From tristeller to trattoria: here are some tips on where to eat during Vinitaly

And outside the exhibition? In this scenario, the choice of restaurant is not a side detail and often the best restaurants to eat at in Verona during Vinitaly do not necessarily coincide with the most celebrated ones in absolute terms, but with those that manage to hold together quality of cuisine, strength of the wine list, reliability of service and logistic sustainability in the days when the city is at its busiest. This is where Veronese catering shows its true competitiveness.

The symbolic address of the city's tradition. A place that is not only a restaurant, but a piece of Veronese history: here, according to the most widespread narrative, at the 12 Apostles Giorgio Gioco - chef and poet who passed away in 2019 - would have imagined for the first time an event dedicated to wine, in a city that has always been linked to trade and wine culture.

Giancarlo Perbellini davanti al suo tristellato 12 Apostoli, locale storico di Verona

The restaurant's origins date back to the 18th century, when twelve merchants used to meet after the market to do business over a drink. Since then, the restaurant has traversed epochs and generations, also transforming itself into a cultural salon thanks to the literary prize created together with Arnoldo Mondadori, which brought figures such as Ernest Hemingway and Gabriele D'Annunzio to these tables. Today, under new management, Perbellini brings back its gastronomic vision, marking a significant step for the local restaurant industry: the first 3-star Michelin restaurant in the city.

Palazzo Soave enters the high-end hospitality scene with a project that looks to the future but is rooted in history, and will soon open its suites a stone's throw from Porta Leoni. Amidst frescoes, contemporary lighting and cosy atmospheres, Iris, a Michelin-starred restaurant led by chef Giacomo Sacchetto, now one of the city's most interesting establishments, is set.

Here, the experience already takes shape in the basement, in the building's wine cellar, the true heart of the project: over a thousand references and about six thousand bottles selected by sommelier Andrea Puliga, with a layout that alternates great French and Italian classics with rarer, more experimental labels. A wine heritage designed to accompany a cuisine that moves confidently between territory and contemporary vision.

A new opening in the centre of Verona for Casa Barca, the project with which Luca Barca signs an ideal "encore" of his historic Ristorante Torcolo, one of the most established names in city cuisine. An almost natural transition for a family of restaurateurs that has been in business for generations and has built its gastronomic identity at Torcolo, open since the 1930s and a reference point for Veronese tradition.

Casa Barca

The new restaurant, located in Via Dietro Listone, is an evolution of the classic Torcolo, which represents the most iconic tradition, including boiled meats, roasts and an important wine cellar. Casa Barca therefore presents itself as its most intimate evolution: less institutional, more domestic, but with the same ambition to narrate Verona through the table.

The Antica Bottega del Vino has always been one of the landmarks of wine in Verona, more than a restaurant a true international 'salon' where producers, buyers and enthusiasts meet, especially on trade fair days. A historic address, withone of the deepest wine lists in Italia and a reputation built on decades of high-level hospitality, capable of transforming itself every year into one of the nerve centres of the fuori-Vinitaly.

Antica Bottega del Vino

In recent years, the property has been consolidated under the control of the Famiglie Storiche, a group of symbolic producers in the area that has strengthened the link between the venue and Veronese wine culture, while keeping its original vocation intact: to be a stable meeting point between wine, gastronomy and professional relations.

From the cellar to the consumer: Buglioni is a Valpolicella producer who, earlier than others (perhaps because the family came from textiles), understood how important the hospitality channel was to convey his wines. Wines that are a little unconventional - not only in their names (the Amarone Il Lussurioso, the Ripasso Il Bugiardo, the Valpolicella (I'm)Perfetto, the white Il Disperato and the sparkling wine Il Vigliacco) but because they are attentive to the evolution of tastes and consumption patterns - a good part of which he sells directly in his premises.

These succeed in combining food and wine with both the more classic, set cuisine and the more goliardic tradition of cicchetti (in the city) or even grilled dishes (in the countryside). These are the addresses: from the relais in Valpolicella, Dimora Buglioni, with its cuisine linked to the territory to the Locanda Buglioni of chef Marco Zorzan, to the Osteria del Bugiardo, for an informal but extremely well-prepared cuisine in the historic centre of Verona.

In the more informal but surprisingly solid Veronese restaurant scene, Trattoria Al Metano da Anna has carved out a precise identity over the years: simple fish cuisine, affordable prices and a location that alone is worth the stop.

Overlooking the banks of the Adige River, with a veranda overlooking the river, the trattoria plays its strength on a balance not often found in the city: a relaxed atmosphere in the style of shabby chic and an immediate gastronomic proposal, built on seafood and traditional dishes. The curious name - linked to its proximity to a historic city methane pump - has over time become a distinguishing feature rather than a limitation, helping to make it recognisable in a very competitive urban context.

In the centre of Verona, a project that combines cuisine and social impact takes shape: Il Mangiabottoni, a new osteria that does not limit itself to catering, but integrates a pathway dedicated to the employment inclusion of people with disabilities.

The idea is to build an accessible and contemporary place, where cooking becomes a concrete tool for integration and autonomy. The project is part of an increasingly widespread trend in Italian catering, that of social enterprises that combine gastronomic quality with an educational and training mission, transforming the restaurant into a veritable laboratory of skills.

The Tiramisù di Giulietta transforms the world's most famous Italian dessert into a 'strolling' experience, served in a jar and designed to be enjoyed while gazing at the courtyard of Juliet's house. The location, in fact, is one of the format's strong points, directly overlooking the flow of visitors that fills Via Cappello and its symbolic courtyard every day.The protagonist remains, of course, the tiramisù, proposed in several variations, from the classic to the more creative versions, for this new opening.

Finally, two proposals for those who prefer to 'escape' the hustle and bustle of the city. Firstly, one of the most important new entries in the Michelin Guide 2026: the Famiglia Rana restaurant (yes, that of Giovanni Rana's fresh pasta, for those who still don't know) has been awarded two Michelin stars, entering the elite of haute cuisine in Verona and beyond. Nestled in the countryside of Vallese di Oppeano, a few kilometres from the fairgrounds, we recommend it for a very scenic and contemporary gastronomic experience, with strong focus on technique, research and product.

Ristorante Famiglia Rana, alle porte di Verona

At the helm is chef Francesco Sodano, who arrived in 2024 and is responsible for the restaurant's rapid rise from one to two stars. His cuisine combines Campania roots, Mediterranean sensibility and modern technique, with highly creative tasting menus and a highly personal touch.

Just outside Verona, in Cerea and a few kilometres from the trade fair, there is a place that combines history, architecture and contemporary cuisine: the hunting lodge of Cangrande della Scala, now part of the Villa Ormaneto complex, a rural dwelling linked to the Scaligera tradition and reinterpreted as a space for diffuse hospitality.

Inside the villa is the Vior restaurant, a sign dedicated to typical local cuisine, which with chef Gianluca Da Rin Perette works on a contemporary reinterpretation of Veronese and Veneto traditions. Here, the rural and noble dimensions overlap, even in the dishes.