The Ultimate Guide to Italian Restaurants in Atlanta 🍝
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published November 6, 2019 and last updated January 25, 2023.
Neapolitan pizzas, perfectly stuffed ravioli shells, and rich, savory gnocchi–its all impastably perfect. These Italian joints in Atlanta are serving up ridiculously delicious pasta, cannolis, and chicken parmigiana, and will be sure to satisfy you when you just need an Italian fix.
1. a mano
Great for date night or a girl’s night out, a mano has us coming back and back again for their classic pasta dishes. Their carbonara always hits the spot, and their cacio e pepe has the right amount of creaminess and pepper to satisfy. The patio is cute-as-a-button, and you’re going to love the Italian skillet bread, drenched in olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. Gluten-free options are also available.
2. Amalfi Cucina + Mercato
Multiple Locations
Amalfi Cucina and Mercato is the Buckhead and Midtown restaurant for authentic, delicious Italian dishes. They use the best ingredients, directly imported from Italy, and make mouthwatering Neapolitan style pies, pastas and cocktails. Plus, check out their Mercato, where they sell hard to find, sourced Italian provisions including sauces, pastas, seasonings, wine and more.
3. Amore e Amore
This cozy, cute-as-a-button spot on Highland Avenue is all about great service and homey, fantastic Italian food. The ceilings covered with fun and colorful lanterns, and this place was even listed as a top meal from Atlanta Eats staff in 2021. It’s still one of our fav places to get a wonderful Italian meal.
4. Bellina Alimentari
Ponce City Market, 675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE UNIT 131, Atlanta, GA 30308
While a lot of Atlanta restaurants make a fine carbonara, Bellina Alimentari in Ponce City Market has got to have some of the best. It’s served with a heaping portion of bacon and made with bucatini, a thick and spaghetti-like pasta that has a hole running through the center, allowing for even more of the creamy sauce of a carbonara to seep in!
5. BoccaLupo
753 Edgewood Ave NE. Atlanta, GA 30307.
Head on over to Inman Park for this Italian gem. Their 20 yolk tagliatelle is an absolute show-stopper, with a variety of mushrooms that’ll satisfy your most savory cravings. The menu constantly changes, but you can expect offerings like ceviche, prosciutto, and squid ink pasta!
6. Crispina Ristorante
Multiple Locations
What a hidden gem! This restaurant is both family-friendly and surprisingly authentic, with wood-fired pizzas that come piping hot out of an 800 degree oven. Their cannolis and tiramisu are top-tier and their pastas are al dente perfection every time. Locations in Vinings and Kennesaw.
7. Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse
Phipps Plaza, 3500 Peachtree Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30326
A mall is no place for a steakhouse. Or so you might think. But that’s Buckhead for you and Davio’s is worthy of being the exception to the rule. Davio’s has the kind of timeless decor and ambiance you’d expect to find at a high-end steakhouse in any of America’s great dining cities. Dimmed lighting, but not too dim; friendly servers, but not overly-friendly. You’re not likely to be surprised by anything on the menu at Davio’s — it’s high quality pasta and surf and turf — but surprises aren’t why people dine at steakhouses. The food is good, consistent, and exactly what you’re hungry for when you step through the door. The risotto is truly excellent!
8. Double Zero
Find handmade pasta made fresh, on-site everyday over in Emory Village! Their name comes from the Double Zero, ultra-refined flour they use in their dishes, and wow, can you taste the difference. They also make Neapolitan pizza fresh in their ovens if someone in your group is in more of a ‘za mood, and the bar program is also fantastic.
9. FIGO Pasta
Multiple Locations
When you’re in need of a quick and affordable but savory bite, head to your nearest FIGO Pasta. With over 20 different types of pastas and raviolis, they’re sure to have something on the menu no matter whether you’re more in a fusilli, gnocchi, or tagliatelle kind of mood!
