Where to Eat and Drink in Sorrento

Sorrento eats well, in the honest, sun-and-sea way of Campania: potato gnocchi baked with tomato and mozzarella, fish pulled from the bay that morning, pasta with clams, and lemons in everything from the pasta to the after-dinner glass. This is my guide to where to eat and drink in Sorrento, the dishes to order and the places to find them, from a deck over the sea to a back-street trattoria. For the whole shape of a trip, see my complete guide to Sorrento.

What to Eat in Sorrento

The dish that carries the town’s name is gnocchi alla sorrentina: soft potato gnocchi baked in a clay pot, the pignatiello, with tomato sauce, fior di latte mozzarella and basil, brought to the table still bubbling and browned on top. Order it once and you will order it again. Beyond that, look for the day’s fresh fish, grilled simply with oil and lemon, spaghetti alle vongole with clams, the fried seafood mix, the fritto misto, and the local ravioli. Finish with a delizia al limone, the lemon-cream sponge dome that is Sorrento’s signature dessert, and a cold glass of limoncello made from the peninsula’s own protected lemons.

Eating by the Sea at Marina Grande

For at least one meal, eat with your feet almost over the water at Marina Grande, the old fishing village below the town. Trattoria da Emilia has been feeding people on a wooden deck above the sea since 1954, and its Gnocchi della Mamma, cooked to Donna Emilia’s original recipe, are a Sorrento classic; it is unfussy, cash-friendly and exactly what a seaside lunch should be. Neighbouring trattorie do the same simple, fresh things, spaghetti with clams, mixed fried fish, grilled catch of the day. Come at lunch for the light and the working-harbour feel.

Trattorie in the Old Town

In the centre, away from the busiest squares, are the trattorie where the gnocchi are baked in a wood-fired oven and the pasta is made in-house. Places such as Ristorante Il Pozzo on Via Tasso and Da Filippo are known for their gnocchi alla sorrentina done properly, on a garden terrace or under vaulted stone. As a rule, step one street back from Piazza Tasso and the marinas and both the prices and the cooking improve; the best local eating in Sorrento is rarely on the busiest terrace.

Coffee, Aperitivo and Limoncello

The rhythm of a Sorrento day runs on coffee and lemons. Take your morning espresso standing at a bar off Piazza Tasso, and your evening aperitivo, a spritz or a glass of local white, on a terrace as the passeggiata gets going. Limoncello is the ritual close to any meal, poured icy from the freezer; buy your bottle from a working lemon grove rather than a souvenir shop and it will taste of the fruit rather than sugar. For a sweet stop, the town’s pasticcerie do the delizia al limone and lemon granita beautifully in the heat.

A Special Meal

Sorrento has a serious side worth planning for if you want to mark the trip. Il Buco holds a Michelin star in the vaulted former wine cellar of a monastery off Piazza Sant’Antonino, doing refined, seasonal Campanian cooking; the Terrazza Bosquet at the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria is the classic jacket-and-view evening, a starred dining room on a terrace above the bay. For something between the trattoria and the tasting menu, L’Antica Trattoria in the old town is a long-running favourite with a candlelit garden. Book these ahead, especially in summer, and give the evening the time it deserves.

Gelato and the Sweet Stops

No Sorrento day is complete without something cold and sweet. The town’s gelaterie do a fierce lemon and a good hazelnut, and a lemon granita in the heat is a small revelation. Seek out the delizia al limone, the domed lemon-cream sponge that is the peninsula’s signature pudding, in the town’s pasticcerie, and try the local citrus sweets and the soft nougat, the torrone. These are cheap pleasures, perfect for eating on a bench with the bay in front of you between sights.

Where to Eat for Less

Sorrento can be expensive where the view is part of the bill, but eating well for less is easy. The trattorie and pizzerie along Via degli Aranci and out in neighbouring Sant’Agnello serve the same Campanian classics to a more local crowd at gentler prices. A slice of pizza or a panino from a bakery, eaten in a garden or on the cliff, makes a fine cheap lunch, and a plate of gnocchi with a carafe of house wine off the main square is one of the best-value meals in town.

For self-caterers and picnickers, the town’s food shops are a pleasure in themselves. The salumerie and delis of the old town sell local cheeses, the buffalo mozzarella, cured meats, olives, sun-warmed tomatoes and bread that make a perfect cliff-top or beach picnic, and a working lemon grove or a good grocer will sell you the real limoncello and lemon marmalade to take home. Pizza a portafoglio, folded and eaten in the hand, and a paper cup of lemon granita are the cheapest and happiest of street snacks. Eating this way between sit-down meals keeps costs down and lets you graze on exactly the things Sorrento does best.

Frequently Asked Questions

What food is Sorrento famous for?

Gnocchi alla sorrentina, baked with tomato, mozzarella and basil, is the signature dish, along with fresh grilled fish, spaghetti with clams, the delizia al limone lemon dessert, and limoncello made from Sorrento’s own large, protected lemons.

Where is the best place to eat in Sorrento?

For atmosphere, a seafood lunch on the decks at Marina Grande, where Trattoria da Emilia has served since 1954. For the best gnocchi, the old-town trattorie a street or two back from Piazza Tasso, such as Il Pozzo and Da Filippo, where the baking is done in a wood-fired oven.

Is limoncello from Sorrento?

Limoncello is closely tied to the Sorrento peninsula and the Bay of Naples, made from the region’s large, thick-skinned, protected lemons. Buying it from a working lemon grove in or near the town gives you a fresher, more fragrant liqueur than most souvenir-shop bottles.

Is eating out in Sorrento expensive?

It can be around Piazza Tasso and the marinas, where the view carries a premium, but it need not be. Step a street back or head to Via degli Aranci and Sant’Agnello and you will find the same Campanian cooking at local prices, and a plate of gnocchi with house wine remains excellent value.

Read also: The best things to do in Sorrento | Where to stay in Sorrento | The Complete Guide to Sorrento