled, fresh-cut, daily, or extruded), wine program depth in Italian regions (Piedmont, Tuscany, Veneto, Sicily verticals), the chef's Italian training lineage, and the consistency of the room over time.
No restaurant on this list serves a generic pan-Mediterranean menu, and no restaurant on this list mixes Italian-American grand cuisine with Italian regional cuisine in the same kitchen. Carbone is treated as Italian-American (its grand cuisine register is institutional), and so are Il Mulino, Rao's, Lupa, and Buddy V's. Otto e Mezzo Bombana, Bulgari Luca Fantin, Niko Romito, Locanda Locatelli, Murano, and Marea are treated as modern Italian fine dining.
Michelin stars are noted but do not determine ranking. Our top three (Bombana, Fantin, Romito) all hold Michelin stars; our top ten includes the unstarred but globally-cited Carbone, Marea, and The River Cafe. The hardest-reservation flag (Carbone, Rao's) is treated as a separate variable and reflected in the booking lead-time field rather than the score grid.
Three-Michelin and Bombana's Italian-Asia Circle
Umberto Bombana, born in Bergamo and trained at Aimo e Nadia in Milan, holds the only three-Michelin Italian restaurant on earth outside Italy. His Hong Kong flagship Otto e Mezzo (since 2010) and its two-Michelin Shanghai sister on the Bund define the white-truffle and pasta benchmark for Italian fine dining in Asia. The Bombana register, the Piedmont and Tuscany cellar, and the daily fresh tagliolini have made these two rooms the destination tables for the white-truffle pilgrim circuit each November.
Cities: Hong Kong · Shanghai
Otto e Mezzo Bombana
Central, Hong Kong · Modern Italian · $$$$
The only three-Michelin Italian restaurant on earth outside Italy. Chef Umberto Bombana, the white-truffle ambassador of Asia, has held three stars in Central since 2012.
Regional origin: Northern Italian (Bergamo lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: White Alba truffle tasting menu, fresh tagliolini al tartufo bianco
Wine program: Italian-only; Piedmont, Tuscany, Veneto deep cellar
Best pasta: Tagliolini con tartufo bianco d'Alba
Family lineage: Bombana family from Bergamo; Bombana trained at Aimo e Nadia in Milan
Otto e Mezzo Bombana Shanghai
The Bund, Shanghai · Modern Italian · $$$$
The Shanghai sister to Bombana's three-Michelin Hong Kong flagship. Two Michelin stars and the most consistently Italian truffle and pasta program on the Bund.
Regional origin: Northern Italian (Bergamo lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Tagliolini al tartufo bianco, agnolotti del plin
Wine program: Italian-only; Piedmont and Tuscany verticals
Best pasta: Tagliolini con tartufo bianco d'Alba
Family lineage: Bombana group; same Bergamo lineage as Hong Kong flagship
Modern Italian Across Asia and the Gulf
Two of the most architecturally serious Italian restaurants outside Italy sit in Tokyo and Dubai. Luca Fantin's Bulgari Il Ristorante Ginza (one Michelin star since 2009) sources Japanese product through an Italian grammar; the agnolotti del plin and saffron risotto are the closest thing to Don Alfonso 1890 east of Sant'Agata. Niko Romito, the three-Michelin Abruzzese master, brings his Reale tasting register to the Bulgari Resort on Jumeira Bay Island; the cacio e pepe in Romito's reductionist style and the lamb on its bones translate the Casadonna kitchen to the Arabian peninsula.
Cities: Dubai · Tokyo
Bulgari Il Ristorante Luca Fantin
Ginza, Tokyo · Modern Italian · $$$$
The benchmark for Italian fine dining in Asia. Luca Fantin sources Japanese product through an Italian grammar; the result is the most refined modern Italian table east of Milan.
Regional origin: Northern Italian (Veneto lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, refined
Signature dish: Risotto allo zafferano with Japanese saffron, fresh agnolotti del plin
Wine program: Italian-only; Veneto, Piedmont, Friuli deep verticals
Best pasta: Agnolotti del plin con Parmigiano
Family lineage: Fantin trained at Don Alfonso 1890 (Sant'Agata sui due Golfi)
Il Ristorante Niko Romito
Jumeira Bay Island, Dubai · Modern Italian · $$$$
Niko Romito, the three-Michelin Abruzzese master, brings his Reale tasting register to the Bulgari Resort. The most architecturally serious Italian restaurant on the Arabian peninsula.
Regional origin: Abruzzese (Castel di Sangro lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, intentionally simple
Signature dish: Cacio e pepe in chef Romito's intentionally minimalist register, lamb on its bones
Wine program: Italian-only; Abruzzo, Tuscany, Sicily deep cellar
Best pasta: Spaghetto con pomodoro (the Romito reductionist signature)
Family lineage: Romito's Reale (3 Michelin) lineage transposed to the Bulgari group
Major Food Group's Carbone Empire
Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznick's restaurant group did more for modern Italian-American grand cuisine than any single restaurant or chef in the past two decades. Carbone Greenwich Village (2013), Carbone Miami (2021), Carbone Las Vegas at Aria, the Wynn's Carbone Riviera (Ligurian-coastal concept, 2024), and Torrisi's solo Nolita flagship all share the captain in burgundy tuxedo, the Caesar tableside, and the spicy rigatoni alla vodka that anchor the Italian-American grand-cuisine register.