10. Forza Storico
1198 Howell Mill Rd #020, Atlanta, GA 30318
Forza Storico, from the team behind Storico Fresco, has easily become the most happening spot in West Midtown, in the same complex as Redbird. Their patio is a wonderful place to share a smooch with your loved one, with plenty of heaters to keep you both cozy in the fall and winter time. The energy somehow is simultaneously both lively and cozy, leading to a date that will earn you tons of brownie points. And did we also mention that the pasta is fantastic?
11. Il Giallo
5920 Roswell Road Suite B118 Sandy Springs, GA, 30328
This Sandy Springs spot continues to impress us visit after visit. Everything on the menu is flavorful and delicious, and their octopus appetizer is a total favorite. There are always excellent new specials to try, but our favorite stand-by is their cream-based gnocchi! Save room for their bread pudding!
12. Ippolito’s Neighborhood Italian
Multiple Locations
No frills, casual Italian spot Ippolito’s is famous for its garlic knots that will absolutely spoil your appetite before dinner. Diners are forced to have their Stromboli and their Chicken Parmigiana bagged before trying even one bite! So it might be a bit later, at home in your kitchen in the light of your open fridge, that you even try their ultra-comforting and cheesy chicken parmigiana or their cheese tortellini. But it’s great for when you’re in the cheesiest of moods!
13. La Grotta
2637 Peachtree Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30305
You’ll find La Grotta’s mouthwatering handmade pasta and Italian fare nestled on the bottom floor of a very unassuming building, but don’t be fooled. The pastas and wine here hit the spot every single time. The service is always impeccable which will be part of the reason you come back time and time again, but the tiramisu is to die for so you’ll want to come back for that as well!
14. No. 246
129 E Ponce de Leon Ave, Decatur, GA 30030
Is it just us or does Decatur have like, ALL the best food? Find this Chef Ford Fry spot in the heart of downtown Decatur. Their spicy vodka rigatoni and black spaghetti is a high-point on the menu. And the pizza is on point, too!
15. Pricci
500 Pharr Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30305
This Buckhead Italian spot is an upscale, white-tablecloth classic kind of place that’s been around for decades and is a phenomenal night out, guaranteed. While other trendy restaurants come and go, Pricci keeps serving up outstanding, quality Italian fare like their shrimp rigatoni, Linguini Fruitti di Mare, and tortelloni.
16. Sotto Sotto
313 North Highland Avenue Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30307
This cozy Inman Park spot is great for date night, and is also open late on weekday nights. The highlight of the menu has to be the Tortelli di Michelangela, a tortellini stuffed full of veal, chicken, AND pork!
17. Toscano
232 19th Street, NW Atlanta, GA 30363
Toscano is serving up Tuscan Italian fare and has made a delicious impact on Atlantic Station. Created by Linda Harrell and Gianni Betti, owners of Sandy Spring’s Cibo E Beve, Toscano translated literally means someone from Tuscany. As a Toscano himself, Betti’s mother’s recipes are all over the menu, including the tantalizing Tagliarini Bolognese. With a great selection of Tuscan wines, arancini, salads, freshly made pastas and more, you can get a taste of Italy right in your backyard!
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18. Bastone
887 Howell Mill Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30318
Date night? Go to Bastone. Happy hour? Go to Bastone. Birthday dinner? Go to Bastone! The mozzarella bar in West Midtown is the ultimate vibe and perfect for any occasion. Their dinner menu includes all kinds of wonderful appetizers, pastas and entrees. Start with the beef tartare and then go for the ricotta gnocchi or the paccheri. Your server will recommend the perfectly paired wine or cocktail to accompany your meal. And when, not if, you go for their aperitivo hour, you have to get a mozzarella and salumi board (which is half off everyday from 4-6!) They also offer $10 pastas during their aperitivo hour. It’s basically always happy hour at Bastone!
19. Gigi’s Italian Kitchen
1660 McLendon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307
This cozy little spot is tucked away in Candler Park and needs to be on your list for some dang good, homemade Italian cooking. The menu is ever changing but you can expect amazing and fresh flavors from their pastas and their world famous tiramisu. Beef carpaccio is pretty much a mainstay on the menu so be sure you order some to enjoy while waiting on your meal. You’ll want to keep up with them on Instagram for their hours and weekly menus. From the ambiance down to the checkered table cloths, Gigi’s got it figured out. They’ll be seeing’ ya!
