Most weekends on the Amalfi Coast start with a hotel search. Mine started with a pastry shop that has been open since 1830, and I planned everything else around which restaurant came next.
Pasticceria Pansa has been making sfogliatelle and delizia al limone in the same spot in Amalfi since 1830.
I showed up jet-lagged, dropped my bag at the hotel, and walked straight to Pansa. That first bite of warm ricotta-filled sfogliatelle set the tone for the whole trip. Every meal after that became the anchor for the day — the thing I scheduled everything else around. And honestly, it worked better than any museum itinerary I have ever made.
Yes, you can absolutely build a weekend around where to eat next on the Amalfi Coast. The towns are close enough that you can move between them for lunch and dinner without wasting the day in transit. Just book ahead — the best tables go fast.
Day 1: Amalfi Town — pastries, seafood, and a Michelin star
I started Saturday morning at Pansa Pasticceria in the center of Amalfi. The place has been open since 1830, and the display case still draws a crowd before noon. I ordered a delizia al limone — a lemon sponge cake that is the local classic — and a coffee at the counter. The pastry was light, not too sweet, and honestly worth the flight alone. You can see their menu and location here.
For lunch, I walked over to Cuoppo di Amalfi, a tiny spot that serves fried seafood on wooden picks — calamari, shrimp, sardines in a light batter. It is street food, so you eat standing up or find a step to sit on. My kids would have loved this, and if you are traveling with picky eaters, the fried calamari is about as safe a bet as it gets on the coast. The shop is on Supportico Gaetano Afeltra in Amalfi.
Order the fried seafood at Cuoppo early — by 1pm the line stretches down the alley and they run out of popular items by midafternoon.
Dinner that night was at Glicine at Santa Caterina, the Michelin-starred restaurant inside the Hotel Santa Caterina. The dining room opens onto a terrace that hangs over the sea, and the tasting menu changes with the catch. I had a baccala dish that was silky and bright with lemon — a reminder that Amalfi’s strength is letting good ingredients speak for themselves. You can book a table at Glicine on their official site.
If you want something less formal, Trattoria da Gemma is a historic restaurant on Via Fra Gerardo Sasso with a sea terrace. They are known for grilled octopus on Controne bean cream and homemade Genovese pasta. It is a solid backup and easier to get into last minute. You can find Da Gemma on the map here.
Day 2: Ravello and the hills — panoramic dining and local wine
Sunday morning I drove up to Ravello, and the switchbacks alone count as an appetizer. I had lunch at Mimi’s, a spot that serves traditional Neapolitan pizza and local dishes. The owner brought out a bottle of artisanal limoncello from Profumi della Costiera after the meal — a gesture that felt genuine, not staged. You can see Mimi’s menu and location here.
After lunch I wandered to Babel Wine Bar Deli & Art on Via Santissima Trinità. It is a chilled wine bar with prosciutto, mozzarella, meatballs, and a red quinoa salad that was better than I expected from a wine bar. I sat outside with a glass of Falanghina and wrote in my journal. You can find Babel on the map here.
For dinner, I booked Il Flauto di Pan at Villa Cimbrone. It is a Michelin-guide restaurant with a romantic terrace that looks out over the entire coast. The tasting menu runs several courses, and the house aubergine parmigiana was the dish I kept thinking about the next day. You can reserve at Il Flauto di Pan through Villa Cimbrone.
If you want something less formal, Salvatore Ravello 1958 has a mountain-view terrace and serves modern Italian — their signature bread with squid ink and anchovy butter is worth the trip alone. They do a good tiramisu for dessert. You can find Salvatore Ravello on the map.
Ravello restaurants book up two to three weeks in advance during summer. If you cannot get into Il Flauto di Pan or Salvatore Ravello, try Trattoria da Lorenzo in nearby Scala — it is family-run and serves daily catch from the Amalfi shores. You can check their availability here.
On the way back down the hill, I stopped at Hostaria di Bacco in Furore for a glass of Fiorduva white wine — a local grape that grows on the steep coastal terraces. The restaurant sits in the mountains above Positano and serves ferrazzuoli alla nanarella, a pasta dish with a slow-cooked sauce that tastes like the hillside. You can see Hostaria di Bacco’s menu here.