Cities: Las Vegas · Miami · New York
Carbone
Greenwich Village, New York · Italian-American · $$$$
The Italian-American restaurant that defined the modern era. The captain in the burgundy tux, the Caesar tableside, the spicy rigatoni vodka. The hardest reservation in New York for ten straight years.
Regional origin: Italian-American (Bronx Sicilian roots)
Pasta method: Fresh extruded plus dried
Signature dish: Spicy rigatoni alla vodka, veal parmesan, lobster ravioli, Caesar tableside
Wine program: Italian-American by-the-bottle; Tuscany and Piedmont strong
Best pasta: Spicy rigatoni alla vodka
Family lineage: Carbone family Bronx Sicilian lineage; Carbone himself trained at Torrisi Italian Specialties
Torrisi
Nolita, New York · Modern Italian-American · $$$$
Rich Torrisi's solo restoration of Italian-American grand-cuisine. The white tablecloth, the cart service, the Nolita dining room re-built as the most ambitious Italian-American room since Le Cirque.
Regional origin: Italian-American (Sicilian and Calabrian lineage)
Pasta method: Fresh extruded, hand-rolled
Signature dish: Veal parmesan with cart service, anchovy and burrata, the seven-course tasting
Wine program: Italian-only; Sicily, Tuscany, Piedmont verticals
Best pasta: Veal parmesan tableside cart
Family lineage: Torrisi co-founded Major Food Group with Mario Carbone
Carbone Miami
South Beach, Miami · Italian-American · $$$$
The Miami Beach Carbone. The same captain in burgundy tux, the same Caesar tableside, the same spicy rigatoni alla vodka transferred to South Beach.
Regional origin: Italian-American (Bronx Sicilian roots)
Pasta method: Fresh extruded plus dried
Signature dish: Spicy rigatoni alla vodka, veal parmesan, lobster ravioli
Wine program: Italian-American by-the-bottle; Tuscany and Piedmont strong
Best pasta: Spicy rigatoni alla vodka
Family lineage: Carbone family lineage; Major Food Group flagship
Carbone Las Vegas
Aria Resort, Las Vegas · Italian-American · $$$$
The Aria Resort Carbone. The same captain in burgundy tux, the same lobster ravioli, the same Italian-American grand-cuisine grammar transferred to the Las Vegas Strip.
Regional origin: Italian-American (Bronx Sicilian roots)
Pasta method: Fresh extruded plus dried
Signature dish: Spicy rigatoni alla vodka, veal parmesan, lobster ravioli
Wine program: Italian-American by-the-bottle; Tuscany and Piedmont strong
Best pasta: Spicy rigatoni alla vodka
Family lineage: Carbone family lineage; Major Food Group Vegas flagship
Carbone Riviera
Wynn Resort, Las Vegas · Italian Riviera and Coastal Italian · $$$$
Major Food Group's second Vegas restaurant. A Ligurian-Riviera concept transferred to the Wynn pool deck. The most architecturally serious modern-Italian pool-restaurant in America.
Regional origin: Ligurian (Italian Riviera lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Pesto trofie with prawns, branzino, focaccia
Wine program: Italian-only; Liguria, Piedmont, Tuscany verticals
Best pasta: Trofie al pesto Genovese
Family lineage: Carbone family Italian Riviera-research concept
New York's Modern Italian Pasta Laboratory
Stefano Secchi at Rezdora trained at three-Michelin Osteria Francescana under Massimo Bottura; his hand-rolled tortellini in brodo are the closest thing to Modena outside Modena. Michael White's two-Michelin Marea overlooking Central Park South. Missy Robbins's Lilia Williamsburg with the malfaldini and pink peppercorn. Don Angie's pinwheel lasagna in the West Village. Andrew Carmellini's Locanda Verde TriBeca taverna. Michael White's one-Michelin Italian-French Riviera flagship Ai Fiori at the Langham Place. Six modern Italian rooms that re-set the New York pasta laboratory standard.
Cities: New York
Marea
Central Park South, New York · Coastal Italian Seafood · $$$$
Two Michelin stars overlooking Central Park South. The fusilli with red wine braised octopus, the seafood crudo, and the most refined coastal Italian tasting in North America.
Regional origin: Coastal Italian (Adriatic and Ligurian)
Pasta method: Fresh extruded, hand-cut, daily
Signature dish: Fusilli with red wine braised octopus and bone marrow, branzino salt-crusted
Wine program: Italian-only; Liguria, Veneto, Sicily deep verticals
Best pasta: Fusilli with red wine braised octopus
Family lineage: Michael White trained at San Domenico in Imola; the Marea opening team became Italian-American gold standard
Rezdora
Flatiron, New York · Emilian Pasta · $$$
One Michelin star and the most exciting Modena-style pasta in North America. Stefano Secchi trained at Osteria Francescana under Massimo Bottura. The hand-rolled tortellini in brodo are the closest thing to Modena outside the city itself.
Regional origin: Emilian (Modena lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled exclusively, fresh daily
Signature dish: Tortellini in brodo, gramigna alla salsiccia, the seven-pasta tasting menu
Wine program: Italian-only; Emilia-Romagna deep verticals plus Lambrusco
Best pasta: Tortellini in brodo with thirty-six month Parmigiano
Family lineage: Secchi trained at three-Michelin Osteria Francescana under Massimo Bottura
Lilia
Williamsburg, New York · Modern Italian Pasta · $$$
Missy Robbins's Williamsburg pasta institution. The malfaldini with pink peppercorn, the agnolotti, and the most photographed Italian dining room in Brooklyn.
