In a previous post I pulled no punches on how I felt about Positano. I flat out said you should not go, but sometimes it is just too late to change your plans. You may be stuck visiting the area for one reason or another. Maybe you saw the last post too late, or the area is part of a tour with other (better places). One of the main issues I had with this town was that finding a great Positano restaurant was nearly impossible. So how do you determine where to eat in Positano? Italy is supposed to have great food as a foundational point! Positano for the most part, made me think it was the slack-jawed cousin of my beloved country. Having said this, there are bright spots in terms of food in Positano. Whether it is pizza in Positano or a full meal I will help you navigate to find the best Positano restaurants…
Common Characteristics of a Positano Restaurant
Before I begin my list, what makes Positano restaurants inferior to other places in Italy? There are three things that put a bad taste in my mouth (literally) about the culinary environment of Positano.
No Value for Your Money
Even at the places I liked (with one exception) it felt like I was leaving with both my stomach and wallet empty. You know that little cafe with a 4 Euro half liter of wine and 7 Euro plate of overflowing pasta? It is a Positano unicorn, pizza in Positano was not cheap… more expensive than Sicily and Sorrento
Food was outrageously overpriced, especially for the quality and portions. Why am I eating grilled calamari that would be the bait to catch my real meal in other areas? I blame Hollywood…damn actors came to Positano and turned it into Italy light, plus you know they do not eat anything but kale.
Tourist Traps are Everywhere
I mentioned this in my last post, but it bears repeating, Positano restaurants are for the most part tourist traps. The ingredients are not as good, and the food is not as authentic as other areas of Italy. Positano restaurants are full of Americans, without a local to be found. These tourist traps seem to thrive on serving bad food for the masses. The food was like what Italians think Americans think Italian food should be. See if you can figure out that last sentence…
Positano Food Just Was Not that Good
I think they have an aversion to seasoning, because most of the time it was like the salt container was on strike. Things were OK in terms of freshness; it is just that many meals felt like someone removed my taste buds. I ate at a lot of places, most of the meals were forgettable, some I wish I could forget.
Most Positano restaurants lacked sole. The kind of love you get in other areas of Italy was lacking in their food. I think the years of serving Sandy from Virginia who loves olive garden has taken its toll on the hearts of Positano chefs.
There was a highly rated fish place that served us a beautiful platter of tasteless fish. The lack of seasoning was almost an art form in many Positano restaurants. This kind of blandness (along with the lack of value and love) is what separated Positano from other areas of Italy. So where to eat in Positano? There are a few Positano restaurants that were very good, and one excellent; La Tagliata
# 1 The Best Positano Restaurant: La Tagliata, Positano
Any search of the best restaurants in Positano and La Tagliata comes up. Hopefully you found my site first so I can be the one to tell you why you should go. If La Tagliata was easier to get to, I would have gone every night, and this would have helped pass my time in this wretched area considerably. Let me break down why I enjoyed La Tagliata so much.
The Service
Right off the bat they are picking you up from your hotel, yes, the bus gets kind of crowded, but it is a nice feature none the less. Once you get to the restaurant, they bring you to your table and explain the process, a prefixed menu, family style with multiple courses. All of the servers were excellent and accommodating. I heard other tables were vegetarians and they altered the standard dinner for them. If you wanted more pasta or wine, they provided it. They even corked our second bottle of wine (or third, can not remember) and sent us home. They really went above and beyond in making the experience great.
The Food at La Tagliata
Cheap (price, not value), excellent, and plentiful are the best ways to describe the food at La Tagliata. If you are still hungry after this meal than I look forward to watching you on the next episode of The Biggest Loser. There are (if I remember correctly) four set courses, An antipasto, pasta, various meats, and a dessert course. There are about 4-5 items on each course, wine is included, and as mentioned, keeps flowing. You can guide them with any dietary restrictions, but there is no menu.
The food was fabulous, the tomatoes were fresh, and all but one pasta dish reminded me as to why I came to Italy. Their one misstep was a pasta so under cooked I almost chipped my tooth. It crunched when I bit into it.
Everything Else…
Everything else, from the meats to the wine, was outstanding. By the time dessert came, I was almost too drunk to remember it, but the flashes I have were of greatness. You get this amazing meal for only 45 euro per person, and that is includes transportation.
