12 Best Trento Restaurants, Cafes And Bars

Though we’ve been to Italy many times, we somehow never thought to visit Trento until a speaking engagement made the decision for us. Within minutes of our arrival, we were scratching our heads as to why we had had never previously visited the picture postcard city.

Trento got under our skin.

Perhaps we were unfamiliar with Trento since it doesn’t have a dedicated airport. Perhaps we were distracted by our obsession with pasta in Bologna and pizza in Naples.

Regardless of the reason, we quickly fell for the delightful Italian city at the foot of the Dolomite Alps. This may have been our first visit to Trento, but it surely won’t be our last.

Located on the Adige River, the same waterway that flows through Verona, Trento is the capital of Trentino in northern Italy. And, just a short drive from both Lake Garda and the Dolomites, the location couldn’t get much better.

In many ways, Trento, filled with fairytale architecture and beer gardens, looks and feels like it’s in Austria instead of Italy. In fact, the city was part of the Austrian empire until the early 20th century. But Trento is definitely in Italy now, albeit in a unique part of the boot where pizza and bratwurst peacefully coexist.

Getting to Trento by train is easy – it’s just an hour from Verona and less than three hours from Milan. The city’s rail station is adjacent to the center of town, only a 7-minute walk from lively Piazza Duomo.

Many people start their Trentino travels in Trento before moving on to scenic destinations like previously mentioned Lake Garda and the Dolomites. Some hop off the train from Verona or Milan and immediately transfer to their final destination.

In our opinion, Trento is a destination in its own right that deserves a couple days of exploration. This city has it all from castles to cathedrals as well as glorious mountain views that made our hearts skip a beat for their pure beauty and majestic presence.

You won’t be the first to visit Trento. The Catholic elite convened here in the 16th century for the famous Council of Trent. But you’ll find your own hidden treasures if you take the time to wander along Trento’s cobblestone streets and relax in its Piazza Duomo.

Be sure to sample Trento’s unique food culture with elements from both Italy and Austria. You’ll do a double-take when you walk into one of Trento’s German-style beer halls but that won’t stop you from enjoying a pint or two before your pasta dinner in one the most unique Italian food cities.

Trento has a large number of restaurants considering its relatively small population of just over 100,000 people. Many of these restaurants serve simple, hearty Italian and Austrian food favorites for tourists who want to eat a meal or two as they breeze through town.

But where are the best places to eat in Trento? Read on – we’ve got you covered with solid dining options.

We tried a sampling of the best restaurants in Trento during our visit, making sure to order as much local food as possible. However, since we were in Italy, pizza had to happen at least once. Disclosure – we ate pizza three separate times in Trento.

But we didn’t just eat pizza in Trento. We also sampled local favorites like canederli (dumplings), carne salada (salted meat) and risotto.

The following Trento restaurants were our favorites:

The concept of eating Austrian food in Italy seems counterintuitive except in Trento. But that’s what you’ll eat (with a slight Italian twist) at Forsterbräu, a local restaurant that’s been brewing beer and serving food since 1906.

Sure, Forsterbräu’s menu features pasta and risotto, but those dishes are available everywhere in Trento. This is a restaurant where eating dishes like schnitzel, bratwurst and canederli is the thing to do.

Forsterbräu serves all manner of canederli, a Northern Italian variation of knödel, Austria’s ubiquitous bread dumplings. The historic restaurant even offers spinach canederli for vegetarian diners. Since we’re the opposite of vegetarian, we shared a plate of canederli made with sausage, cheese and speck, the region’s famous cured and smoked variation of prosciutto.

Swimming in a pool of melted butter and sage, these dumplings were the ultimate comfort food – more appropriate after an energetic day in the mountains than during a relaxing day at the beach. As an option, Forsterbräu also serves their dumplings in Italian meat broth or brodo, a traditional preparation in the Trentino region.