Regional origin: Modern Italian (Northern lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-cut, fresh extruded, daily
Signature dish: Mafaldini with pink peppercorn, agnolotti dei plin, sheep's milk cheese ravioli
Wine program: Italian-only; Piedmont, Veneto, Sicily verticals
Best pasta: Mafaldini con pepe rosa
Family lineage: Robbins trained at A Voce; ex-executive chef at Crandalls' Locanda Verde
Don Angie
West Village, New York · Italian-American · $$$$
The West Village pasta room that re-imagined Italian-American grammar. The pinwheel lasagna, the chrysanthemum salad, the design-forward dining room. James Beard Best New Restaurant 2019.
Regional origin: Italian-American (Sicilian and Neapolitan lineage)
Pasta method: Fresh extruded, daily
Signature dish: Pinwheel lasagna for two, stuffed garlic flatbread, bucatini
Wine program: Italian-only; Sicily, Campania, Tuscany verticals
Best pasta: Pinwheel lasagna
Family lineage: Rito family Sicilian-American lineage; Tacinelli is ex-Quality Italian
Locanda Verde
TriBeca, New York · Modern Italian · $$$$
Andrew Carmellini's TriBeca Italian flagship since 2009. The most consistently photographed Italian dining room in downtown New York; the all-day Italian taverna register at fine-dining level.
Regional origin: Modern Italian (Roman and Northern lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Lemon ricotta pancakes (brunch), fresh tagliatelle, sheep's milk ricotta
Wine program: Italian-only; Piedmont, Tuscany, Sicily verticals
Best pasta: Sheep's milk ricotta with grilled bread
Family lineage: Carmellini trained at Le Cirque, Cafe Boulud, and A Voce; James Beard award
Ai Fiori
Midtown West, New York · Italian and French Riviera · $$$$
Michael White's Italian-French Riviera fine-dining flagship. One Michelin star and the most consistently refined Riviera-Italian tasting in midtown Manhattan.
Regional origin: Coastal Italian and French Riviera (Liguria and Provence lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Trofie al pesto, branzino, fresh tagliolini al tartufo
Wine program: Italian-only; Liguria, Piedmont, Provence verticals
Best pasta: Trofie al pesto Genovese
Family lineage: White trained at San Domenico in Imola; Marea sister concept
New York's Italian-American Legacy Institutions
The Italian-American institutions that anchor old New York. Il Mulino (Greenwich Village since 1981, the Masci brothers' Abruzzese kitchen). Il Buco (NoHo since 1994, Donna Lennard's Tuscan-Umbrian sourcing tradition). Lupa Osteria Romana (Greenwich Village since 1999, Joe Bastianich and Mark Ladner's Roman trattoria). Via Carota (West Village since 2014, Jody Williams and Rita Sodi's Tuscan dining room with no reservations). And Rao's, the most legendary impossible reservation in New York, where the East Harlem tables since 1896 are owned by regulars and inherited rather than booked.
Cities: New York
Il Mulino
Greenwich Village, New York · Italian-American · $$$$
The Greenwich Village Italian-American institution since 1981. The captain in tuxedo, the cart-service antipasti, the most consistently family-run Italian dining room in New York.
Regional origin: Italian-American (Abruzzese lineage)
Pasta method: Fresh extruded, daily
Signature dish: Veal parmesan, fresh ravioli, the Caesar tableside
Wine program: Italian-only; Abruzzo, Tuscany, Sicily verticals
Best pasta: Veal parmesan
Family lineage: Masci brothers Abruzzese lineage; second-generation Italian-American
Il Buco
NoHo, New York · Tuscan and Umbrian · $$$$
Donna Lennard's NoHo institution since 1994. The Tuscan-Umbrian-research dining room with the open-kitchen pass and the most consistently Italian wine program in downtown New York.
Regional origin: Tuscan and Umbrian (Central Italian lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Bistecca alla Fiorentina, fresh pici with ragu, suckling pig
Wine program: Italian-only; Tuscany, Umbria, Sicily verticals
Best pasta: Pici al ragu di Chianina
Family lineage: Lennard's Tuscan-Umbrian sourcing tradition; Donna Lennard founder
Lupa Osteria Romana
Greenwich Village, New York · Roman · $$$
Joe Bastianich's Greenwich Village Roman trattoria since 1999. The most consistently Roman dining room in New York; the cacio e pepe, the saltimbocca, the carbonara at the trattoria register.
Regional origin: Roman (Lazio lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Cacio e pepe, saltimbocca, carbonara, bucatini all'amatriciana
Wine program: Italian-only; Lazio, Tuscany, Sicily verticals
Best pasta: Bucatini all'amatriciana
Family lineage: Ladner trained at Lidia Bastianich's Felidia; Joe Bastianich co-founded with Mario Batali
Via Carota
West Village, New York · Tuscan · $$$
Jody Williams and Rita Sodi's West Village Tuscan dining room since 2014. The most consistently photographed Italian dining room in Greenwich Village; the famous svizzerina with anchovy butter.
