Eating Out

Where to eat in Perugia? We’ve tried to include both cheap eats and really nice, slightly more expensive places, as well as where to go when you’re sick of Pasta.

Also Before going to a restaurant check out and print our Italian Menu Dictionary

Al Mangiar Bene > Al Mangiar Bene is your place for good food that is almost all local and organic. Whether you’ve read the book The Omnivore’s Dilemma or not, you’ll appreciate the fact that for anything on your plate you can ask the waiter or waitress or waiter where it came from, and the response will be directly from the producer. The food, which ranges from pizzas (friendly Giuseppe is the master pizzaiolo) to typical Umbrian primi and secondi, is delicious and what’s better, there’s no premium to pay for all this food that is good and good for you: Davide, Renato, and Company buy directly from the farmers, so there’s no middleman. You can even see where the food comes from on their site, www.almangiarbene.com. Call 075.573.1047 for a reservation. Stop by for lunch or dinner every day except Sunday. It’s located at Via della Luna 21. Walking in Corso Vannucci towards Piazza Italia, it’s one of the last little sidestreets on the right before Piazza della Repubblica and the Cinema Pavone. Zach recommends the organic beer.

Pizzeria Etruschetto > Start with Palazzo Gallenga at your back and go left up Corso Garibaldi. It’s about twenty yards up on the right with a bright blue awning, number 17. Delicious Neapolitan-style pizza – you can get slices, order full pizzas for sit-down, or take away dining. If you’re having a party or just have a big appetite, try the metre-long pizza. Sometimes more quantity doesn’t mean less quality! Their hours are Mo, We, Th, Fr 12-14:30 and 18-24:00, Sa & Su 18-24:00, closed Tuesdays. Take your copy of the Little Blue with you and with your metre of pizza get a free bottle of wine.

Locanda Do’ Pazzi > Everybody says the last time there was “fusion cooking “ in Italy was when the tomato was introduced in the 1500s, but the owners of the Locanda give it their best, with an interesting combination of cuisine from the Veneto region of the north and Umbria’s own home-grown food choices. Take the stairs of San’Ercolano down to Corso Cavour, where you’ll take a left. Walk down past the big church, San Domenico, on your left, and find Do’ Pazzi at number 128. Great place for a date or for a great supper out!

Osteria del Tempo Perso > This osteria is cosy to the limit, making an intimate dinner even of non-intimates. It’s also delightfully anonymous. No flashy illuminated sign, no scalper’s menu touting daily specials, no badly-written flyers thrust into your hand outside the University. Yet if you really want wholesome, olden-days-style food in a warm environment at prices even students can afford, there’s probably no better place in Perugia. Out of respect for the Lost Time’s low-key profile, we request that if you go, you enjoy your meal but without being too loud. With your back to the doors of Gallenga, go left and into Via Fabretti; take the first stairs to the right in Via Piacevole and find the door on the left just after the sidestreet, under the lantern. Here over the inside of the door you’ll see Nunc vino pellite curas, which means in Latin “Drive away your worries with wine.” Ask your host, Anna, for the menu in English if you need it. 075.318.20, open after 20:00, closed Sundays.

Vecchia Perusia > This is Dawn’s pick, though the place more than merits our entry. If you’re looking for a quiet place for an intimate date…look elsewhere. Frankie Banana, the proprietor, is quite the showman and he is happy to entertain you, whether you like it or not. He used to a boxer and now runs Vecchia Perusia with his long-suffering Ukrainian assistant and companion, who (you get the impression) just barely tolerates Frankie’s antics. It sounds off-putting but think of it as a dinner with free entertainment, or a comedy club routine with a free dinner. Oh, and it’s got some of Perugia’s best food, bar none, though Frankie changes the menu on a whim. It’s at Via Ulisse Rocchi 9.

Il pizzaio > Just a ston’e throw from the Birraio, this is more than a pizzeria, it’s a work of design art. Have a pizza (the classic word-fired oven awaits you) and then hop on over to the brew-pub Birraio for a cold one afterwards. It’s at Via delle Prome 11, 075.572.5500.

