Eat Like An Italian !
On your Abruzzo holiday, you'll quickly discover that eating out isn’t reserved just for special occasions. It’s a part of everyday life.
The menus in all Abruzzo restaurants have four sections:
It's completely acceptable to order just some pasta and wine; a 4-course gourmet extravaganza; or anything in-between.
Mix, match and share your courses - or wait until you've finished your antipasti before deciding what you'd like next.
And if you like eating late, you'll find most Abruzzo restaurants are happy to go on cooking well past 10pm.
What It’ll Cost
Because eating out in Abruzzo has no hard-and-fast rules, it’s tricky to give you an exact idea of what you’ll pay for a meal.
On a very loose average, per person, it's roughly...
Credit Cards
The smarter and pricier Abruzzo restaurants are more likely to accept a credit card. Most of the smaller, cheaper, local places don’t.
Tipping
You'll be spending your Abruzzo holiday well off the beaten tourist track, so at all the restaurants and bars we've recommended, there’s as yet no ‘tipping culture’.
A cover charge is always included in the cost of an Abruzzo restaurant meal, so don’t feel obligated to leave anything extra. It’s not expected.
But if you’ve had a particularly fine meal or excellent service, you can round-up your bill to the nearest €5 or €10.
In the glitzier bars, if you've stayed awhile, maybe leave a couple of euros. Otherwise, don’t tip.
Abruzzo Dress Code
There isn't one. Just wear what feels comfortable !
On your Abruzzo holiday, you'll quickly discover that eating out isn’t reserved just for special occasions. It’s a part of everyday life.
The menus in all Abruzzo restaurants have four sections:
- Antipasti - the starters
- Primi - the pasta course
- Secondi - the meat course
- Dolce - the desserts
It's completely acceptable to order just some pasta and wine; a 4-course gourmet extravaganza; or anything in-between.
Mix, match and share your courses - or wait until you've finished your antipasti before deciding what you'd like next.
And if you like eating late, you'll find most Abruzzo restaurants are happy to go on cooking well past 10pm.
What It’ll Cost
Because eating out in Abruzzo has no hard-and-fast rules, it’s tricky to give you an exact idea of what you’ll pay for a meal.
On a very loose average, per person, it's roughly...
- €3-5 for antipasto
- €5-8 for primi
- €8-15 for secondi
- €3-5 for dolce
- A bottle of house wine will be €5-10. A bottle of water €1-2. A coffee will be €2-3.
Credit Cards
The smarter and pricier Abruzzo restaurants are more likely to accept a credit card. Most of the smaller, cheaper, local places don’t.
Tipping
You'll be spending your Abruzzo holiday well off the beaten tourist track, so at all the restaurants and bars we've recommended, there’s as yet no ‘tipping culture’.
A cover charge is always included in the cost of an Abruzzo restaurant meal, so don’t feel obligated to leave anything extra. It’s not expected.
But if you’ve had a particularly fine meal or excellent service, you can round-up your bill to the nearest €5 or €10.
In the glitzier bars, if you've stayed awhile, maybe leave a couple of euros. Otherwise, don’t tip.
Abruzzo Dress Code
There isn't one. Just wear what feels comfortable !
One of the key secrets to eating like an Italian is to use the freshest possible ingredients. We're also lucky that perhaps the world's finest dried pasta is produced just down the road from us
If you're shopping for the best local food around us, head for the cheese-makers in nearby San Domenico, where you can buy fresh ricotta, pecorino and mozzarella - perfect for a delicious salad with tomatoes, basil and oil.
And to round off your meal, maybe a little glass of ice-cold Limoncello ?