Regional origin: Tuscan (Florentine lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Svizzerina with anchovy butter, fresh tagliatelle, ribollita
Wine program: Italian-only; Tuscany, Piedmont, Sicily verticals
Best pasta: Svizzerina with anchovy butter
Family lineage: Sodi is Tuscan-born; Williams trained at Babbo and Buvette
Rao's
East Harlem, New York · Italian-American · $$$$
The most legendarily impossible reservation in New York. East Harlem since 1896. The tables are owned by regulars; Frank Sinatra, Mario Cuomo, and four generations of New York establishment have eaten here. There are ten tables; reservations are inherited.
Regional origin: Italian-American (Neapolitan lineage)
Pasta method: Fresh extruded plus dried
Signature dish: Lemon chicken, meatballs in red sauce, rigatoni Sunday gravy
Wine program: Italian-American by-the-bottle; Sicily and Tuscany strong
Best pasta: Lemon chicken Rao's
Family lineage: Pellegrino family three-generation East Harlem lineage since 1896
London's Modern Italian Establishment
Ruth Rogers and the late Rose Gray opened The River Cafe on Thames Wharf in 1987; the Hammersmith institution taught Britain to take Italian cooking seriously and still trains every Mayfair Italian chef. Angela Hartnett's one-Michelin Murano (Mayfair, since 2008) and her bistro sister Cafe Murano (St James's). Theo Randall, ex-head chef of The River Cafe, runs the Park Lane InterContinental dining room with a Tuscan register inherited directly from the Rogers tradition.
Cities: London
The River Cafe
Hammersmith, London · Modern Italian · $$$$
The institution that taught Britain to take Italian cooking seriously. Ruth Rogers since 1987. The wood-fired river-side dining room and the seasonal Tuscan tasting menu still define modern Italian in London.
Regional origin: Tuscan (Florentine lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh daily
Signature dish: Wood-roasted langoustines, tagliatelle al ragu Bolognese, chocolate Nemesis
Wine program: Italian-only; Tuscany, Piedmont, Sicily deep verticals
Best pasta: Tagliatelle al ragu Bolognese
Family lineage: Founded by Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray (the late co-founder); Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall trained here
Cafe Murano
St James's, London · Northern Italian · $$$
Angela Hartnett's Italian bistro line, the more accessible sister to her one-Michelin Murano in Mayfair. The Northern Italian register at the trattoria price point; the most consistently family-feeling Italian dining room in central London.
Regional origin: Northern Italian (Bardi family lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Veal Milanese, fresh tagliatelle, vitello tonnato, polenta
Wine program: Italian-only; Piedmont, Lombardy, Tuscany verticals
Best pasta: Tagliatelle al ragu Bolognese
Family lineage: Hartnett's grandmother was Italian; trained at the Connaught and Petrus before launching the Murano group
Murano
Mayfair, London · Modern Italian · $$$$
Angela Hartnett's Mayfair flagship. One Michelin star since 2009. The most refined modern-Italian tasting menu in London, with the Cipriani-trained Hartnett's Italian-grandmother register at the table.
Regional origin: Northern Italian (Bardi family lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Veal Milanese, tagliatelle, tortellini in brodo, polenta
Wine program: Italian-only; Piedmont, Tuscany, Lombardy verticals
Best pasta: Polenta with parmesan and fresh tagliolini
Family lineage: Hartnett trained at the Connaught and at Marcus Wareing's Petrus; Italian grandmother roots
Theo Randall at the InterContinental
Mayfair, London · Modern Italian · $$$$
Ex-River Cafe head chef Theo Randall's Park Lane room. The continuation of the Ruth Rogers Italian tradition at the InterContinental level; the most consistently elegant Italian dining in central London.
Regional origin: Tuscan (Florentine lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Wood-roasted veal, fresh tagliatelle al ragu, tagliolini
Wine program: Italian-only; Tuscany, Piedmont verticals
Best pasta: Tagliatelle al ragu Bolognese
Family lineage: Randall is ex-head chef of The River Cafe under Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray
Cipriani Group and the Harry's Bar Lineage
Giuseppe Cipriani opened Harry's Bar in Venice in 1931. The carpaccio, the Bellini, and the baked tagliolini with ham have been carried by four generations of the Cipriani family across ten countries. Cipriani Monte Carlo (1979 Casino-adjacent) is the Mediterranean room. Cipriani Beverly Hills (Wilshire Boulevard, 2022) is the most recent North American opening. Cipriani Dubai (DIFC, 2014) anchors the banking district. Each room serves the same Venetian register that has run since Hemingway drank Bellinis at Harry's Bar.
Cities: Beverly Hills · Dubai · Monte Carlo
Cipriani Monte Carlo
Larvotto, Monte Carlo · Venetian · $$$$
The Mediterranean Cipriani room. Since 1979 the Casino-adjacent table for Monaco's banking and yacht class. The Bellini, the carpaccio, the same Venetian register that the Cipriani family has carried since Harry's Bar in 1931.
Regional origin: Venetian (Harry's Bar lineage since 1931)
Pasta method: Hand-cut, fresh, simple
Signature dish: Carpaccio Cipriani, baked tagliolini with ham, Bellini
Wine program: Italian-only; Veneto and Friuli deep verticals
Best pasta: Tagliolini gratinati al prosciutto
Family lineage: Giuseppe Cipriani family; direct descent from Harry's Bar Venice (1931)
Cipriani Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills · Venetian · $$$$
The newest Cipriani in the Western Hemisphere. The same Venetian carpaccio, the same Bellini, the same Cipriani room transferred whole to Wilshire Boulevard.
