Gourmands and vegetarian cuisine: here’s where to eat

Vegetarian cuisine and culture is becoming more and more popular in our country too. Among vegetarian restaurants there’s an increasing number of high quality ones, luckily. A few months ago we gave you a list of establishments where you could find a good vegetarian, vegan and raw food offer, though only in Milan.

While in other cities the offer is not as rich, there are still many possibilities for gourmands who look for a natural and green cuisine. Without claiming this list to be complete, and without any ranks, we present a small selection of some of the best veg Italian restaurants.

- Flora, Stradone Scipione Maffei, 8/C, Verona (+39.045.8006300)
A restaurant opened around one year ago in the centre of Verona by chefs Giorgia Maranzan and Silvia Cappellazzo. It is characterised by a minimalistic decor, a simple elegance. It’s specialised in both vegetarian and vegan cuisine, with a gluten free offer suitable for celiacs. The average price is 40 euros

- Il Margutta, Via Margutta 118, Rome (+39.06.32650577)
It’s certainly one of the restaurants that have most contributed in changing the image and perception of vegetarian cuisine in Italy. Open since 1979, it offers a refined and elegant interpretation of vegetarian food, in a setting characterised by passion for figurative art. It’s no chance it’s called RistorArte. The average price is 60 euros

- Il Vegetariano, Via delle Ruote 30, Florence (+39.055.475030)
They’ve been serving vegetarian menus since 1981 in this restaurant in the centre of Florence. The atmosphere, compared to the other places analysed here, is more spartan: there’s no service and guests share the same table. The menu, however, is very rich. It changes daily and there’s also great attention to cakes. The average price is 20 euros

- Joia, Via Panfilo Castaldi 18, Milan (+39.02.29522124)
Pietro Leemann, a real pioneer in vegetarian signature cuisine in Italy. He made a place of pure taste out of his restaurant. No sacrifices but a strong identity, aesthetically perfect, with a universal pleasure that is united with healthy lightness. The average price is 80 euros (At the back of the restaurant there’s Joia Kitchen, with a simpler and cheaper bistro format)

- La cucina di Giuditta, Piazza Valoria, 11/R, Genoa (+39.010.2770094)
In the heart of the historic centre of Genoa, there’s this restaurant named after the founder and author of the recipes, Giuditta Marasco, who among other things is inspired by the studies of doctor Catherine Kousmine and macrobiotic cuisine, enriched with traditional Mediterranean flavours. The average price is 40 euros

- Lord Bio, Piazza della Libertà 16, Macerata (+39.3669867660)
Created by vegan chef Simone Salvini whose recipes are often hosted on our website. It’s an organic, vegan and vegetarian place, inside a 15th century palace overlooking the main square in Macerata. Raw materials mostly come from a farm owned by the same owners of the restaurant. The average price is 25 euros

- Mantra Raw Vegan, Via Panfilo Castaldi 21, Milan (+39.02.89058575)
This is not only a vegan restaurant but a raw food one too, and is basically in front of Leemann’s Joia. Chef Alberto Paluello, who acquired a significant experience in California with the great raw food chef Matthew Kenney, perfectly knows his raw materials and is able to prepare rich, complete and tasty dishes. The average price is 40 euros

- MAM, Via Muratori 7, Milan
The latest born in the shade of the Madonnina. This restaurant with an informal yet very original and elegant atmosphere, doesn’t offer a list to its guest but a tasting tray on which different small plates are placed, representing seasonality and what’s available that day. The name of the restaurant is an acronym for Milano Amore Mio. The average price is 20 euros

- Ops!, Via Bergamo 56, Rome (+39.06.8411769)
This restaurant in Rome also relies on the careful and elegant cuisine of Simone Salvini. The place has a modern design, the offer is buffet style and you pay for the food according to its weight: basically after choosing what to eat you put the plate on a scale and this will indicate the price of what you ordered. The average price is 30 euros

- Papilla, Via Ca dai Pase, Cittadella (Padua) (+39.049.9404620)
A lively, young and strictly vegan restaurant. The raw materials selected are only organic and the dishes use seasonal and local vegetables and fruit, with particular attention to the nutritional and healthy side of food, without forsaking taste. The average price is 30 euros

- Singola, Via Risorgimento 88, Modica (Ragusa) (+39.0932.904807)
In the beautiful Sicilian Baroque city, there’s this "natural" restaurant which also bases its offer on local food and a very faithful respect for organic agriculture. The creativity of the dishes can be noticed by reading the menu and observing the care paid in the dishing out. The average price is 25 euros

- Soul Kitchen, Via Santa Giulia 2, Torino (+39.011.884700)
This restaurant, with a warm and welcoming cuisine, is in the very heart of the old Savoy capital and offers a creative, imaginative and strictly vegan cuisine, including some raw food recipes. The research and gourmet ambition of this offer can be clearly noticed in every dish. The average price is 35 euros