Pizza e Musica > Everything, from the Neapolitan pizzaiolo Felice to the décor, is tranquillo. The ingredients come straight from Napoli and the oven is wood-burning. Try the focaccia (pizza dough baked with olive oil, salt, and rosemary on top) as an appetizer, then eat one of their tasty pizzas. Prices range from €3.50 to €6, no extra coperto charge. Getting to Pizza e Musica is the only hard part: it’s in at Via della Madonna 5, a sidestreet of Via della Viola. Go down some steps and enter at number 5 (for lunch go in at Via della Viola 1, across the courtyard, and in the far door). You can also walk up from Palazzina Prosciutti, cross Via XIV Settembre, and go up the stairs through the wall. Go right in Via Imbriani and left up Via della Madonna. They’re open Monday-Saturday, for lunch and dinner.

Kebab places > In 2003 Italy was part of a coalition that invaded Iraq. After 2003, Iraqis were part of a coalition of kebab shops that invaded Italy. Felafel karma, no? You can find a kebab joint in/on (yikes, and we complain about Italian prepositions) just about every significant street these days so go shish yerself. With hommous on top.

Argentina > Alan agreed that a vegan writing about steakhouse would be, well, wrong, so Zach took this one. Take one of Perugia’s best venues and add an Argentian sommelier/restauranteur who settles for nothing but the best, and you’ve got Argentina. Meat, meat, and more meat (and some veggies, too). It’s even better when there’s nice weather, as you can ist outside on the terraces. Tuesdays, by the way, are all-you-can-eat meat and side dishes, for just €15. It’s at Via del Verzaro 19. Stand in front of Caffè Morlacchi and go straight across the piazza and into the alley at your left slightly. Open for dinner daily, it’s Perugia’s storico locale d’estate. 075.573.0815

Vegetarians > Many Italians say they would like to be vegetarian but love their prosciutto too much! Never mind, most restaurants have at least a few vegetarian dishes for those who prefer to slaughter the fatted cauliflower. Look among the primi piatti (first courses) rather than the heavier secondi. If your Italian is not much chop (oops), your best bet is to tell the waiter “Sono vegetariano” and wait for a suggestion. Some restaurants that cater more extensively for vegetarians include Ferrari, Via Scura 1, and Sandri, Corso Vannucci 32 (lunch).

Macrobiotic > The Punto Macrobiotico at Via Bonfigli 4-6, just around to the left after you pass through the arch at the end of Corso Cavour, charges €5 to join their association which then entitles you to purchase groceries (organic, macrobiotic, wholefood, etc.) from their store and eat in their vegan restaurant. Zach sometimes wonders loudly why their chef has a philosophical objection to salt, natural or otherwise. Hours 9-15:00 and 16:30-21:30 the store, 12:30-14:30 and 19:30-21:15 the restaurant, both closed Sundays. There’s also another place in the corner of Piazza IV Novembre near Via della Gabbia – look for the little sign on the door. Walk inside and upstairs and you’ll find the Chicco Integrale (The Whole Kernel). They have a macrobiotic lunch menu, as well as little store with tempeh, miso, and lots of other organic foods.

Quattro Passi at Merlin > Here English-speaking Gennaro offers you a long list of pizzas that, when they arrive at the table, cover your plate. You can also get delicious antipasto plates, salti in bocca, and calzoni (like pizza folded over and sealed-the name means “big sock”). At lunch you can choose one of five pizzas and a drink and take it away for €5. It’s at Via del Forno (off Corso Vannucci), open 12:30-14:45 and 19:30 to late, Tu-Su. Call 075.571.6120 for reservations or to order take-out. Discounts for all foreigners.

Chinese Places > Like kinds of umbrellas, there are lots of them but they’re all pretty much the same. The one I like the best is at Via Pinturicchio 49, “La Grande Muraglia.” Prices are reasonable and there’s a student menu, which is €5 (Although you can’t order it Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays). You can call in your order at 075.572.3938 and then go pick it up, or sit down for a nice meal. This place offers great value for your money.

Il Greco > Nikos misses feta so sometimes we head down to Via Boncambi and eat up. Perugia’s only Greek restaurant is also it’s best, but the food is good not because it’s the only Greek food, but because they start with great ingredients. Satisfy your Hellenic curiosity!

Gelato > The essential Italian food. Our first choice is the Augusta Perusia shop at Via Pinturicchio 2 (“Where chocolate speaks perugino!”), but La Fontana Maggiore in the corner of Piazza IV Novembre gets a nod as well.