I took the train from Salerno to Cetara on a Tuesday morning in late May. The town sits on the Amalfi Coast, but it doesn’t look like the version you see on Instagram. No crowds spilling onto the street. No one selling limoncello from a cart. Just a fishing port with a few boats, a small piazza, and a restaurant with a terrace overlooking it all.
Al Convento – Casa Torrente has held Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition for three consecutive years (2024, 2025, and 2026) — awarded for good quality, good value cooking on the Amalfi Coast.
The restaurant belongs to the Torrente family. Chef Gaetano Torrente runs the kitchen, and the dining room feels like an extension of someone’s home — wooden tables, a tiled floor, windows open to the street. No photos of famous guests on the wall. No laminated menu with English translations and stock photos. Just a handwritten list of what came in that morning on the boat.
Word of mouth does the work that most places spend thousands on marketing to achieve. Locals from Salerno drive the winding coast road for Sunday lunch. Travelers who land in Cetara by accident often end up staying for dinner. The restaurant has been reviewed as part of Opinionated About Dining’s Casual Europe list — ranked #36 in 2024, #66 in 2025, and #99 in 2023 — without ever running a paid ad.
Yes, Al Convento is worth the trip to Cetara — even if you only have time for one meal on the Amalfi Coast. The cooking is direct, seasonal, and rooted in the local fishing tradition. The lack of advertising is part of the point: the restaurant trusts its food to speak for itself, and it does.
Seafood lovers
Food-focused travelers
Families who eat adventurously
The Torrente family has run this restaurant for years, and their approach to hospitality sets it apart from the tourist-oriented places further up the coast.
Al Convento — Casa Torrente: The family behind the kitchen
The dining room opens onto Piazza S. Francesco, a small square that sits above the harbor. The terrace is the best seat in the house, especially in late afternoon when the light hits the pastel buildings across the street. Chef Gaetano Torrente sources almost everything from within a few miles of the restaurant — the anchovies come from the Gulf of Salerno, the lemons from local groves, the olive oil from a producer he’s worked with for over a decade.
I ordered the spaghetti with colatura di alici on my first visit. Colatura is a traditional Cetarese condiment — clear amber liquid made by fermenting anchovies in salt for months, then pressing them. The flavor is intense but not fishy, more like a deep umami brine. The pasta arrived with just the colatura, a thread of good olive oil, and a sprinkle of parsley. Simple. Perfect.
The restaurant is open Monday 12–3:30 PM and 7–11:30 PM, and Thursday through Sunday with similar hours. Tuesday and Wednesday are closed. Reservations are taken by phone at +39 089 261039 or through the website.
The menu changes daily based on what the fishing boats bring in, but a few dishes have earned a permanent spot on the list.
What to order and what makes it different
Beyond the colatura spaghetti, the fried anchovies stuffed with smoked provolone are the kind of dish that makes you wonder why more restaurants don’t try this combination. The anchovies are butterflied, filled with a sliver of provolone, dusted in flour, and fried until the cheese just begins to melt inside. The saltiness of the fish plays against the smoky richness of the cheese. I ordered a second round.
The scialatielli ai frutti di mare is another staple — thick, hand-cut pasta shaped like short fettuccine, tossed with whatever shellfish came in that morning. On my visit it had clams, mussels, and a few small prawns, all in a broth that tasted of the sea without being heavy. The wine list leans heavily on Campanian producers — Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino, and a few Aglianico reds that pair well with the bolder dishes.
Ask for the shortcrust pastry tartlet with lemon cream and basil for dessert. It sounds unusual — basil in a sweet dish — but the herb’s freshness cuts through the citrus cream and makes the whole thing taste brighter. It’s not on the menu every day, so if the server mentions it, say yes.
Cetara sits south of the main Amalfi Coast tourist circuit, and that quiet location is exactly what makes it worth visiting.
Cetara vs. the busier Amalfi Coast towns
Positano and Amalfi get the crowds, the bus tours, and the souvenir shops. Cetara gets a working fishing port, a 14th-century watchtower, and a fraction of the visitors. The town is small — you can walk from one end to the other in about fifteen minutes — but it has a concentration of good restaurants that draws people from Salerno and beyond.