Great food and service is combined with an amazing atmosphere. The views are incredible, and the area has a family style theme. Plus you can walk the grounds and see the freshly grown vegetables and farm animals, which you will be eating if you show up the next day. Some reviews complain that it is a tourist trap, which is fair, it does have a somewhat touristy feel. We did not have bad (touristy) music while we ate, but some people did. Having said this, ALL of Positano is a tourist trap, La Tagliata is more authentic than the rest of the city. Really for me, in Positano, there was La Tagliata and then every other Positano restaurant. Overall it probably falls on my top ten eating experiences anywhere…Finding other solid restaurants was not as easy, which brings me to my second choice.
#2 Da Gabrisa Restaurant & Wine Bar
Walking uphill from our spot, the Hotel Poseidon brought us to Da Gabrisa Restaurant & Wine Bar. This restaurant is attached to a hotel if I remember correctly, but that did not take away from the food. I really enjoyed our meal here for a number of reasons. First, it has some of the best views in the city. Second, the food, although miniscule, was delicious. I got a pasta dish, and my wife order the grilled squid. The squid had seasoning, which as previously mentioned, is rare. The pasta dish was very good as well, as was the wine.
Da Gabrisa Restaurant & Wine Bar was my second favorite Positano restaurant, expensive yes, but we had a very good meal. It was kind of a pain in the arse to get to, having to climb up hill, but what else are you doing in Positano? It is still easier to get to the La Tagliata …
#3 Buca di Bacco
Probably the best of the worst considering its location, Buca di Bacco is right near the beach. We had a satisfying meal here, me ordering a pasta dish and my wife ordering another squid dish (cannot get enough of good grilled calamari). Once again, she was hoping that they brought her the model version and the real sized food was coming out next.
My pasta dish was delicious, I said it a million times, I love the freshness of the tomatoes and basil in the region. The service was good, and it was affordable. Overall, not the best Positano restaurant, but a solid meal.
#4 The Best Pizza in Positano: La Pergola
Right below Buca Di Bacco is La Pergola, which has at best so-so food. At worst, they give you candied octopus which was an abomination. Having said this, their menu has one bright spot. It was the best pizza in Positano that we found. Being right outside of Naples, there still needs to be a bit of pride for pizza I guess.
Authentic margherita pizza does not have the crisp crust that we have in New York, but that might be the only downside. The cheese is amazing, the ingredients are outstanding and fresh. The place is right on the water, which makes the area even more of a tourist trap. There may be better Pizza in Positano up in the hills near La Tagliata, but if you are going that far might you as well jump on a train to Naples. When looking for Pizza in Positano, La Pergola is a very good choice.
#5 The Best Restaurants in Positano:
Il Tridente
This restaurant had the advantages of being on top of our hotel, the hotel Poseidon (a place that I enjoyed). Even from our room it still was not that easy to get to, it is like a maze, but I digress. We never got a full meal from here, mostly a bit or plate here and there. The view is amazing (as in much of Positano) and the atmosphere was beautiful. I not only recommend Il Tridente, but the hotel Poseidon on a whole. The prices are a bit high, even higher than most. This is to be expected at any hotel, but more so in Positano. The food we did have was great and other guests raved about their meal, so I believe it is a good choice.
There are other Positano restaurants, if you had a great experience with a place that is not on this list I would love to hear about it. It is my hope that most of these places make it through the tough times we are going through at the moment. Especially La Tagliata, which is the only real standout when it comes to eating in Positano for me. Before I go, I will mention one more place, more of a quick snack environment than a restaurant in Positano.
Honorable Mention: Latteria
My editor might have a problem with this, because we did not actually eat at Latteria, except for some cheese. Well, we tried, the website and review sites show these amazing meals, but they close their kitchen in October so I could not taste a lot of their food.
I did however try their wine and cheese which was good. The reason I am adding this to the list is that it is one of the few places you can sit down and get an inexpensive octopus salad (during peak season) and a glass of wine to just chill. There were so few opportunities where I felt comfortable just getting a small snack and some wine and enjoying the atmosphere. Latteria provides this, thus I thought it should be mentioned…
Conclusion: Where to Eat in Positano
There are not a lot of good Positano restaurants. La Tagliata was the best meal we had by far, even if it was a bit touristy. Most of the other food was overpriced and the dishes were far too small. This is not Palermo, Sicily… hell there are better/more authentic restaurants in New York. Still, if you are forced (yes, yes my privilege is showing) to visit Positano when exploring the Amalfi coast, the places on this list will help you get by until you reach a better destination. Whether you want pizza in Positano, or a more formal meal the above places should suffice. If I am wrong or you would like to give other suggestions, let me know and I will update this list, but …yeah, I’m not going back, so the knowledge will be second hand, Mangia!
