Best places to eat in Trieste

If you find yourself starving while looking up at Trieste’s astonishing buildings, we get you covered. Here you’ll find the ultimate guide on where to eat in Trieste with all budget options.

Trieste Chic

The raffinate and elegant city of Trieste is a place of its kind, ideal for celebrating the most important memories. Food is one of the most important ingredients to make your time memorable.

Especially when visiting Italy, your expectations will be already high, so you better watch out for touristy traps with crappy ingredients.

This first section is a selection of top-rated, high-budget restaurants for your most special moments here. And to treat yourself from time to time.

Trieste hosts two Michelin’s restaurants: Al Bagatto 그리고 Harry’s Piccolo Restaurant.

Al Bagatto

A historical restaurant founded in 1966 at the heart of Trieste and a few steps from the sea. Al Bagatto’s cuisine is mainly fish-based, but there are also delicious vegetarian and non-gluten options.

The price ranges from 25 euros per main dish, but there is also a tasting chart available for 90 euros.

Harry’s Piccolo Restaurant

At Harry’s, you won’t go there to just enjoy your meal, but to have an authentic culinary experience. Here you’ll find the most studied food combinations alongside unique ingredients, such as plankton.

But Harry’s is not only a Michelin-star restaurant, it is also an ideal place for your special cocktails and high-quality pastry, where tradition marries innovation.

Eat Like a Local in Trieste

The typical cuisine of Trieste is not the overstated ‘Pasta or Pizza’. Being a city in the far north-est of Italy, the weather conditions and historical and cultural proximities to the neighbouring countries allow this place to have its taste.

So what’s the most typical dish in Trieste? Soups. Specifically, ‘Jota’ is the most authentic expression of Trieste.

The jota is made with sauerkraut, beans, potatoes, sausages, smoked bacon, herbs, and spices. Not exactly the Italian dish you had in mind, right?

Best places to eat Jota

The best place to eat Jota in Trieste is claimed to be the ‘Antico Caffè San Marco’.

Its Chef, Matja Antolović, has been appointed as the ‘Jotimista of the Year‘ in 2019—the most ambitious title for a local chef.

But we advise you to also try the ones at ‘Buffet Birreria Rudy‘ 그리고 ‘Buffet Marascutti 1914‘ and make up your mind.

What kind of pasta to eat in Triest?

Do not expect to eat the best ‘Lasagna alla Bolognese’ of your life here, let’s leave this dish to the Emilia Romagna region. In Trieste, a must-eat is the ‘gnocchi‘.

Gnocchi are small Italian dumplings made of wheat flour, eggs and cooked potatoes. The ingredients are mixed, rolled into logs, cut into small pieces and then boiled. Sometimes, they can be filled with either meat or plums as the Triest ones.

Although the gnocchi, like all ‘hand-made pasta’, is from Emilia Romagna, here in Trieste is the most popular main dish alongside rice. You can find it with goulash, with bread or made with plums.

Where to eat ‘Gnocchi’

Although you won’t find it difficult to find a place serving this speciality, here you’ll find the top-rated ones with good prices.

Antica Hostaria da Libero

The Antica Hostaria da Libero is a historical restaurant located only 200 meters from the San Giusto Church. History is what makes this place specifically special, and if you are a literature fan, you should know that James Joyce used to come here often.

The restaurant serves high-quality and fresh dishes and pastries at the reasonable price of 20-30 euros per person. You’ll have the chance to not only to taste gnocchi with different toppings, but also jota soup!

Buffet Clai

Buffet Clai is your best choice if you want something cheap, local-vibe, and with fresh fish. Since it’s a well-known place among locals, we advise you to book your table in advance and to go there during lunchtime!

Below you can find the menu of Buffet Clai.

What about a perfect spot for an evening out?

If you’re reading this, it means that you are lucky enough to know us and to know that we collaborate with hostels. And guess where you can find the best Sky Restaurant in Trieste for aperitifs, tastings, dinners, and drinks? Exactly at our partner’s Hotello hostel!