According to a 2019 YouGov survey, Italian cuisine comes in at No. 1 among “America’s favorite foods from around the world.” Other surveys, admittedly, put Italian in second or third place, after Mexican and/or Chinese, but nobody can disagree that pasta and pizza and such form a major part of our diet. The average American eats approximately 20 pounds of pasta a year, in fact, and 23 pounds of pizza.
It would be hard to find any city or town in the country that doesn’t have at least one Italian restaurant and/or pizzeria. National Geographic reported earlier this year that about 100,000 of America’s 800,000 or so restaurants served Italian food of one kind or another. According to other sources, an estimated three-quarters of this number specialize in pizza. And these are the 25 best pizza places in America.
To determine the best Italian restaurant in every state, 24/7 Tempo reviewed and extrapolated from lists and rankings on numerous food and general interest sites, including Eater, Yelp, The Daily Meal, Fodors, Business Insider, Forbes, and Gayot, as well as a wide range of regional and city-specific sites.
The results reveal a vast and varied landscape of Italian and Italian-American cooking. There are places that strive for authenticity and preserve tradition, like Felix Trattoria in Venice, California, but also high-end restaurants creating imaginative variations on the theme, like Scampo in Boston. Some establishments work regional ingredients into the mix, like Domenica in New Orleans, while others are unapologetically old-fashioned red-sauce eateries serving comfort food Italian style — sometimes including one or more of these 10 “Italian” dishes that aren’t really Italian.
Click here to see the best Italian restaurant in every state
Alabama: Bottgega
> Location: Birmingham
> Sample menu items: Tortellini with Gulf crab, squash, and lemon; chicken scaloppine with capers and polenta
[in-text-ad]
Alaska: In Bocca al Lupo
> Location: Juneau
> Sample menu items: Garlic-blasted Caesar salad; Yukon gold potato gnocchi with sockeye salmon puttanesca
Arizona: Virtu Honest Craft
> Location: Scottsdale
> Sample menu items: Burrata with fresh figs; smoked duck breast with black garlic soubise
Arkansas: Ermilio’s Italian Home Cooking
> Location: Eureka Springs
> Sample menu items: Choice of pastas with Mom’s Homemade Meatballs in red sauce; chicken parmesan
[in-text-ad-2]
California: Felix Trattoria
> Location: Venice
> Sample menu items: Panzanella (Tuscan bread salad); house-made orecchiette with sausage and broccoletti
Colorado: Frasca Food & Wine
> Location: Boulder
> Sample menu items: Ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms; calamarata pasta with squid and Calabrian chiles
[in-text-ad]
Connecticut: La Marea Ristorante
> Location: Old Saybrook
> Sample menu items: Insalata riccia con fave e pancetta (frisée salad with favas and pancetta); zuppa de pesce (mixed seafood stew)
24/7 Wall St.
Delaware: Taverna
> Location: Newark and Wilmington
> Sample menu items: Crispy meatball pizza; grilled spicy shrimp with zucchini and lemon vinaigrette
Florida: Cecconi’s
> Location: Miami Beach
> Sample menu items: Vitello tonnato with caperberries; veal milanese
[in-text-ad-2]
Georgia: La Tavola Trattoria
> Location: Atlanta
> Sample menu items: Agnolotti with corn, mascarpone, and oyster mushrooms; pork belly with cannellini beans and braised kale
Hawaii: Taormina Sicilian Cuisine
> Location: Honolulu
> Sample menu items: Shrimp and scallop bruschetta; porcini risotto with sautéed foie gras
[in-text-ad]
Idaho: Alavita
> Location: Boise
> Sample menu items: Squid ink bucatini; red-wine-braised short ribs with creamy polenta
24/7 Wall St.
Illinois: RPM Italian
> Location: Chicago
> Sample menu items: Roman-style artichokes with lemon aioli; Mama DePandi’s bucatini with tomatoes and basil
Indiana: Galo’s Italian Grill
> Location: Richmond
> Sample menu items: Penne carbonara with grilled chicken; gorgonzola New York strip steak with grilled shrimp
[in-text-ad-2]
Iowa: Centro
> Location: Des Moines
> Sample menu items: Pancetta-wrapped shrimp; spicy sausage rigatoni
Kansas: The Basil Leaf Cafe
> Location: Lawrence
> Sample menu items: Sausage and arborio rice arancini; deconstructed lasagna
[in-text-ad]
Kentucky: Pompilio’s
> Location: Newport
> Sample menu items: Toasted beef or cheese ravioli; veal marsala with linguine
Louisiana: Domenica
> Location: New Orleans
> Sample menu items: Smoked swordfish carpaccio; Gulf shrimp risotto
Maine: Ports of Italy
> Location: Boothbay Harbor and Rockport
> Sample menu items: Bang Island mussels with sambuca; osso buco with risotto milanese
[in-text-ad-2]
Maryland: Aldo’s
> Location: Baltimore
> Sample menu items: Point Judith calamari fritti; linguine with clams
Massachusetts: Scampo
> Location: Boston
> Sample menu items: Burnt orange and tomato risotto with crisped soft shell crab; charcoaled “sugar cane” veal ribeye with stracciatella ravioli
[in-text-ad]
Michigan: SheWolf Pastificio & Bar
> Location: Detroit
