The Tuscany region is full of some of the best food, the best wine, and the best views of anywhere in Italy. Pienza is an absolute gem of the region, achieving UNESCO World Cultural Landscape status for the richness of its culture and cuisine. When you visit, we hope this list of the best restaurants in Pienza comes in handy. Enjoy!
The Top 10 Places To Eat in Pienza
Sperone Nudo
Photo courtesy of Sperone Nudo
€€€ | Locally Sourced | Tuscan
There’s a real sense of history when you sit down beneath the brick-lined ceiling and incandescent lighting for your meal at Sperone Nudo. The Art Deco touches and sounds of Italian arias give a rich sense of tradition and culture that pairs perfectly with the excellent Tuscan food on offer.
For starters, the Chianina raw beef carpaccio is what we recommend. This tender cut is filled with artichoke and a bit of orange peel for that zesty pop that brings out the best tastes in the meat. The Stewed Wild Boar is an excellent choice for an entrée, stewed in the maremmana style that emphasizes the sweeter elements of this dish. It’s a dish indicative of the fantastic ingredients sourced in the region.
The feeling at Trattoria La Chiocciola is one of home. Sitting beside the stone fireplace and looking at the paintings and family photographs decorating the hand-painted walls, it’s like sitting in someone’s family dining room and being served a homemade meal.
If it’s your first time visiting the Tuscan region, la Chiocciola is one of the best restaurants in Pienza to get that authentic Tuscan cuisine. After an appetizer of hot bruschetta with lard, artichokes and pecorino, we recommend moving on to the pecorino di Pienza. Baked in the restaurant’s custom-made oven, this cheese is served with various sauces of walnuts, truffles and honey. Their pork shank cooked in Montepulciano red wine is our recommendation for your main entrée. It’s as tender as it is bursting with flavor.
The sign out front of this authentic, locally-sourced Tuscan restaurant shows the many years that have gone into the excellent food. With its intimate rustic style and cozy seating make it a perfect place to stop for lunch.
Every dish here is sourced with a “zero-kilometer” philosophy in mind. This means that everything comes from the closest possible source, assuring the freshness of every bite. The “Great dish” is an excellent way to start if you’re looking for a charcuterie full of regional flavors. It’s a great start before moving on to a main course of Pici with white sauce and fresh truffle or the house Sirloin. Both are excellent choices!
When you’re craving something as simple as a burger with fries, you might not find many restaurants in Pienza to satisfy. Luckily, Pio Burger brings the quality expected of the region to a fast, casual setting that’s perfect for a quick lunch.
You can definitely keep things simple with a classic hamburger. It’s only 3 euro and is decorated with fresh onion, cucumber and a tangy house sauce. Yet we recommend the Pio Burger, which adds on locally-sourced bacon and gooey formaggio cheese. It’s more than enough food for only 6 euro, and definitely the perfect thing to satisfy a craving.
Sitting out in the rose-lined garden of this summery Pienza restaurant was one of the highlights of our trip. It’s definitely not the place for a quick meal. The beautiful patio and views of the town will make you want to stay a good while.
To start your meal off right, you can’t go wrong with the Spinach Teneri. This dish of tender spinach, toasted pine nuts, aged parmesan cheese is served on freshly baked bread. It’s a perfect marriage of complimentary flavors that pairs wonderfully with white wine. For our entrée, we had the Galleto Ruspante, a farm yard rooster in a popping red pepper sauce and zesty balsamic vinegar glaze. It was an excellent, homegrown delicacy. The Octopus in potato cream sauce is excellent as well.
Straddling the line between the fine cuisine of other restaurants in Pienza, as well as the casual setting of an American BBQ tradition, BBQ Pienza is a fantastic place for a big dinner. The patio is gently lit between strung incandescent bulbs and full of the rapid Italian and dish clattering that could take any meal to the next level.
If you’re an American who’s missing home, then the BBQ ribs would be our recommendation. Glazed with tangy, smokey sauce and absolutely falling off the bone, it’s so good we ordered more just to take away. Those looking for more of the Italian experience can’t go wrong with a classic Florentine steak. Regardless, make sure to get the thick-cut steak fries, tossed with just the perfect amount of pepper and salt.
You’ll have to venture a bit out of town for this spot. It’s an excellent place to stop if you’re on your way back from one of the great wineries surrounding the town. Podere Il Casale’s lodge-style setting, complete with exposed wooden rafters and carved wooden reliefs of local wildlife, is second-to-none. And the views of the rolling Tuscan hills are absolutely astounding.
The farm-to-table cuisine here is definitely worth the trip. The Homemade Ricotta Gnudi with Carrot Cream is a dish that feels full without being filling, exactly what we look for in an appetizer. We recommend it! There are not many options here for your main course. Whether you have the roasted lamb or pork, or the Scapece Zucchine with Ricotta, you’re in for an absolute treat.
There are many wineries that surround Pienza, but this one is our favorite from our visit. Everything here is grown organically and traded locally with many of the restaurants that are featured on this list. What makes this winery stand out from others, perhaps, is the modern take they take in both the architectural aesthetic, as well as the processes involved, of their winery.
The tours here are incredibly personal. Our guide told us about the particular challenges of that growing season, their favorite wines, as well as personal anecdotes that were just fun to hear. Finishing your tour with a tasting, as well as picking a few bottles to take home, is the perfect conclusion to a lovely winery experience.
There’s something about the restaurants in Pienza that really feel like home. La Combriccola is no exception. With its dining room that could be mistaken for the foyer of an old family home, diners are welcomed into a comfortable and authentic dining experience that’s hard to rival. The paintings of the Tuscan countryside, created by local artists, really show the love the owners here have for the place they live.
The Papperdelle is a great place to start, especially served with the homemade Ragu or Carbonara. Following this, there are a few great options available to you. The Stotigglia stew is sourced in a family recipe that has been passed down for generations, and it definitely shows. The chefs pound the Beef Tartare to a melt-in-your-mouth tenderness and serve it with a bed of seasonal vegetables. It’s a light choice that still manages to be very filling.
Another spot for a very intimate vibe, Ristorante Al Fierale might seem a little sparse in its seating. Yet sometimes that’s exactly what you’re looking for in a light lunch or intimate dinner with that special someone. The open kitchen is in full view of the dining room, which makes the whole dining experience that much more special.
The emphasis here is on local barbeque made in the customary methods. We’ll leave it up to you to figure out what you like, but the Tartare with Pistachios or the Carpaccio of Chianina were both excellent in our experience. You can’t go wrong, however, with a Fiorentina steak, cut right in front of your table by the house chefs. It’s nothing short of perfect!
We hope your visit to Pienza is one you’ll cherish for the rest of your life. Have fun exploring the city, and enjoying everything that the people of Pienza have to offer!
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