We were moving up the mountain in the funicular, suitcases in tow, identifying us as American…read moretourists, when a Lucca resident recommended we try Mezza Luna and if we did, we should try the Carbonara! We did. And she was right! We went back twice and I ordered the Carbonara twice. It was the highlight of our trip! In addition to the food making us happy, the restaurant made us happy. It is on a nondescript street, down a few steps into a delightful small and cozy cave-room. You really need a reservation to be guaranteed a table. Peeking out from the small kitchen window is the cook/wife/owner and greeting us and taking our order was the husband/owner. They are a team that really cares about the service and doing simple Italian food right! And the house wine was really good!

A very pleasant spot to sit much less eat. The beautiful vaulted brick Ceiling is Beutiful. The…read moreservice impecable and the food .... That's the star. We started with the bruschetta this a simple dish but when too not ingredients are used it's amazing and so it was here. The are known for their pasta carbonar a dm the wife loved it. The ravioli were the star of the show. Perfectly Al dente stuffed with cheese and spinach,the mushrooms and sauce were excellent, great dish.the house wine is very good.this would be my go to place if I lived in Orvieto.

This restaurant is outstanding. Poached egg with truffle and Parmesan cream - delicious! Whole…read moregrain strangozzi with guanciale and chestnuts - outstanding and original combination of slight sweetness and savory saltiness with the earthiness of the homemade pasta. My favorite dish was the tonnaroli pasta with sausage, red onion cooked so long it liquefied, and a sagrantino wine reduction. The flavors were intense, original and memorable. I have lived in Italy and am 100% Italian so my palate is demanding - and it was one of the best plates of pasta I've ever eaten. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming and staff was attentive and professional.

Have to agree that this restaurant is just excellent. We ate on the terrace, with a beautiful view…read moreof the valley below. Gnocchi with truffle was perfectly cooked, aromatic and delicious. Sea bass was delicate and beautifully presented. Staff were attentive and had sufficient English skills that our poor Italian was not sorely tested. We returned two nights later and my companion had carpaccio and the pork rib - and said it was the best meal of his life.

Food was delicious! I was so glad to have read the reviews here and went there for lunch. Just keep…read morein mind it's early to eat lunch at 11:30 We have 3 children and we were there hungry.

It would be hard to express how great the food and service here are. It may sound trite, but the…read moreeggplant parm was recommended by a local and it was truly life-changing. Rabbit was also a huge hit along with local ham, cheesecake, and the chicory was the best I've ever eaten.

Undoubtably the best food you will eat in this area. Very…read morefriendly family serves a predetermined menu which is all locally grown and made right down to the wine and lemoncello!!!

Amazing food! There is no menu and they tell you what they will bring you. Trust it! It's going to…read morebe awesome!

The restaurant was located in a quiet area. We decided to eat outside. We started with the seafood…read moreplatter, where everything was raw. It came with oysters, three types of shrimp, shrimp paste, three types of ceviche, and a carpaccio. My favorite was the carpaccio, which had pieces of freeze dried raspberry on top. The only thing I didn't like was one of the ceviches. We had a plate of fried calamari and shrimp next. The batter was excellent! Lastly, we had a pasta dish with clams. It was simple but delicious. I would say this restaurant was the highlight of our time here in this port city.

Great experience. Wonderful friendly and helpful service. Terrific seafood risotto and anchovy…read moreburrata. Tuna tartar with a great bottle of Lazio white wine

Ate a multi course meal here with my 9 year old and wife. Wines were fairly priced, food was great…read moreand the server was very nice. We'd go again

My family stumbled on this restaurant while wandering through quaint af Orvieto…read more Our meal was the best seated lunch we had all trip (10 days in Rome, Rapallo, Lucca). There were local wines that paired perfectly with our meal. Flavors paired with local mushrooms were rich & buttery, yet light. I'm a fan of a salad & the side mista salads did not disappoint. The interior of the restaurant felt very home-y -- like extended family pulling up for a meal. 11/10 recommend weaving your way through the streets to find this hidden gem!

