11 Best Local Restaurants on the Amalfi Coast

Ristorante Da Teresa is a staple for authentic cuisine on the Amalfi Coast. Located on the Santa Croce beach in Amalfi, serves the classics like frittura di paranza (fried small fish) and calamarata vongole e gamberi (pasta with clams and prawns).

The menu is full of recipes containing locally caught fish. Pezzogna (red seabream) is cooked all'acqua pazza (with tomatoes and seasoning) and cuoccio, a dialect term for tub gurnard fish, is used in a sauce and served with paccheri pasta It's a down-to-earth restaurant, perched between the coast and cliff face, and has been a hub for bathers and holidaymakers since the 1950s.

Le Arcate offers authentic cuisine like homemade pasta and dishes cooked with the catch of the day. Located in Atrani, visit Le Arcate and choose from specialities like paccheri con pesce spada (large tube pasta with swordfish), scialatielli con gamberi e zucchine (short, thick pasta with prawns and courgette), grigliata di pesce (grilled fish) and frittura mista (mixed fried seafood).

To finish with a local dessert delicacy, order pasticciotto atranese, a pastry filled with custard and black cherries. The restaurant boasts an evocative setting. Outside, your table is just a few metres from the sea, while inside you can make yourself comfortable between the vaults of a cave.

Trattoria San Francisco is a rustic pizzeria and eatery decorated with traditional country furnishings and knick knacks. The beauty of the Amalfi Coast can be enjoyed both by the sea and on the mountain slopes. A trip inland is the perfect opportunity to stop by Tramonti and try the special pizza.

Pizza tramontina stands out for its base, which uses the same dough as bread. It's topped with other local specialities, like Re Fiascone tomatoes, Menaica anchovies and Cilento crushed olives. To taste the flavours of the mountain, order a platter of local salami and cheeses, or indulge in pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans), another local speciality.

Ristorante Maria Grazia is a seafood restaurant with a rich local history. When the food is good and the dishes are made with passion, there's really not much difference between a fisherman's diner and a VIP restaurant. Located on Nerano beach, where seamen used to meet and eat together, the restaurant started in the early 20th century.

It's now a piece of local gastronomic history. Spaghetti alla Nerano, made with courgettes, was invented in its kitchen. For mains you can enjoy a meat or fish speciality with a glass of white wine, flavoured with peach slices.

Al Convento is a delicious local restaurant that serves original dishes in the middle of Cetara. Delicacies include crocchè di patate (potato croquettes), polpettine di melanzane (aubergine balls), baccalà (salted codfish), burger con la provola dei monti Lattari (burger with provola cheese from the Lattari mountains), and the must-try degustazione di acciughe cetaresi (Cetarese anchovy tasting), fried or with butter, pesto and chilli oil.

For your first course, don't miss ziti spezzati alla genovese di tonno (Genovese-style ziti pasta with tuna). Despite the name, it’s not a Ligurian dish, but a Neapolitan speciality made with onions and meat, with a nautical twist from the chef. Another tasty treat is risotto alla pescatora con sfusato amalfitano (seafood risotto with lemon from the Amalfi coast).

Ristorante Il Ritrovo is a restaurant that serves meat and seafood specialities in the fresh mountain air. Located on the Montepertuso uplands, beyond Positano, the restaurant's menu changes depending on the catch of the day and the season.

Must-try dishes include frittura di paranza (fried fish), calamari sale e pepe (salt and pepper calamari), zuppa saracena (Saracen soup, cooked with king prawns, cuttlefish, prawns and rockfish, and served with homemade croutons). Even the vegetables are from the owner's garden. If you like a good wine to go with your meal, the cellar includes prestigious labels from all over the world, with a special selection of Salerno reds.

Ristorante M’Ama in Praiano is a delicious restaurant that serves authentic coastal cuisine. Have you ever tasted Minori's ndunderi? They're large gnocchi made with flour, egg and ricotta, and are served in. This eatery offers Amalfi Coast dishes and Campania cuisine, marrying tradition with experimentation.

The starters include specialities like polpo scottato con pesto di olive e salsa di pomodori (seared octopus with olive pesto and tomato sauce) and alici farcite di ricotta (ricotta-stuffed anchovies). If you want to finish with a meat course, try agnello arrosto con tortino di verdure (roast lamb with vegetable pie) or cubotto di vitella da latte con spinaci, cipolla marinata e fonduta di formaggio (veal cubes with spinach, marinated onion and cheese fondue).

Pasticceria Sal De Riso is a delightful pastry shop in Minori. Inside you're greeted by a display of refined pastry delicacies and delights. For something a bit different, try millefoglie di melanzane fritte con glassa di cioccolato (fried aubergine millefeuille with chocolate icing).

If you'd prefer some more traditional flavours, the house specials include torta ricotta e pere (ricotta and pear tart) and dolce d’Amalfi (almond and lemon cake), made with lemons from the Amalfi Coast. Fancy a savoury treat? They make various types of fresh pasta, including sacchetti di Cetara (puff pastry made with white wine, peaches and honey, stuffed with anchovies and walnuts).

Pasticceria Pansa is a delicious pastry restaurant with authentic sweet treats. If you enjoy sfogliatelle Santa Rosa (flaky pastry with crème pâtissière and a black cherry), stop by Pasticceria Pansa before visiting the Duomo di Amalfi (Amalfi Cathedral). It's right next to the staircase leading to the church's entrance and is known for its crunchy, flaky pastries filled with crème pâtissière.

Legend has it the recipe was invented on the Amalfi Coast. The patisserie's specialities include pasticciotto al limone (lemon custard tart) and timeless classics like pastiera napoletana (tart with cooked wheat, eggs, ricotta, and orange flower water) and babà al rum (rum baba). If you have a holiday home in the area, you can order delivery to your door.

Ristorante Pineta 1903 has been a well-known restaurant on the Amalfi Coast for over a century. Taste the seasonal menus and authentic flavours of the lands between the sea and the mountains either inside or in the lemon garden.

There are fresh fish and crudités, meat, vegetables, cold cuts and cheeses from local farms and producers. Break up your day at the seaside with a lunch of la burrata (mozzarella filled with stracciatella and cream), parmigiana estiva (cold aubergines, tomatoes and mozzarella) or la pettola (puff pastry filled with buffalo mozzarella and dry-cured ham).

Ristorante La Tonnarella is a historic seafood restaurant perched on seafront cliffs. In the 1960s, the space between the beach and the cliffs of Conca dei Marini was used as a depot for tuna fishing nets. The bay wasn't busy, but as tourism grew it became one of the most well-known spots on the Amalfi Coast.

Ristorante La Tonnarella was opened on the premises of the old depot, and it has hosted celebrities and princesses including Princess Margaret from England, Princess Caroline from Monaco and Jacqueline Kennedy. The American first lady was a big fan of the house special, pasta con le zucchine (pasta with courgettes), which has borne her name ever since. To try this delicacy, ask for spaghetti alla Jacqueline.