5 Helpful Tips When Eating in Italy
The food culture in Italy is like none other. Italians take their food seriously, making some of the best dishes we have ever tasted. Now with that being said we learned how Italians do their meal time. Below are some tips to help you enjoy your meal with the knowledge of an Italian.
Bon Appétit
#1 Ordering water at a restaurant will cost extra. A liter of water will cost around 1-3 euros. They will ask if you want your water with “bubbles” or “still” or they might stay “gas” or “no gas.” They are wondering if you want sparkling water or not.
#2 When eating out do not be surprised if the wait staff serves you your meal and does not come back to check on you. Most times you will have to ask for the check when you are ready to leave. They consider it rude to interrupt you meal time and to give you your check prior to asking for it. As it may seem they are trying to rush you out.
#3 Prepare to eat a late dinner. Italians eat much later for lunch and dinner. It is not uncommon for restaurants to open past 6pm for dinner as most Italians each lunch past 1pm and dinner from 8-10pm.
#4 Dinner is more than just one plate. We thought we were doing dinner the Italian way by ordering just pasta. Come to find out pasta is only one coarse of a meal.
Most meal structures in Italy include:
- An aperitivo, a small appetizer of olives and cheese
- An antipasto, which is a larger appetizer of meats and cheeses or bruschetta
- The primi, or hot food, which usually comes in two courses
- First coarse, is usually pasta or soup, doesn’t consist of any meat
- The second course which is usually your meat, paired with a platter of vegetable
- Last, but not least the dessert (with some coffee of coarse)
It sounds like quite a bit, but on our food tour, our guide said common etiquette when going to a restaurant would be to order at least two of the above plates. Like an appetizer and a first coarse or a second coarse and some wine. In case your wallet or your stomach might not be able to handle ordering all the plates mentioned.
#5 When grabbing a cup of coffee most cafes will either serve a small cup of espresso or cappuccino where you will drink it standing at the bar, if you do want to sit down it will cost extra, usually about 1-3 euros more.
