Where to eat in Verona for Valentine's Day: restaurants chosen by Gambero Rosso

Perhaps it's a bit cliché, but Verona cannot be omitted from a tour exploring the tables that, for one reason or another, are worth trying on Valentine's Day evening. Its UNESCO World Heritage historic center, the views of the Adige, the Arena and Piazza dei Signori, the Cortile del Mercato Vecchio, and the Cortile del Tribunale, not to mention Juliet's terrace, are all places that defy any commonplace with their unique atmosphere and pervasive beauty. For lunches, dinners, or a "goto de vin," the offer is wide and varied, full of pitfalls like any respectable tourist city (perhaps a bit more here). So here's where to go without fail, especially on February 14th.

Where to Eat in Verona for Valentine's Day

L'Altro Impero

Pizzeria. The location is privileged, on one of Verona's most beautiful squares. However, L'Altro Impero doesn't just rely on its location; there is care and attention in the making of pizzas: natural leavening, ancient grains, organic ingredients, and toppings like burrata and speck, seasonal vegetarian options, and Quattro formaggi from Lessinia. There is also a menu of Mediterranean dishes, as well as wines and craft beers.

L'Altro Impero - p.zza dei Signori, 5 - 045 596526 - altroimpero.it

Antica Bottega del Vino

Wine Bar. An iconic and characteristic place like this cannot be missing from a hypothetical list for the evening of February 14th. The first certainty here is a proper toast, thanks to a well-structured proposal with many Italian labels, local selections, and incursions into France and Spain. In the dish, a lot of tradition with shredded horse meat, sweet and sour chicken salad, anchovies or baby squids, risottos - Amarone included - and lots of fresh pasta, both filled and plain. Among the mains, excellent steaks, shank, ossobuco, and tender beef cheek, but also some seafood, like the daily fish cuts. Interesting and tasty desserts, to finish with a pleasant proposal, like Bottega's tiramisu or chocolate cake with passion fruit.

Antica Bottega del Vino - v.lo Scudo di Francia, 3 - 045 8004535 - bottegavini.it

Due Torri Lounge & Restaurant at Due Torri Hotel

Restaurant. A charming hotel, in the heart of the city and in a fourteenth-century building, with a long history and an atmosphere of rare suggestion. The cuisine does not disappoint and travels between fundamental classics or reinterpretations that live up to expectations, between meat and fish in beautiful revisitations. Adequate cellar and professional service. In summer, a panoramic terrace like a postcard.

Due Torri Lounge & Restaurant del Due Torri Hotel - p.zza Sant'Anastasia, 4 - 045 595044 - hotelduetorri.duetorrihotels.com

Osteria Macafame

Trattoria. Near Piazza dei Signori, in a pedestrian area, a small and welcoming place, furnished with simplicity and care. On the table, tradition takes center stage, with substantial and flavorful dishes that reveal genuine ingredients and a skilled hand. Typical cheeses and cold cuts precede tagliatelle with white lamb ragout, Amarone risotto, braised pork cheek, and horse meat stew with polenta. To finish, a mix of homemade desserts, sbrisolona, tiramisu, and Macafame semifreddo. Craft beers, house wine, and Venetian labels to drink.

Osteria Macafame – via delle Fogge, 6 – 347 8730150 – osteriamacafame.it

Osteria Ponte Pietra

Restaurant. With a balcony overlooking the Adige and a private room in the cellar, it is perhaps one of the most suggestive places in Verona. The venue is the result of the careful restyling of an ancient building, and inside, it welcomes guests in a quiet and rare atmosphere. On the menu, dishes such as low-temperature egg on natural bread, Parmesan cream, and black truffle, Tastasal risotto, black cabbage turbot, ajo blanco, and sweet and sour grapes. Adequate wine cellar.

Osteria Ponte Pietra - via Ponte Pietra, 34 - 045 8041929 - ristorantepontepietra.it

Oseleta at Villa Cordevigo Wine Relais

Restaurant. It's hard to remain indifferent to the charm of Villa Cordevigo, one of the most beautiful wine relais in Veneto. It would be a real shame not to take advantage of the pervasive beauty that is also breathed in the restaurant hosted in the barn, where the cuisine is clearly of Mediterranean inspiration and made with excellent raw materials for technically and scenographically impressive dishes. A cellar rich in labels, well managed even in wine pairing.

Oseleta di Villa Cordevigo Wine Relais - Cavaion Veronese (VR) - loc. Cordevigo - 045 7235287 - ristoranteoseleta.it