Regional origin: Venetian (Harry's Bar lineage since 1931)
Pasta method: Hand-cut, fresh, simple
Signature dish: Carpaccio Cipriani, baked tagliolini with ham, Bellini
Wine program: Italian-only; Veneto, Friuli, Tuscany verticals
Best pasta: Tagliolini gratinati al prosciutto
Family lineage: Cipriani family; Harry's Bar Venice descent
Cipriani Dubai
DIFC, Dubai · Venetian · $$$$
The Cipriani Venetian register transferred to the DIFC banking district. The carpaccio, the Bellini, the same Cipriani room that has run since Harry's Bar Venice in 1931.
Regional origin: Venetian (Harry's Bar lineage since 1931)
Pasta method: Hand-cut, fresh, simple
Signature dish: Carpaccio Cipriani, baked tagliolini with ham, Bellini
Wine program: Italian-only; Veneto, Friuli, Tuscany verticals
Best pasta: Tagliolini gratinati al prosciutto
Family lineage: Cipriani family; Harry's Bar Venice descent
Miami's Italian Beachfront Circle
Three Italian rooms anchor Miami Beach. Casa Tua, the Mediterranean villa on James Avenue (since 2001, Miky Grendene's Veneto family lineage). Scott Conant's Scarpetta at the Fontainebleau (since 2010, the famous spaghetti pomodoro). Cecconi's at the Soho Beach House (since 2010, the Mayfair Cecconi's tradition since 1978 transferred to Collins Avenue). Carbone Miami sits separately in the Major Food Group section above.
Cities: Miami
Casa Tua Miami
South Beach, Miami · Northern Italian · $$$$
The Mediterranean villa on James Avenue. Since 2001 the most consistently Italian South Beach dining room. Miky Grendene's family-run, member-club register.
Regional origin: Northern Italian (Veneto and Lombardy lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Tagliolini al tartufo, branzino, vitello tonnato
Wine program: Italian-only; Veneto, Piedmont, Tuscany deep verticals
Best pasta: Tagliolini con tartufo bianco
Family lineage: Grendene family Veneto lineage; villa-restaurant register
Scarpetta Miami
Mid-Beach, Miami · Modern Italian · $$$$
Scott Conant's Fontainebleau room. The famous spaghetti with tomato and basil. The Scarpetta tasting menu transferred from New York to Mid-Beach.
Regional origin: Modern Italian (Tuscan and Northern lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Spaghetti pomodoro, veal Milanese, polenta with truffled mushrooms
Wine program: Italian-only; Tuscany, Piedmont, Sicily verticals
Best pasta: Spaghetti pomodoro
Family lineage: Conant trained at L'Impero and Alto in Manhattan; CIA graduate
Cecconi's Miami
Mid-Beach, Miami · Northern Italian · $$$$
The Soho House Italian dining room on Collins Avenue. The Venetian register transferred to Miami Beach via the Cecconi's tradition that began in Mayfair.
Regional origin: Venetian (Mayfair Cecconi's lineage since 1978)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled plus extruded
Signature dish: Veal Milanese, fresh tagliatelle, vitello tonnato
Wine program: Italian-only; Veneto, Piedmont, Tuscany verticals
Best pasta: Tagliatelle al ragu
Family lineage: Cecconi's Mayfair (1978) lineage transferred to Soho House group
Las Vegas Italian-American Strip Circle
Beyond the two Carbone Las Vegas rooms in the Major Food Group section above, the Strip's Italian-American institution circle is anchored by Buddy V's Ristorante (Cake Boss Buddy Valastro's Venetian flagship, family-style red-sauce) and Piero's Italian Cuisine (since 1982, the Sinatra-era Convention Center room with the osso buco Milanese still on the menu).
Cities: Las Vegas
Buddy V's Ristorante
The Venetian, Las Vegas · Italian-American · $$$
Cake Boss Buddy Valastro's Las Vegas Italian-American room. Family-style red-sauce institution at the Venetian; multi-generational birthday-dinner anchor on the Strip.
Regional origin: Italian-American (New Jersey Sicilian lineage)
Pasta method: Fresh extruded plus dried
Signature dish: Sunday gravy, chicken parmesan, baked ziti, the Cannoli tasting
Wine program: Italian-American by-the-bottle; Sicily and Tuscany strong
Best pasta: Sunday gravy with meatballs
Family lineage: Valastro family Hoboken Sicilian-American lineage; Cake Boss TV
Piero's Italian Cuisine
Convention Center, Las Vegas · Italian-American · $$$$
The Strip's most institutionally Italian-American room since 1982. Frank Sinatra, the Rat Pack, and four decades of Vegas establishment regulars. The osso buco and the veal Milanese still anchor the menu.
Regional origin: Italian-American (Lombardy and Northern Italian lineage)
Pasta method: Fresh extruded plus dried
Signature dish: Osso buco Milanese, veal Milanese, fresh tagliatelle
Wine program: Italian by-the-bottle; Piedmont and Tuscany verticals
Best pasta: Osso buco Milanese with risotto
Family lineage: Broglia family Northern Italian lineage; the Strip institution since 1982
Los Angeles and Beverly Hills California Italian
Los Angeles is the most Italian American city outside New York for fine dining. Evan Funke is the only American chef trained under Alessandra Spisni at Bologna's Vecchia Scuola; his Beverly Hills flagship Funke and his Venice Beach predecessor Felix Trattoria define the hand-rolled pasta register on the West Coast. Wolfgang Puck's Spago Beverly Hills since 1997. Nancy Silverton's Hancock Park duo of Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza. Massimo Bottura's one-Michelin Gucci Osteria on Rodeo Drive, which transposes Osteria Francescana's Modena pastas to California.
