Sorrento Restaurants and Dining

(Sorrento, Campania, Italy)

There really is no shortage of restaurants and dining options in Sorrento, although in some of the eateries, which solely target the lucrative tourist market, the service can be a little slow and the food not as tasty as it could perhaps be. Therefore, your safest bet is to look for restaurants in Sorrento that are favoured by the Italians, and also ask at your hotel for their recommendations.

If you are heading for a day on the beach and simply require nothing more than a beach snack, then there are a number of good sandwich shops dotted around central Sorrento and along the Corso Italia. You will also find a number of good dining options and English-style pubs along the Corso Italia, and as the sun begins to set, this stretch becomes a haven for nightlife.

What to Eat

The cuisine of Sorrento is traditionally Italian and its flavours are both simple and tasty. You can expect plenty of freshly made pasta and pizzas, along with dishes made with tomatoes, peppers, olive oil, fennel, nuts and locally caught seafood.

The city has become famous for its alcoholic 'Limoncello' drink, which is a refreshing lemon flavoured liqueur drink and the perfect accompaniment to a dessert, although when dining out you will likely also find an extensive menu of Italian wines. Also of interest, the Gulf of Naples has become well known for its unique pasta flavour, which is made with 'durum' wheat, and its rum-flavoured babàs.

Where to Eat

Central restaurants and cafes offering al fresco dining in the summer can be found around the Piazza Tasso and the Piazza San Antonio, the latter of which is home to the Il Buco eatery, which lies off the Rampa Marina Piccola and is actually a former religious wine cellar. To the east and off the Via Correale, the Piazza Angelina Lauro is another good place to consider and is close to a number of popular Mediterranean-style bars.

Of particular historical significance in Sorrento, the O'Parrucchiano restaurant on the Corso Italia enjoys a vast greenhouse setting and is said to be the actual place where cannelloni originated many years ago.