> Sample menu items: Sformato di zucchine (savory zucchini custard); paccheri pasta with spicy lamb neck ragù
Minnesota: Broders’ Pasta Bar
> Location: Minneapolis
> Sample menu items: Roasted whole garlic with spicy tomato jam; carrot gnocchi with chicken and olives
Mississippi: The Sicilian II
> Location: Biloxi
> Sample menu items: Shrimp Alfredo pizza; chocolate chip cannoli
[in-text-ad-2]
Missouri: Casa Don Alfonso
> Location: St. Louis
> Sample menu items: Grandma’s ziti with anchovies and cherry tomatoes; veal pizzaiola
Montana: Michelangelo’s Big Sky
> Location: Gallatin Gateway
> Sample menu items: Grilled portabella mushrooms with herb polenta and goat cheese sauce; saltimbocca alla romana with risotto cake
[in-text-ad]
Nebraska: MoMo Pizzeria & Ristorante
> Location: Lincoln
> Sample menu items: Prosciutto and egg pizza; garlic-butter walleye with spinach and tomato risotto
Nevada: Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar
> Location: Las Vegas
> Sample menu items: Pasta e fagioli; coniglio brasato (braised rabbit) with polenta and roasted mushrooms
New Hampshire: Campo Enoteca
> Location: Manchester
> Sample menu items: House-made ricotta with grilled sourdough; chicken piccata tagliatelle
[in-text-ad-2]
New Jersey: Cafe 2825
> Location: Atlantic City
> Sample menu items: Spicy scungilli; Sunday Gravy (homemade meatballs, pork braciole, and Italian sausage in Old World thick red gravy)
New Mexico: Osteria d’Assisi
> Location: Santa Fe
> Sample menu items: Penne alla carbonara; braised buffalo short ribs with polenta
[in-text-ad]
New York: Via Carota
> Location: New York City
> Sample menu items: Peas with lettuce and prosciutto; grilled sea bream with charred escarole
North Carolina: Ristorante Paoletti
> Location: Highlands
> Sample menu items: Smoked risotto with mushroom ragù; grilled North Carolina rainbow trout Adriatico style
North Dakota: Anima Cucina
> Location: Bismarck
> Sample menu items: Lardo crostini; spicy shrimp spaghetti
[in-text-ad-2]
Ohio: Martini Modern Italian
> Location: Columbus
> Sample menu items: Tomato soup with pesto and goat cheese; fettuccine with clams
Oklahoma: Stella
> Location: Oklahoma City
> Sample menu items: Prosciutto and peach pizza; chicken and corn risotto
[in-text-ad]
Oregon: Nick’s Italian Cafe
> Location: McMinnville
> Sample menu items: Trippa alla fiorentina (braised tripe with poached egg); Dungeness crab lasagna
Pennsylvania: Vetri Cucina
> Location: Philadelphia
> Sample menu items: Sweet onion crêpe with truffle and parmesan fondue; spaghetti alla chitarra with bone marrow and shellfish
Rhode Island: Al Forno
> Location: Providence
> Sample menu items: Clams al forno; spicy fried calamari grilled pizza
[in-text-ad-2]
South Carolina: Le Farfalle
> Location: Charleston
> Sample menu items: Warm rosemary focaccia with whipped ricotta; angel hair pasta with blue crab
South Dakota: Sabatino’s Italian
> Location: Rapid City
> Sample menu items: Caprese salad; gnocchi al pesto
[in-text-ad]
Tennessee: Yolan
> Location: Nashville
> Sample menu items: Farinata (chickpea flour crêpe) with squash conserva; bucatini all’amatriciana
24/7 Wall St.
Texas: Lucia
> Location: Dallas
> Sample menu items: Baked rigatoni with ‘nduja, bread crumbs, and stracciatella; pork shoulder cooked in hay
Utah: Valter’s Osteria
> Location: Salt Lake City
> Sample menu items: Zuppa cotta (cannellini beans, mushrooms, and truffles); chicken piccata with artichokes and lemon sauce
[in-text-ad-2]
Vermont: Sarducci’s
> Location: Montpelier
> Sample menu items: Linguine al pescatore (with shrimp, cod, and mussels); vitello alla parmigiana
Virginia: Edo’s Squid
> Location: Richmond
> Sample menu items: Squid with arugula, garlic, and lemon; sausage, polenta, and beans
[in-text-ad]
Washington: Cafe Juanita
> Location: Kirkland
> Sample menu items: Risotto with corn and raw spot prawns; wagyu New York strip with romano beans and chanterelles
West Virginia: Fazio’s
> Location: Charleston
> Sample menu items: Baked manicotti; chicken cacciatore with mostaccioli in meat and mushroom sauce
Wisconsin: Ristorante Bartolotta
> Location: Wauwatosa
> Sample menu items: Gianfuttiri (Calabrian vegetable stew); cappone arrosto (slow-roasted capon)
[in-text-ad-2]
Wyoming: Glorietta Trattoria
> Location: Jackson
> Sample menu items: Lobster Fra’ Diavolo with tagliatelle; Snake River Farms porchetta with escarole and white beans
Get Ready To Retire (Sponsored)
Start by taking a quick retirement quiz from SmartAsset that will match you with up to 3 financial advisors that serve your area and beyond in 5 minutes, or less.
Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests.
Here’s how it works:
1. Answer SmartAsset advisor match quiz
2. Review your pre-screened matches at your leisure. Check out the advisors’ profiles.
3. Speak with advisors at no cost to you. Have an introductory call on the phone or introduction in person and choose whom to work with in the future
Get started right here.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
