Italian restaurants are of several types, each of which offers diners a unique range of food to choose from. Each type of restaurant is known for having its own distinctive features.
You can differentiate the types of restaurant by looking at their names, which often begin with the words Trattoria, Enoteca, or Osteria.
The most common types of Italian restaurant include the following:
The Ristorante
This is an Italian restaurant of particularly high standards. They have one characteristic that makes them unique: namely, the services of a well-known chef.
Meals at a ristorante are characterized by a starter, a first course, second-course side dishes, and dessert.
This isn’t a place to visit when you’re in a hurry since meals can take hours to be prepared and prices are comparatively high.
The Osteria
This is a small Italian restaurant. Osterias tend to look like pubs and are generally frequented by local customers.
Not very common in tourist spots, they offer a range of relatively simple fare, such as pasta, sandwiches, and wine.
The Trattoria
The Trattoria is a type of Italian restaurant typically run by a family. They are an ideal choice for anyone who wants to have traditional, homemade Italian food.
More often than not, trattorias are located on small side streets rather than major thoroughfares.
The Pesceria
From its name, you can tell what these restaurants specialise in, since ‘Pesce’ is Italian for ‘fish.’
Therefore, anyone who loves seafood should put the traditional Italian pesceria at the top of their restaurant list.
The Rosticceria
Rosticcerias mainly serve roasted chicken and other meals composed largely of meat.
Meals are generally served in smaller portions to be ordered takeaway. Service is very fast, so these restaurants are ideal if you’re in a hurry.
Excellent roasted vegetable meals are also usually available at rosticcerias.