A summer evening in the historic centre of Naples
From our editorial team
In Italy, the fun ends with mangiare. Eating is more than just a basic necessity - it's a way of life! If you don't want to stand out (unpleasantly): our 10 basic rules for dinner will help.
1. every meal has its time
As casual as people are in Italy - the fun stops when it comes to eating. Lunch is served between 1 and 3 pm (especially in the countryside, including a siesta afterwards). Dinner, the cena, is usually served around 8 pm.
The further south you are (and the warmer the temperatures), the further back this time moves. The Cena can also start at 9 or 10 pm. If you want to bridge the time until then: Between 6 and 8 p.m. there is the Apericena, an aperitivo with nibbles.
If you want a digestion-friendly meal at 6 pm, you won't usually get anything on your plate outside the tourist centres. The restaurants are usually still closed at this time, and if not, you will probably be the only guest. Or you may be travelling through the mountains in the north (in winter) - then the situation is different again.
Italy's restaurant types: From pizzeria to trattoria
2. no flip-flops
Not as casual as we thought, part 2: Even in the beach regions, Italians do NOT wear flip-flops to restaurants in the evening. Traditionally, people in Italy go out dressier - nothing with a tank top and Bermuda shorts. Even with flip-flops you will get a table, but possibly also a few irritated looks.
3. wait for your seat
In Italy, you are a guest - and that's why they take care of you. Stand at the entrance to the restaurant until the waitress greets you and assigns you a seat. Simply walking in and sitting down at a table is considered very rude.
4. the menu courses in Italy
You could write a treatise on the Italian menu (and there will be a few more to come), so here is just a brief summary. On Sundays and public holidays there is usually the full programme of courses, with "normal" meals sometimes only two courses.
A classic Italian menu: It starts with antipasti (including bruschetta, caprese, carpaccio), then comes the primo piatto (carbohydrates: including pasta, pizza, risotto), secondo piatto (protein: including meat, fish, seafood, cheese, egg), followed by dessert, the dolci (including tiramisù, pannacotta).
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5. as always with respect
"Waiter" shouts across the restaurant are inappropriate. Instead, discreetly raise your finger or a friendly "signore" or "signora" and everything tutto a posto. Almost all the service staff do their job with pride in the food they serve. Ask for recommendations - and you won't regret it.
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6. "Coperto" is NOT a tip
The coperto is NOT a "is an "automatic" tip. In many restaurants, the coperto is added to the bill as a kind of service charge for setting the table. This fee goes to the restaurant owners, not the waiters.
7. vino yes, drunk no
It's tempting: first an aperitivo, then a Prosecco, later a delicious wine, then a grappa, and at the latest now comes the silver eye. Oops! And in Italy: double oops. In fact, you hardly ever see drunks staggering through the streets in Italy, you don't hear drunks bawling in pubs (if you do, it's usually tourists). In Italy, getting drunk in public is frowned upon.
P.S. These rules do not apply to Italian tourists at the Oktoberfest in Munich. But that's also in Germany. 🙂
8. coffee after dinner
After dinner we have espresso. No pot of coffee, no latte, no cappuccino. Espresso, nothing else. P.S. Just in general: Cappuccino is only available until 11 am (for breakfast).
9. the bill, please
If you go out with a group, order the bill as a group and then throw it together. Under no circumstances should you let the waitress collect the bill for eight people individually.
10 "Mancia": The tip
Basic rule: The more touristy the area, the more often tipping is "expected". In less touristy regions, especially economically weak areas, tipping is often not paid (and not expected).
Apart from the extremely low restaurant wages in Italy, good service also deserves a tip (according to popular opinion). For holidaymakers in Italy, 5 to 10 per cent (including coperto) is customary in a restaurant. US tourists often pay considerably more.
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