If you’re basing yourself in Salerno, your down-to-earth gateway to the Amalfi Coast, Cetara is an easy day trip by train or bus. The train from Salerno to Cetara takes roughly 25 minutes and runs several times a day. The bus takes a little longer but hugs the coast road, which gives you views of the sea through the olive trees. Either way, you arrive in a town that feels like it belongs to the people who live there, not to the tourism industry.
| Factor | Positano/Amalfi | Cetara |
|---|---|---|
| Crowds in peak season | Very heavy (June–September) | Moderate; mostly Italian and European visitors |
| Restaurant reservations | Required days ahead at top places | Required but more accessible with short notice |
| Price level (mid-range meal) | €40–60 per person without wine | €30–45 per person without wine |
| Fishing tradition | Mostly gone; tourism-driven economy | Still active; colatura di alci production |
| Ease of day trip from Salerno | 40–60 min by bus/ferry; crowded roads | 25 min by train; fewer tourists on the route |
Cetara has limited accommodation — only a handful of small hotels and B&Bs. If you want to stay overnight, book well ahead. Most visitors come as a day trip from Salerno or from one of the larger Amalfi Coast towns.
Here are a few practical answers to common questions about visiting Cetara and eating at Al Convento.
Before you go to Cetara
How do I get to Cetara from Salerno?
Take the regional train from Salerno station to Cetara. The trip takes about 25 minutes and trains run roughly every hour. Buses from Salerno’s bus terminal also serve the town, with a slightly longer journey along the coast road.
Do I need a reservation at Al Convento?
Yes. The restaurant fills up without any advertising, and walk-in spots are rare, especially on weekends. Call +39 089 261039 or book through the official website at least a few days ahead. Dinner service starts at 7 PM Monday and Thursday through Sunday.
What if I don’t eat seafood?
The menu is heavily focused on fish and shellfish. The kitchen can prepare a simple pasta with tomato sauce or a vegetable contorno, but this is not the place for a steak or a vegetarian-focused meal. If someone in your group doesn’t eat seafood, consider visiting Cetara for the setting and eating a full meal elsewhere.
Is Cetara overrated or disappointing in any way?
The town is small — much smaller than photos suggest. If you expect a full day of sightseeing, you’ll run out of things to do in an hour. The appeal is the relaxed pace, the working harbor, and the food. Come for lunch or dinner, not for a full day of attractions.
Can I bring children to Al Convento?
Yes. The restaurant is family-run and welcomes children. The noise level is conversational — not hushed, not loud. My seven-year-old Lily ate the scialatielli without complaint, and the staff brought her a small dish of lemon granita at the end without being asked.
Why I keep coming back to this corner of the coast
I’ve eaten at restaurants on the Amalfi Coast that spent a lot of money on decor, on PR, on the kind of glossy website that promises perfection and delivers something sterile. Al Convento does none of that. The walls are plain. The chairs are comfortable but not fancy. The menu is written in Italian by hand, and the server will translate if your Italian is as shaky as mine. What the restaurant offers instead is a direct line to the place itself — the anchovies from the Gulf, the olive oil from the grove up the hill, the lemon cream made with fruit that still has the leaves attached. That kind of cooking doesn’t need advertising. It just needs people to show up, eat, and tell someone else about it. If you’re planning a trip to the Amalfi Coast, read my guide to the Amalfi Coast’s best hotels for places that suit this quieter side of the coast.
Sources and further reading
En Primeur Club. “Al Convento – Casa Torrente, Cetara.” Accessed 2026. 🔗
Michelin Guide. “Al Convento – Casa Torrente.” Bib Gourmand recognition 2024, 2025, 2026. 🔗
Opinionated About Dining. “Casual Europe 2024–2025 Rankings.” 🔗
Related reading on Emily in Italy
Salerno: Your Down-to-Earth Gateway to the Amalfi Coast — How to use Salerno as a base for exploring the quieter towns of the coast, with transport tips and restaurant recommendations.
Capri & the Amalfi Coast: Where Time Slows for Sensual Delights — A deeper look at the slower side of the region, from lemon groves to seaside trattorias.
Where to Stay on Italy’s Amalfi Coast — Town-by-town breakdown of accommodation options, including quieter alternatives like Cetara and Vietri sul Mare.
Salerno Airport Unlocks a Quieter Amalfi Coast — Why flying into Salerno instead of Naples changes your itinerary, with practical arrival advice.