Umbria is renowned for exceptional food and wine and visitors will be spoiled for choice when eating out in Umbria. We’ve selected some of our favourite restaurants and enoteca in the region to share with you.
One of our favourites is La Cantina on Via Cavour in Spello. The restaurant has a large indoor area as well as an outside terrace if you wish to dine al fresco. The menu is large and varied and the food delicious. The atmosphere is lively and it’s a popular haunt with the locals. Another excellent restaurant in Spello is La Bastiglia, serving traditional Italian food. The terrace here is wonderful enjoying unique views over the countryside. For a view of the sunset, Ristorante Porta Venere is on the other side of town and has a lovely terrace with views over the countryside. And finally, if in Spello for a few days, also take the time to try Il Pinturicchio, an authentic Umbrian restaurant, run by a great husband and wife team. It doesn’t look like much from the outside but appearances are deceptive! If dining out in the evening, it’s also worth enjoying an aperitif in one of the wonderful wine bars in the town before heading for your meal.
In Foligno, our favourites include Villa Roncalli and Cucina. The restaurant at Villa Roncalli is incorporated within the hotel. Luisa is the chef and owner and her cookery skills are superb whilst the ingredients she uses are sourced from her extensive vegetable garden. Cucina is another place worth visiting in Foligno. Opened by three Italian chefs, it’s a great place to enjoy breakfast or lunch. They have also opened a second restaurant of the same name in Terni.
In Montefalco, Locanda del Teatro is a superb restaurant which also boasts an excellent selection of Italian wines. We also love L’Alchimista. It’s located on the corner of the main piazza in the town and has great food and, again, a wonderful wine selection. I would definitely recommend trying one of their pasta dishes….
We have a number of properties in the little village of Paciano in Umbria. Whilst small, all three restaurants here are excellent. Our favourite has to be Oce Bruciata, a family friendly restaurant with an extensive menu of pasta and meat dishes as well as a wide variety of pizza options. The other restaurants in Paciano include La Leggetta, another family friendly restaurant owned by Maurizio, and Il Casale. If you’re looking for a bite to eat for breakfast rather than lunch or dinner, and happen to be in Paciano on a Sunday or Wednesday then definitely don’t miss a visit to Lo Scoiattolo at Via Gramsci 9. Lia opens up her home and her bread oven and bakes the most amazing loaves and pastries to enjoy. Either buy the items you want to take home and eat, or pull up a seat and enjoy breakfast served in her kitchen or garden. It’s a great experience.
Not that far from Paciano is Castiglione del Lago. Again, if you’re looking for breakfast, there is a great place to try just on the outskirts of the town. Michele and Co offer the most amazing range of pastries and, combined with the slightly quirky setting, is a brilliant place to start your day. Two other restaurants worth trying in Castiglione del Lago are Portasenese (definitely not for any vegetarians amongst our readers) and the Cafe Noir, situated closer to the beach.
Orvieto is another lovely place to visit in Umbria and if you do head here, definitely don’t miss a visit to Trattoria dell’Orso. The food is superb and prices incredibly reasonable.
Assisi is another popular Umbrian town and we have a few recommendations to enjoy here. The first is La Locanda del Cardinale, which boasts a stunning setting in a Roman house as well as superb food and wine. The second is La Fortezza, which, as its website boasts, is where the locals go to eat. Again, it’s very central and easy to reach from the main piazza. Finally, another haunt favoured by the locals is Osteria Piazzetta dell’ Erba, a small restaurant with both a terrace and indoor seating.
If dining out in the area, then it’s worth finishing your meal with a glass of the sweet wine, Montefalco Sagrantino Passito. Not as rich as port or as sickly sweet as some dessert wines, it is a lovely drink to accommpany your dessert or even to have with cheese.
For those that are in the area to enjoy the wonderful wines, then another option is to enjoy a wine tasting at a wonderful enoteca. Enotecana Properzio in Spello comes highly recommended. The owners, Roberto and Carlo, are larger than life characters who give all guests a very warm welcome. Visitors are treated to a selection of wonderful wines, each accommpanied by the most delicious home made food including antipasti, fresh pasta dishes and soups. Also highly recommended is Tenuta Castelbuono in the region of Bevagna and Montefalco. Open to the public since June 2012, the carapace here is worth seeing simply from an architectural standpoint however it’s also a wonderful venue to enjoy wine tastings and tours. Reservations are required.
