Restaurants in Verona

The fireman’s hat - after which the restaurant is named - is still on the wall, but the focus of attention at this local institution is the enormous array of local cheeses and the huge hams dangling from the ceiling. You can easily make a meal of the starters and charcuterie plate, or try some of unique local dishes such as oven-cooked pork with polenta or horsemeat stew.

Tucked under the porticoes in a picturesque street, you can feel the warmth of Sottoriva when you step in the door. It dates back nearly 300 years when they used to serve the boatmen who worked the river Adige. Now they serve hearty dishes of meatballs, pasta with beans and horsemeat stew to regulars and visitors alike. A handwritten note acknowledges ‘servizio lento’ (slow service) so sit back and relax.

One of Verona's most famous restaurants, Ristorante Arche is a superb 130-year-old fish and seafood restaurant. The cuisine is modern but rooted in old Venetian cooking traditions. As Russian Nobel Prize winner for literature Joseph Brodsky once said, the food here reveals 'ancient flavours'. There is indeed something pure, original and even archetypal about Ristorante Arche, and for fish lovers it is likely to provide an unforgettable experience.

It's hard to beat this restaurant's location, standing as it does on a hill overlooking the Adige River and offering excellent views of the city and its ancient Roman Theatre. An elegant restaurant with a stylish interior, Re Teodorico offers excellent gourmet cuisine drawing on classic Continental and Italian cooking traditions. A very special place with a kitchen to match.