Want to learn how you can choose the top Italian restaurant?
Then you’ve come to the right place!
Choosing the best Italian restaurant could be a tricky task because they’re so many fake ones around.
Locating the best Italian restaurant in a city outside of Italy requires you to do some research beforehand. Not sure what to look for in an Italian restaurant? Below are some great tips to help you choose the best Italian food place:
Before you choose a food place to visit, do some market research. You can ask around your friends and family if they know about any good Italian restaurants in the city.
For instance, if you live in Chicago, look for people who’ve been to Italian restaurants in Chicago and ask for reviews. Or, you can also search Google for “ Best Italian restaurants in Chicago ” to find the perfect place.
In addition to this, reading online reviews from past customers could also be helpful. For this, you can check a restaurant’s social media pages, visit their website, or simply view their Google My Business rating.
One of the first things to consider when choosing an Italian restaurant is the authenticity. In other words, a real Italian place must offer authentic food. And if it doesn’t, then it’s not worth visiting at all.
While fast food chains don’t usually focus on authenticity, a classic Italian restaurant is likely to provide their customers with authentic Italian cuisine. And if you’re eating out, make sure you get your money’s worth!
Holidaying in Italy?
You must think you’d find the real taste of Italy wherever you go.
We hate to burst your bubble, but there are many fake Italian restaurants lingering around in the hub of Italian food as well! So, if you’re looking for the perfect restaurant in Italy, go for food places that aren’t open all day long. You might not know this already, but true Italian places only serve during certain hours.
Why?
Because Italians are very particular about their meal times. That’s why, restaurants are open only from 12:00pm-2:30pm for lunch and 7:30pm-11: am for dinner. If a restaurant is serving all day in Italy, it’s a tourist trap!
Want to know what speaks bad food like nothing else?
A host who’s more than nice, a menu in English, and a welcome drink on house. So, you know when you need to just keep walking. On the other hand, places that serve great food are usually fully booked with reservations. So much so, that they might not even be able to accommodate you.
Plus, you’re likely to see a lot of Italians in a restaurant with authentic traditional cuisine.
Inside a restaurant that seems quite nice but there are pictures on the menu?
Run away!
The pasta restaurant menu In Chicago impress customers with good service, not pictures of delicious-looking meals that, in real, are nothing like what you’d imagined. So, if you see pictures, it means the restaurant is just playing with human psychology, trying to lure customers into ordering dishes that are way too expensive.
When it comes to menu, authentic Italian restaurants usually serve Italian food only. Also, if the menu is translated into dozens of other languages, it indicates that the restaurant caters to tourists, or people who don’t usually eat Italian.
So, choose a place that gives off truly Italian vibes, serving nothing except authentic Italian dishes, with a menu that appears to be designed only for Italian nationalists.
Do you know what the best thing about Italian food is?
It differs from region to region, and even from city to city within the same region. For instance, Venetian cuisine is hugely different from Roman cuisine.
However, throughout Italy, there’s one thing that remains the same, and that’s the use of fresh, seasonal ingredients. So, you’d know that a restaurant serves authentic Italian food if you can spot seasonal ingredients in the menu.
Just as some dishes are only available during certain seasons, certain others are served only at specific timings. And pizza is just not something that an Italian would have for lunch. So, if you see a restaurant offering pizza during lunchtime, it means that they cater to tourists.
While food quality and authenticity are what matters the most, an award-winning restaurant should also have a great ambiance. Because going out to eat in not just about food, it’s about experience as well.
And you’re likely to take in a restaurant’s ambiance even before you take the first bite of your food. Moreover, if you’re not comfortable, or don’t like your surroundings, you won’t be able to enjoy your food no matter how good it is.
The last thing you need to consider while choosing the best Italian restaurant is the kind of service that they offer. Because how you’re treated by the restaurant staff is what determines your overall experience.
For instance, if the food tastes great, the ambiance is good, menu looks perfect, but they’re taking too long to serve, you’re won’t probably enjoy your night out. All in all, if you’re looking for a true Italian experience, make sure you book a table at the best Italian restaurant in town!