Cities: Beverly Hills · Los Angeles
Funke
Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills · Roman and Tuscan Pasta · $$$$
Evan Funke's hand-rolled pasta cathedral. The pasta laboratory is glassed-in, the rolling pins are visible, and Funke is the only American chef trained under the legendary Modena pasta-maker Alessandra Spisni.
Regional origin: Bolognese (Modena lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled with rolling pin only; no machines
Signature dish: Tortellini in brodo, tagliatelle al ragu, agnolotti del plin
Wine program: Italian-only; Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany deep verticals
Best pasta: Tortellini in brodo (36-month Parmigiano broth)
Family lineage: Funke trained under Alessandra Spisni at La Vecchia Scuola Bolognese
Felix Trattoria
Venice, Los Angeles · Roman and Tuscan Pasta · $$$$
Evan Funke's first hand-rolled pasta restaurant. The Venice Beach laboratory where the rolling pin tradition reached the West Coast for the first time.
Regional origin: Bolognese (Modena lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled with rolling pin only; no machines
Signature dish: Tagliatelle al ragu, tortellini in brodo, agnolotti del plin
Wine program: Italian-only; Emilia-Romagna deep verticals plus Tuscany
Best pasta: Tagliatelle al ragu Bolognese
Family lineage: Funke trained at La Vecchia Scuola Bolognese under Alessandra Spisni
Spago Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills · Modern California Italian · $$$$
Wolfgang Puck's Beverly Hills flagship since 1997. The Italian-influenced California fine-dining institution that defined Hollywood Italian dining for two decades.
Regional origin: Modern California Italian (Tuscan and Northern lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Smoked salmon pizza, fresh agnolotti, veal Milanese
Wine program: Italian-only; Tuscany, Piedmont, Sicily verticals
Best pasta: Smoked salmon pizza
Family lineage: Puck trained at Maxim's de Paris and at L'Oustau de Baumaniere; Austrian roots, Italian register
Osteria Mozza
Hancock Park, Los Angeles · Modern Italian · $$$$
Nancy Silverton's Hancock Park institution. The mozzarella bar at the entrance, the burrata and squash blossoms, the most consistently Italian fine-dining tasting in Los Angeles since 2007.
Regional origin: Northern Italian (Tuscan and Lombardy lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Burrata with squash blossoms, orecchiette, ricotta and egg ravioli
Wine program: Italian-only; Tuscany, Piedmont, Sicily verticals
Best pasta: Ricotta and egg raviolo
Family lineage: Silverton co-founded Campanile and La Brea Bakery; Batali was founding partner
Pizzeria Mozza Los Angeles
Hancock Park, Los Angeles · Roman-Style Pizza · $$$
The Nancy Silverton pizzeria that taught California to take pizza seriously. The thin-crust Roman-style pizza, the fennel sausage, and the most consistently photographed pizza dining room in Los Angeles since 2006.
Regional origin: Roman (Lazio lineage)
Pasta method: Wood-fired oven, fermented dough
Signature dish: Fennel sausage pizza, squash blossom pizza, the bianca with potato
Wine program: Italian-only; Lazio, Tuscany, Sicily verticals
Best pasta: Fennel sausage pizza
Family lineage: Silverton's bread-making lineage from La Brea Bakery; Italian fermentation tradition
Gucci Osteria
Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills · Modern Italian · $$$$
Massimo Bottura's Gucci-branded Italian on Rodeo Drive. One Michelin star and the closest North American interpretation of Bottura's three-Michelin Osteria Francescana.
Regional origin: Emilian (Modena lineage; Bottura interpretation)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Tortellini in cream of Parmigiano, the Bottura signature 'oops I dropped the lemon tart' dessert
Wine program: Italian-only; Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Sicily verticals
Best pasta: Tortellini in cream of Parmigiano
Family lineage: Bottura's three-Michelin Osteria Francescana lineage; Agazzi trained under Bottura
Chicago, San Francisco, and the Inter-Mountain Italian
RPM Italian (Bill and Giuliana Rancic, the most consistently photographed River North Italian dining room since 2012). Riccardo Michi's Lincoln Park Lombardy trattoria. The Loop's Trattoria No. 10, Chicago's business-lunch Italian institution since 1989. Anthony Strong's Locanda San Francisco, the Mission District's Roman cacio e pepe room. Casa Tua Aspen, the ski-town sister to the Miami flagship.
Cities: Aspen · Chicago · San Francisco
RPM Italian
River North, Chicago · Italian-American · $$$$
Bill and Giuliana Rancic's River North Italian institution. The most consistently photographed Italian dining room in Chicago. Lettuce Entertain You group's Italian flagship.
Regional origin: Italian-American (Northern Italian lineage)
Pasta method: Fresh extruded plus hand-rolled
Signature dish: Lemon ricotta agnolotti, spaghetti pomodoro, sausage and pepper rigatoni
Wine program: Italian-only; Piedmont, Tuscany, Sicily verticals
Best pasta: Lemon ricotta agnolotti
Family lineage: Psaltis trained at Per Se and at NoMad NYC; Lettuce Entertain You
Riccardo Trattoria
Lincoln Park, Chicago · Northern Italian · $$$
Riccardo Michi's Lincoln Park institution since 2003. The most consistently family-run Italian dining room in Chicago, with the Northern Italian house-made pasta register.
