When you head to the Amalfi Coast, you’re going to eat well. Here are my favorite Positano restaurants!
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Visiting the Amalfi Coast means eating incredible food. From the seafood and fish to the lemons and tomatoes, this region has been known for ridiculously good meals forever.
In an area as tourism-driven as this, there’s always going to be overpriced restaurants. So I’ve put together my favorite Positano restaurants so you can get the best food possible!
My Number One Tip For Positano Restaurants
Before I share all my favorites, a general rule of thumb for dinner in Positano: make reservations.
For one thing, unless you’re going in the middle of the rainy season, it’s very hard to walk in to restaurants in Positano. There are so many tourists that you’ll end up waiting a long time, or more likely, getting turned away because Italian restaurants don’t expect to have multiple seatings per night.
Making a reservation will let you find out things like if they offer a free shuttle to get to and from the restaurant – a lifesaver if you don’t want to catch an expensive taxi or try and park yourself on the side of the mountain.
Even if you can get a table walking in, Positano restaurants tend to save the spots with the best views for those who called ahead.
I know it’s not always simple to make reservations without an Italian phone number, but it’s worth it. If you stay at a hotel, your concierge may be able to call these reservations in for you. If not, many can take online reservations by email if you get in touch a week or more in advance.
La Tagliata
If you go to one restaurant in Positano, go here. This is my number one recommendation for Positano, restaurant or otherwise.
La Tagliata could do a slick PR campaign about how they’re farm to table. But in true Italian style, it’s not a thing, it’s just how they are. All the produce and grapes for the wine come from their land, and all the meats are locally sourced.
Dinner is four set courses of pure bliss. The antipasti alone would make a lovely meal by itself, but is followed by a pasta course with four types of pasta and a mixed grill meat plate. The meal is finished with multiple desserts and as much wine as they can pour throughout! For 40€, this is a steal.
As if that’s not enough, the views are spectacular and the staff is friendly and funny. They will also 100% keep bringing you wine in true Italian spirit. La Tagliata provides a shuttle to and from Positano, so no worrying about how to get out there and then parking on the side of the cliff.
My only regret: eating anything that whole day! Seriously, we didn’t even make a dent in our secondo/meat course. It was almost embarrassing. But the food was so incredibly good that we practically scraped the plates clean on the previous courses!
Lo Guarracino
This place is only a short walk from the main pier and overlooks Spiagga Fornillo. Come for dinner and try to get a table on the balcony – it’s another perfect sunset spot!
Lo Guarracino had my favorite pasta al limone – a local classic. Before living in Italy I wasn’t all that into lemon-flavored things, especially savory. But pasta al limone has this perfectly balance sauce: undeniably lemon, but balanced with a bit of creaminess and not too acidic. Here, it’s served with shrimp, so you know I was all over that. It was delicious and I’m now experimenting with recipes of my own to replicate it!
C’era Una Volta
C’erano Una Volta translates loosely to “once upon a time,” which I love. It’s a small family-run place that overlooks the smaller side of Positano.
The food here is great – much of their menu is seasonal, so while we were there we got the last of the fried zucchini flowers. They offer mostly seafood options and their local wine is delicious. The icing on top? The restaurant is very affordable, especially by Amalfi Coast standards. We ate two seafood pasta dishes and an appetizer plus water, wine, and coperto (Italian cover charge) for less than 50€.
They advertise having a shuttle, but we stayed only a few minutes away so we walked.
Il Tridente
I hesitated on whether to include this one on my “best of” list. It’s delicious, don’t get me wrong. But of the others included on this list, it was my least favorite.
Il Tridente offers the most fine dining experience of anything on this list. With white tablecloths, suit-clad waiters and the stairs through Hotel Poseidon’s lobby, it feels luxurious.
The food was excellent: I had the Amalfi classic of spaghetti and clams and Logan ordered the lobster pasta. Both were delicious! Their wine list was extensive and the balcony seating was a dream.
So it’s up to you. If you want a bougie meal, go here. If that’s not a priority, have a sunset cocktail here and head somewhere else for dinner.
Collina Bakery
My favorite gelato place in Positano was Collina Bakery. They have a full menu for food and pastry as well, but the gelato is creamy and rich and perfect. It’s near the bus stop, so if you’re day-tripping through grab some while you wait!
Eating at the Beach
In general, try not to eat on the beachfront, specifically at Spiaggia Grande. Not to say the food is bad – it’s just overpriced. You can get the same thing for much less if you’re willing to walk back into the city a bit.
If you do want to eat right there, I recommend Capricci. It has the views you want without quite the throngs of people, and the food is good. If you walk around to the back of their restaurant, they also have a takeaway window for pizza and panini – a nice way to get a reasonably-priced lunch if you’ve already paid for beach seats.
While it’s easy to overpay, there are so many incredible family-run Positano restaurants! I’ve also shared a Positano overview to plan more. I hope this gets you started as you plan your trip to the Amalfi Coast!
Want more travel guides and restaurant suggestions? Check out the latest on my Europe page!