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20. Yeppa & Co
306 Buckhead Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30305
All of Buckhead is showing up at Yeppa & Co, the newest Italian venture from the Storico team that’s taking over the old Biltong Bar space. Expect delicious focaccia sandwiches, flatbreads, and pastas as well as an extensive wine, beer, and cocktail list. Our menu favorites? The skewers appetizers and the pizzas!
Use our map below to find a pasta spot near you!
No frills, casual Italian spot Ippolito’s is famous for its garlic knots that will absolutely spoil your appetite before dinner. Diners are forced to have their Stromboli and their Chicken Parmigiana bagged before trying even one bite! So it might be a bit later, at home in your kitchen that you even try their ultra-comforting and cheesy chicken parmigiana or their cheese tortellini. But it’s great when you’re in the cheesiest of moods!
Is it just us or does Decatur like, ALL the best food? Find this Chef Ford Fry spot in downtown Decatur. Their squid ink spaghetti, served with Georgia white shrimp, is a high-point on the menu and they also have a brunch menu serving up classic comfort Italian fare like meatballs and frittatas alongside Southern favorites like chicken and biscuits!
This Sandy Springs spot continues to impress us visit after visit. Their octopus appetizer is a favorite. There are always excellent new specials to try, but our favorite stand-by is their cream-based gnocchi!
Find handmade pasta made fresh, on-site everyday over in Emory Village! Their name comes from the Double Zero ultra-refined flour they use in their dishes, and wow, can you taste the difference. They also make Neapolitan pizza fresh in their ovens if someone in your group is in more of a ‘za mood, and the bar program is also fantastic.
This cozy Inman Park spot is great for date night, and is also open late on weekday nights. The highlight of the menu has to be the Tortelli di Michelangela, a tortellini stuffed full of veal, chicken, pork!
When you’re in need of a quick and affordable but savory bite, head to your nearest FIGO. With over 20 different types of pastas and raviolis, they’re sure to have something on the menu no matter whether you’re more in a fusilli, gnocchi, or tagliatelle kind of mood!
Great for date night or girl’s night, a mano has us coming back and back again for their classic pasta dishes. Their carbonara always hits the spot, and their cacio e pepe has the right amount of creaminess and pepper to satisfy. The patio is cute-as-a-button, and you’re going to love the Italian skillet bread, drenched in olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. Gluten-free options are also available.
This West Midtown spot has a beautiful, modern interior, a constantly rotating seasonal menu, and delicious house-made pastas. Their house-made focaccia is especially tasty, and while this spot is on the pricier side, you can enjoy a three-course dinner on Sundays for a prix fixe of $35 or half-price pizzas from 5-7pm for their weekday happy hour!
Head on over to Inman Park for this Italian gem. Their 20 yolk tagliatelle is an absolute show-stopper, with a variety of mushrooms that’ll satisfy your most savory cravings. The menu constantly changes, but you can expect offerings like ceviche, prosciutto, and squid ink pasta!
This Buckhead Italian spot is a classic that’s been around for decades and is a phenomenal night out, guaranteed. While other trendy restaurants come and go, Pricci keeps serving up outstanding, quality Italian fare like their shrimp rigatoni, Linguini Fruitti di Mare, and tortelloni.
What a hidden gem! This restaurant is both family-friendly and surprisingly authentic, with wood-fired pizzas that come piping hot out of an 800 degree oven. Their cannolis and tiramisu are top-tier and their pastas are al dente perfection every time. Locations in Vinings and Kennesaw.
What a hidden gem! This restaurant is both family-friendly and surprisingly authentic, with wood-fired pizzas that come piping hot out of an 800 degree oven. Their cannolis and tiramisu are top-tier and their pastas are al dente perfection every time. Locations in Vinings and Kennesaw.
