Guide to Dining Out at Restaurants in Italy

Dining out is an important part of Italian culture-Italians enjoy lengthy dinners filled with wine, friends, and multiple courses. For tourists, however, dining out, especially for dinner, can be a little bit intimidating. The following tips should make your Italian dining experience less of a mystery and more enjoyable.

• Cover Charge- Restaurant prices in Italy seem a little strange to foreign tourists from the United States. Restaurants charge each customer a "coperto", which is a cover charge that usually ranges from 1.5 Euros to 2.5 Euros per diner. When these fees are assessed, customers are not expected to leave additional tips. However, occasionally a restaurant in Italy will also charge a 10% service fee in addition to a "coperto". You can shop around when looking at restaurant menus for lower prices, but know that when restaurants advertise "no service/cover charge" (ie. No "coperto") this means the coperto is likely built into the food or beverage prices.

• Table Charge- Bars and cafes in Italy will normally post two different prices for food and beverages- the "banco" or counter/bar price, and the "tavolo" or table price. Tavolo is always considerably higher, sometimes even double the banco price. So if you are on a tourist on a budget when traveling in Italy, specify "al banco" when ordering and you will have to stand at the bar, but you will also save money.

• Water/Aqua- Water in Italy is a touchy subject for many tourists because it is next to impossible to get free water anywhere. Italians generally drink bottled water only, and so restaurants are unwilling to serve tap water to customers. Normally, tourists will be charged anywhere from 2-4 Euros at a restaurant for water. You can request aqua frizzante (or water with gas), or aqua natural (no gas).

• Wine- Most Italians drink wine daily, with lunch and dinner. If wine is something you enjoy, consider buying "tavolo" wine, or table wine, at restaurants. Tavolo wine is usually purchased by restaurants in large quantities from local wineries and thus is considerably less expensive than other wines on the menu. Tavolo wine in Italy is often even cheaper than water, so go ahead and indulge!

• Restaurant Recommendations- Ask your hotel for restaurant recommendations in the very touristy cities of Italy because the restaurants really range in quality. Restaurants that cater to tourists (advertising TOURIST MENU) are probably best to stay away from.

• Service- Italy is not known for great service-and this definitely becomes apparent when dining out at hotels or ordering food at cafes. Tourists need to be assertive if you want something, and don't expect anyone to take your requests unless you initiate the transaction.

• Dessert- If you are looking for something sweet to eat after dinner, consider skipping the desserts on the menu and head over to a local gelateria-gelato often is the most satisfying dessert.