There are many things we liked about this restaurant, but for me, the best part of the experience…read morewas the service. We arrived a little later for lunch without a reservation and we were told the wait would be about 20 minutes. We were seated in 10 minutes and the wait staff was very helpful keeping us out of the sun during one of the hottest days of the summer. For appetizers we enjoyed a fresh caprese salad, a cheese board and mixed bruschetta plate. All of these were well-prepared, fresh and a great way to start the meal. Continuing with our plan to eat local specialties, we got two dishes with Umbricelli, a local fresh pasta, one with a sauce of roasted tomatoes and the other with tomatoes and garlic. Our other dinner guest had cinghiale prepared alla cacciatore. This was our first time having slow roasted wild boar, and it will not be the last. We had other plans for dessert, so we will have to wait until we return to Orvieto to try theirs and I am certain that it will be fantastic.

I can't believe I am just getting around to writing a review on this great restaurant. We were…read morethere a year ago and I still rave about this place. Be sure to make a reservation. Communication was a tad difficult as our Italian isn't great, but the staff (maybe owners?) really try their best to communicate with you. They were so kind. Now on to the good stuff- the food! We had the asparagus and pecorino appetizer and it was to die for. I had the fava bean pasta and my husband had the wild boar ragu. Both were exceptional. House white Orvieto wine was really delicious. We had no room for dessert. It was one of the best meals of this trip to Italy, and if ever in the area again we will make a point to eat here again.

Best Home Cooked Italian food I have ever had in my life! My Grandmother would slap me with a…read morewooden spoon but I telleth the truth! Went 2 nights in a row! Freshest selection of everything! It's this type of place that makes life worth living! I continue to fantasize about this wonderful eatery Every now and then! Bottom line it's worth flying here just to smell the fabulous cuisine wafting from the kitchen! Do they deliver?

Il Fornacino has an adventurous menu that I was excited to try. Like every restaurant in the area…read moreit offers the traditional Tuscan tagliata di chianina (is there a law?) but there's also rabbit stuffed with veal and truffles and a very on-trend Swiss chard, ricotta, and truffled egg raviolone. I started with the latter, which was delicious -- but the powerful flavour of cheese and the egg yolk drowned out the chard. My wife's potato flan was quite nice, but it arrived buried under a heap of truffle shavings that tasted of nothing in particular. My main was a special of roast suckling pig with potatoes and a savoury tuile made with the pork drippings. The tuile was gratuitous -- a chef-y touch that didn't actually taste very nice. The suckling pig was beautifully cooked but the potatoes were weirdly inconsistent; some crisp and others mushy. Il Fornacino is a good restaurant that would be the best restaurant around in most places, but the five-star bar is set pretty high in Tuscany. But the prices were very modest and the wine selection was great. It's a tremendously good value for what it offers.

After glancing over the menu we decided to go in. We were greeted with friendly staff and seated…read more The portion sizes are enough to share and you are definitely getting a great value for your meal. I feel all that we ate tasted fresh and had great flavors. We appreciate all that you do and thank you for providing us with such great service and food. Being a foreigner can be overwhelming but we felt comfortable in your company. Thank you.

One of the favorite restaurants in Orvieto that Michelin recognizes is Trattoria La Palomba…read more Located along cobblestone streets is the Cinti family's restaurant that first opened in 1965. This charming Italian trattoria features Umbrian specialities that include delicious house-made pasta topped with wild boar ragu.  It's a favorite of Enrica Cotarella, one of the sisters running Famiglia Coratella winery. Be sure to order a bottle or glass of her white Ferentano 2021 Coratella wine. This expressive white wine from Central Italy is made from Roscetto grapes fermenting in oak barrels to provide pleasing vanilla, oak, and buttery notes. It's ideal with pastas topped with shaved fresh black truffles. Be sure to finish with a plate of crunchy pistachio biscotti. Take what is left for your  coffee or cappuccino the next morning.