How to order food in Italy - travel tips for dining out

Food in Italy is to die for whether it’s pasta, risotto or gelato, but knowing how to order food in Italy is rather confusing. 

Dining in Italy

Here are few tips to help you when traveling.

Restaurant rules in Italy and Italian food are not the same as in the US, below you’ll find an overview of the differences between dining out in Italy and in America:

What is on a Typical Italian restaurant menu?

Understanding a typical Italian menu can be hard. So, what is on a typical Italian restaurant menu? How is the meal served? What do the different Italian courses like antipasto and secondo mean?

A traditional Italian menu is served in separate courses, Italian dinner courses explained:

Antipasti (appetizers)

Primi (first courses - such as pasta or risotto)

Secondi (second courses - typically meat or seafood)

Contorni (side dishes)

Dolci (desserts)

Caffé (post-dinner espresso)

Digestivi (after-dinner liqueurs)

Understanding the difference between how Italians and Americans eat dinner

If you’re used to eating in American restaurants, you may be accustomed to the entrée and the sides being served together on the same plate, not so in Italy.

A traditional Italian meal, antipasti (appetizers), primo (pasta or risotto), secondo (meat or fish entrée), contorni (sides) and dolce (sweets) make for a whole lot of food. Thankfully, you’re not obliged to order every course at a restaurant in Italy.

For instance, you may just want an antipasto and pasta dish without ordering a steak or fish entree, too. 

Do I need to order every course at an Italian restaurant?

No, you don’t have to order each course when you dine out in Italy. It’s customary to start with an antipasto and then select either a pasta or a meat dish.  Portion sizes tend to be smaller in Italy. But if you’re feeling a little bit more hungry, after walking the streets of the Amalfi Coast, you can go ahead and order both a primo (pasta or risotto) and a secondo (meat or fish). They will be served in that order, not at the same time.

After dinner, we Italians often enjoy a caffé (espresso) or digestive liqueurs, like Sambuca or Limoncello, which are said to aid digestion. :-))

Buon appetito!

Mic e Simo