Regional origin: Northern Italian (Lombardy lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Tagliolini al tartufo, agnolotti, osso buco
Wine program: Italian-only; Lombardy, Piedmont, Tuscany verticals
Best pasta: Agnolotti del plin
Family lineage: Michi family Lombardy lineage; second-generation Chicago Italian establishment
Trattoria No. 10
The Loop, Chicago · Northern Italian · $$$
The Chicago Loop business-lunch Italian institution since 1989. The Northern Italian register that has fed three generations of Chicago lawyers, traders, and convention attendees.
Regional origin: Northern Italian (Tuscan lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Ravioli with butternut squash, osso buco, tagliatelle
Wine program: Italian-only; Tuscany, Piedmont, Veneto verticals
Best pasta: Butternut squash ravioli
Family lineage: Trattoria No. 10 family lineage since 1989
Locanda San Francisco
Mission, San Francisco · Roman · $$$
The Mission District Roman institution. The cacio e pepe, the Roman-style fritti, and the most consistently family-run Italian dining room in San Francisco.
Regional origin: Roman (Lazio lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Cacio e pepe, fritti misti, carbonara
Wine program: Italian-only; Lazio, Tuscany, Sicily verticals
Best pasta: Cacio e pepe
Family lineage: Strong trained at Babbo NYC under Mario Batali; Crandalls' Locanda Verde lineage
Casa Tua Aspen
Aspen Core, Aspen · Northern Italian · $$$$
The Aspen sister to Casa Tua Miami. The same Mediterranean villa register transferred to the ski-town establishment level. Aspen's most consistently photographed Italian dining room.
Regional origin: Northern Italian (Veneto lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Tagliolini al tartufo, branzino, vitello tonnato
Wine program: Italian-only; Veneto, Piedmont, Tuscany verticals
Best pasta: Tagliolini con tartufo bianco
Family lineage: Grendene family Veneto lineage; Casa Tua Miami sister concept
Dubai, Doha, Barcelona, Brazil and Australia
The remaining Italian outposts that complete the worldwide Italian-outside-Italy circle. Armani Hotel Dubai's flagship Italian inside the Burj Khalifa. Mandarin Oriental Doha's Alba. Cecconi's Soho House Barcelona. The Fasano family's two São Paulo flagships (Trattoria Fasano in Jardins and the Hotel Fasano dining room), four generations of Italian-Brazilian lineage since 1902. Otto Ristorante Sydney on Woolloomooloo wharf since 2003. And Grossi Florentino on Bourke Street Melbourne, three generations of the Grossi family since 1928.
Cities: Barcelona · Doha · Dubai · Melbourne · Sydney · São Paulo
Armani Ristorante Dubai
Burj Khalifa, Dubai · Modern Italian · $$$$
The Burj Khalifa Armani Hotel flagship Italian. The most architecturally cinematic Italian restaurant in Dubai; the Giorgio Armani-designed dining room with the Burj Khalifa fountain at the eye line.
Regional origin: Modern Italian (Lombardy lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Fresh tagliolini, branzino, veal Milanese
Wine program: Italian-only; Lombardy, Piedmont, Tuscany verticals
Best pasta: Tagliolini con tartufo bianco
Family lineage: Armani Group lineage; Giorgio Armani's signature design register
Alba Doha
West Bay, Doha · Modern Italian · $$$$
Mandarin Oriental Doha's flagship Italian. The most refined modern-Italian table in Qatar, with the Doha skyline framed at every window seat.
Regional origin: Modern Italian (Northern lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Fresh agnolotti del plin, branzino, veal Milanese
Wine program: Italian-only; Piedmont, Tuscany, Sicily verticals
Best pasta: Agnolotti del plin
Family lineage: Mandarin Oriental group's Italian fine-dining concept
Cecconi's Barcelona
Gothic Quarter, Barcelona · Northern Italian · $$$$
The Soho House Barcelona Italian. The Mayfair Cecconi's tradition (since 1978) transferred to the Gothic Quarter, with the Mediterranean dining room and the Northern Italian register.
Regional origin: Venetian (Mayfair Cecconi's lineage since 1978)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled plus extruded
Signature dish: Veal Milanese, fresh tagliatelle, vitello tonnato
Wine program: Italian-only; Veneto, Piedmont, Tuscany verticals
Best pasta: Tagliatelle al ragu
Family lineage: Cecconi's Mayfair (1978) lineage; Soho House group
Trattoria Fasano
Jardins, São Paulo · Northern Italian · $$$$
The Fasano family's Italian trattoria flagship in São Paulo. Four generations of Fasano family Italian-Brazilian lineage; the Northern Italian register that defined Brazilian fine dining.
Regional origin: Northern Italian (Lombardy and Veneto lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Fresh tagliolini al tartufo, osso buco, vitello tonnato
Wine program: Italian-only; Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto verticals
Best pasta: Tagliolini con tartufo bianco
Family lineage: Fasano family four-generation Italian-Brazilian lineage since 1902
Fasano Restaurante
Jardins, São Paulo · Modern Italian · $$$$
Hotel Fasano's flagship Italian. The most architecturally institutional Italian fine-dining room in Brazil; the Fasano family's hotel-restaurant register.