Day 3: Positano and the coast — beach clubs and farewell meals
Monday was my last day, and I wanted a lunch that felt like a reward. I took the small motorboat from Positano’s port to Da Adolfo, a boat-access beach club that serves grilled seafood and their famous lemon-leaf mozzarella. You sit on a deck right on the water, and the whole place runs on island time. You can check the ferry schedule and menu at Da Adolfo here.
If you are in Nerano instead, Lo Scoglio has three dining areas right on the beach and gets daily seafood deliveries. Their melanzane al cioccolato — an eggplant and chocolate dessert — sounds odd but works. You can see Lo Scoglio’s menu and book here.
For a final pastry stop, I drove to Minori to Pasticceria Sal De Riso, a shop that has been open since 1908. Their delizia al limone and ricotta-filled sfogliatelle are the real deal, and they also sell homemade gelato. I bought a box of pastries for the ferry home. You can browse Sal De Riso’s offerings here.
Sal De Riso in Minori gets crowded by late morning. Go before 10am if you want to grab pastries without queuing — the gelato counter gets busy after lunch.
That evening, I had my farewell dinner at La Sponda inside Le Sirenuse in Positano. The dining room is candlelit with vaulted ceilings, and the hot lemon soufflé is the kind of dessert you remember for years. It is expensive, but the setting and service justify the price. You can book La Sponda through Le Sirenuse here.
If you want something more grounded, Da Vincenzo Positano serves modern twists on heritage dishes in a brick-and-stone interior. It is less formal than La Sponda but the food is just as thoughtful. You can see Da Vincenzo’s menu here.
- Book dinner reservations two to three weeks ahead, especially for Michelin-starred spots and popular terrace restaurants.
- Use lunch for casual, spontaneous meals — street food at Cuoppo or boat-access spots like Da Adolfo rarely need a reservation.
- Build in buffer time between towns. The coastal roads are slow, and you do not want to rush a good meal because of a ferry.
Before you go — practical questions answered
Do I need a car for this itinerary?
Not strictly, but it helps. You can use ferries and buses between Amalfi, Positano, and Ravello, but a car gives you flexibility for hilltop restaurants like Hostaria di Bacco in Furore.
Parking is expensive and limited in every town — book accommodation with parking included if you drive.
How much should I budget per meal?
Street food at Cuoppo runs around €5–10. A sit-down lunch at a trattoria like Da Gemma costs €30–50 per person. Michelin-starred dinners at Glicine or La Sponda run €100–200 per person with wine.
You can check Glicine’s current tasting menu prices here.
Is this itinerary family-friendly?
Most restaurants welcome kids, especially at lunch. Cuoppo and Pansa Pasticceria are easy stops with children. Michelin-starred dinners may feel long for younger kids — my family stuck to earlier seatings.
La Tagliata above Positano has no set menu and serves family-style antipasto, pasta, and grilled meat, which worked well when my family joined me another time. You can find La Tagliata on the map.
What is the biggest downside to this approach?
You spend more time driving or ferrying between towns than you would staying put. And some of the best restaurants are hard to book — you may end up at your third choice on a busy Saturday.
If you hate planning meals in advance, this style of trip will feel stressful rather than indulgent.
More than just a meal plan
Building a weekend around restaurants sounds indulgent, and it is. But what surprised me was how much of the coast I saw just by chasing lunch and dinner. I ended up in alleys I would not have found otherwise, sitting next to locals at counters, and learning more about Amalfi’s food culture from one pastry shop than I had from a dozen guidebooks. If you want to read more about the region’s food traditions, this post about a trattoria in Vettica that still cooks recipes rarely written down captures the same spirit I found that weekend.
Sources and further reading
KAX Lifestyle. “Where to Eat Around the Amalfi Coast.” 🔗
Condé Nast Traveller. “Best Restaurants on the Amalfi Coast.” 🔗
The Tour Guy. “Best Restaurants on the Amalfi Coast.” 🔗
Miss Tourist. “Amalfi Coast Restaurants Italy.” 🔗
Related reading on Emily in Italy
Tramonti’s Coastal Slopes Grow Grapes Most Wine Lists Never Mention — A look at the local wines that rarely make it onto restaurant lists but pair perfectly with coastal cuisine.
Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Amalfi Coast Honeymoon — A longer itinerary that strings together the best food stops across the region for a romantic trip.
Cetara’s Fish Market Opens Before Most Travelers Are Even Awake — If you want to see where the restaurants source their catch, this early-morning market is the place to start.