The 7 best restaurants of Trieste according to Gambero Rosso (including a new Tre Forchette)

Trieste is an extraordinary city on the Adriatic Sea shores, famous for its rich history and breathtaking beauty. This gem of northern Italy attracts visitors from all over the world, offering a unique blend of cultures and landscapes. The history of Trieste is fascinating and complex. This port city was founded by the Romans and over the centuries has been influenced by different cultures, including the Roman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy. This variety of influences has left an ineradicable imprint on the city, which boasts a unique cultural heritage.

Where to eat in Trieste. The best spots

Bollicine

The bubbles, as well as in the sign, are those on the good wine list - including references from beyond the Alps - of this restaurant in the city centre. You can come here for an aperitivo to go along with oysters, raw scampi, a fried chicken or a pizzella. Or you can stop for a proper meal, choosing from a few but well-executed dishes that range with value both on the sea front, in particular, and on the land side. In a menu that changes quickly, following availability and the seasons, you can therefore find dishes such as the mezzi paccheri with goat's cheese, pink pepper and bruscandoli, the roasted octopus with aubergines 'alla norma', the tuna steak and the Patanegra tagliata. Service is friendly and polite.

Piazza Sant'Antonio Nuovo, 2 – 040 771041 – Instagram @bollicinetrieste

Chimera di Bacco

A landmark in the city, loved for its well-kept space, atmosphere and careful service. Here operates a young chef who knows what he’s doing, the author of a seafood cuisine based on fresh fish processed with some creative touches. Great satisfaction comes from the mighty wine cellar, which has an international outlook. In a magical corner of Trieste.

Via del Pane, 2 – 040 364023 - chimeradibacco.com

Harry’s Piccolo

To complete the picture, all that is missing is the move to the naerby building (scheduled for spring 2024), which will give Harry's Piccolo, the restaurant-bistrot-pastry shop new Tre Forchette according to Ristoranti d'Italia 2024 guide hosted by the Grand Hotel Duchi d'Aosta, a wider space. But for the rest, the restaurant  does just fine, thanks to the golden couple formed by Matteo Metullio and his right-hand man Davide De Prà (ten years of culinary partnership born at the time of the Siriola di San Cassiano) who have had the courage to take on new routes, strong by talent and important experience. In the dining room you can enjoy an essential and very creative cuisine, careful to the territory but launched towards the world (the milestone of the culinary philosophy is the so-called "mile-quality", that is, the punctual and constant search for excellent products without any geographical boundaries). The cellar has grown of 900 labels with the North-East, Austria and Slovenia in pole position. The service has been further improved. In season, it is almost “mandatory” to stop for a drink in the space overlooking Piazza Unità d'Italia, Trieste’s precious stone.

Piazza Unità d'Italia, 2 – 040 660606 - harrystrieste.it

Nerodiseppia

The reason of the success of Nerodiseppia, one of Italy's best trattorias, is without a doubt the passion of Valentina and Giulio Cusma, “partners in life since 1996 and in business since 2003”, as they ironically say to those who come for the first time to this neat and sober two-storey restaurant. Giulio's cuisine is essentially based on the catch of the day, which comes from the Marano lagoon to Istria, passing through the waters of Trieste. Only top raw materials, without excess of style . The sardoni are a cult: not to be missed “impanati with radicio e fasoi”, radicchio and beans, while the frico is perfect for vegetarians. The wine list includes the best regional references, but the bonus points are due to a real passion for Vitovska, declined in every label that counts, an adequate supply of orange wine and the blackboard’s wine list. Book!

Via L. Cadorna, 23 – 040 301377 - trattorianerodiseppia.com

Puro - Piacere Unico Ristoro Originale

A modern, wide-ranging address, open at all hours of the day and where you can enjoy cuisine that embraces the tastes of an extensive range of customers. The menu ranges from meat and fish courses, with a special focus on grilled meat dishes: grilled octopus with marinated peppers romesco sauce and burrata cheese, crema parmentier with prawns, potato gnocchi with crustacean ragout, juniper-flavoured lamb leg. The aperitivo time is also very good, with well-made cocktails and wine by the glass. Friendly service.

Via Torino, 31 – 040 302787 - puroristoro.it

Alle Rondinelle

In a somewhat peripheral area, an old style seafood osteria that remains a decent address for those who want to try Trieste’s typical cuisine. The room is vintage but comfortable, the service is simple as you would expect in a place like this, the menu strictly traditional and above all based on carefully selected raw materials. There is everything from the typical recipe book, from seafood risottos to spaghetti with clams, not to mention the assorted “antipasto misto”, a roundup of hot and cold dishes that is worth a meal by itself. Maison desserts and house bulk.

Via Orsera, 17 – 040 820053 

Antica Trattoria Suban

The last 150 years of the Julian chief town have passed in these halls and especially the splendid pergola: Presidents of the Republic and Popes, actors and singers, the legends of Triestine sport (it was essentially the office of Pàron Nereo Rocco) and champions who came from afar. Suban, in any case, remains a place of great loyalty and is recommended for those who want to discover the typical cuisine of the territory and frontier: jota (thick soup of beans, sauerkraut and potatoes), kren soup, ham cooked in a crust and cut hot with a knife, goulash, sweet palacinka. Local wine cellar and lots of joy in the room.

Via E. Comici, 2 – 040 54368 - suban.it