Regional origin: Northern Italian (Lombardy and Veneto lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Fresh agnolotti, branzino, veal Milanese
Wine program: Italian-only; Lombardy, Piedmont, Tuscany verticals
Best pasta: Agnolotti del plin
Family lineage: Fasano family four-generation Italian-Brazilian lineage
Otto Ristorante Sydney
Woolloomooloo, Sydney · Modern Italian · $$$$
Sydney's Woolloomooloo wharf institution since 2003. The most consistently photographed Italian dining room in Sydney, with the harbour at the eye line and the Northern Italian fresh-pasta register.
Regional origin: Northern Italian (Veneto and Tuscan lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Fresh tagliolini al tartufo, branzino, vitello tonnato
Wine program: Italian-only; Veneto, Piedmont, Tuscany verticals
Best pasta: Tagliolini con tartufo bianco
Family lineage: Otto Ristorante Sydney institution since 2003; harbour-front lineage
Grossi Florentino
Bourke Street, Melbourne · Northern Italian · $$$$
Melbourne's most institutionally Italian dining room since 1928. Three generations of the Grossi family on Bourke Street; the Northern Italian register that defined Australian Italian fine dining.
Regional origin: Northern Italian (Veneto and Friuli lineage)
Pasta method: Hand-rolled, fresh, daily
Signature dish: Fresh tagliolini, osso buco, vitello tonnato
Wine program: Italian-only; Veneto, Friuli, Piedmont verticals
Best pasta: Tagliolini con tartufo bianco
Family lineage: Grossi family three-generation lineage; Italian-Australian since 1928
How to Eat Italian Outside Italy
A serious Italian restaurant outside Italy is a region-specific Italian restaurant. Carbone is Sicilian and Calabrian Italian-American. Felix Trattoria is Bolognese (Modena lineage). Otto e Mezzo Bombana is Bergamasco (Lombardy). The River Cafe is Tuscan. Cipriani is Venetian. The first question to ask the maitre d at any restaurant on this list is which Italian region the chef trained in, because the answer determines what pasta you should order.
Order the regional pasta. At Rezdora the tortellini in brodo. At The River Cafe the tagliatelle al ragu Bolognese. At Funke the tagliatelle. At Carbone the spicy rigatoni alla vodka. At Don Angie the pinwheel lasagna. At Otto e Mezzo Bombana the tagliolini al tartufo bianco from late October through early January. The pasta course at any of these restaurants is the meal; if the kitchen rolls its own pasta, order it.
Drink Italian wine. The most institutional Italian restaurants outside Italy serve only Italian wine; the lists at Locanda Locatelli, Otto e Mezzo Bombana, Marea, and Murano are deeper than any Italian wine list in any city outside Italy. Ask the sommelier for a producer from the region your chef trained in: Barolo and Barbaresco for Piedmont-trained chefs, Brunello and Chianti Classico for Tuscan-trained chefs, Etna Rosso for Sicilian-trained chefs, Amarone and Soave for Veneto-trained chefs.
Reserve thirty days ahead for Carbone (the Resy window). Eight to twelve weeks ahead for Rezdora, Marea, Otto e Mezzo Bombana, and Locanda Locatelli. White-truffle season (November to early January) is the destination season at Bombana, Bulgari Luca Fantin, Locanda Locatelli, and Murano; book early, order the truffle, and pay the menu supplement. The truffle is the meal.
FAQ
What is the only three-Michelin Italian restaurant outside Italy?
Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong, run by Bergamo-born chef Umberto Bombana, holds three Michelin stars and is the only three-Michelin Italian restaurant on earth outside Italy. Bombana also runs the two-Michelin sister Otto e Mezzo on the Bund in Shanghai. The white-truffle program each November is the destination season for both rooms.
What is the best Italian restaurant in New York?
Carbone (Greenwich Village, 2013) is the most-photographed and hardest-to-reserve Italian-American restaurant in New York. Marea (Central Park South, two Michelin stars) is the most refined coastal-Italian tasting room in North America. Rezdora (Flatiron, one Michelin star) under chef Stefano Secchi serves Modena pastas trained directly under Massimo Bottura. Each clears the New York Italian test on a different variable.
What is the Cipriani family lineage?
Giuseppe Cipriani opened Harry's Bar in Venice in 1931. The carpaccio, the Bellini, and the baked tagliolini with ham were all invented or perfected at Harry's Bar. Four generations of the Cipriani family have carried the same Venetian register across the world: Cipriani Monte Carlo (1979), Cipriani Beverly Hills (2022), Cipriani Dubai (DIFC), and Cipriani Hong Kong. Each room serves the same dishes that Hemingway and Toscanini ordered at Harry's Bar.
Why is hand-rolled pasta a sign of a serious Italian restaurant?
Hand-rolled pasta (sfoglia) is the highest expression of Italian pasta-making. The technique is most associated with Bologna and Emilia-Romagna, where rolling pin pasta is rolled paper-thin without a machine. Funke Beverly Hills, Felix Trattoria Los Angeles, Rezdora New York, and Lilia Williamsburg are the four most institutionally serious hand-rolled-pasta restaurants in America. Funke himself is the only American certified by Bologna's Vecchia Scuola pasta school under master Alessandra Spisni.