At first glance, Forsterbräu looks touristic. Once you order a fresh beer, chew into a bready canederli and bite into a salty bretzel, you won’t care.

Pro Tip
Buy a jar of mustard to enjoy later. It’s the real deal.

Forsterbräu is located at Via Paolo Oss-Mazzurana, 38, 38122 Trento TN, Italy.

First up during our meal was Tortel de Patate (potato pancakes) with Carne Salada (raw cured beef). A typical combination in Trentino, this dish pairs salty beef with crispy, fried potatoes.

As kids, we topped Potato Latkes with applesauce and sour cream. With mineral beefy flavors that contrast well with starchy, crunchy potatoes, this sophisticated pairing is more for grownups.

Continuing our exploration of local Trento cuisine, we moved on to risotto made with local apples and creamy Casolét cheese. Adding apples to risotto is common in Trento since nearby Val di Non produces some of the best apples in all of Europe.

Lush Casolét cheese, from the mountainous Peio Valley, is also local to Trentino. Mixing sweet fruit and local cheeses into risotto is obviously a thing in the Trentino region. It’s almost like combining pears and brie in a sandwich or adding raisins to a tagine.

Pro Tip
Buy an edible souvenir at La Dispensa, the restaurant’s on-site gourmet shop. Options include wine, olive oil, cheese and pasta.

Locanda Le Due Travi Trento is located at Via del Suffragio, 20, Via Torre Verde, 66, 38122 Trento TN, Italy.

Curious to sample the restaurant’s pizza, we returned for a second lunch. This Trentino restaurant uses local products like Luganega salami and locally cured and smoked speck in pizzas like the Trentina pizza pictured above.

However, the Gran Strudel with tomato, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, raw cured ham and Trentingrana cheese may be the most interesting ‘pizza’ on the menu. More similar to stromboli than pizza, this doughy dish was a meal on a plate.

Pro Tip
Eat at Pizzeria Ristorante Duomo if you’re looking for a meal that’s both quick and enjoyable.

Pizzeria Ristorante Duomo is located at Via Giuseppe Verdi, 77, 38122 Trento TN, Italy.

We joined friends for a late lunch (or was it an early dinner?) at Antico Pozzo, a restaurant conveniently located on a secluded alley right near our hotel. The restaurant’s name literally translates to ancient well in tribute to the building’s centuries-old well.

As it turns out, this Trento restaurant is an ideal spot for a group of friends to enjoy the better things in life, i.e. pizza, pasta, wine and beer. Antico Pozzo’s menu has additional local food like carne salada and polenta for those looking for a multi-course dining experience.

Follow our polenta recipe and cook the creamy dish at home.

We stuck to pizza and pasta during our meal. Both were generously sized and big enough to share. We especially liked the soft cooked egg atop the Antico Pozzo pizza and the pappardelle with a rustic, homestyle ‘ragu’ featuring large chunks of carrot and sausage that tasted like it was made by an Italstrian grandma.

Overall, we found Antico Pozzo well-equipped for large groups thanks to its grand space and varied menu. Why not give it a try?

Pro Tip
Satisfy your late-night cravings at Antico Pozzo. This Trento restaurant stays open until midnight.

Ristorante e Pizza Antico Pozzo is located at Vicolo della Sat, 6, 38100 Trento TN, Italy.

Open since 1990 in the center of Trento, Ristorante Patelli is a great spot to try Trento food favorites like spaetzle, canederli, pasta and risotto.

Our plate of Risotto al Tereoldego reminded us of the many plates of Risotto all’ Amarone we ate in Verona, but this local version incorporated Trentino’s signature DOC red wine, Grana Trentino cheese and Trentino Garda olive oil. Less intensely flavored than its Verona cousin, this dish nicely melds Trentino’s local ingredients into one tasty dish.

Pro Tip
Dine al fresco if the weather is pleasant.

Ristorante Patelli is located at Via Dietro le Mura B, A, 9, 38122 Trento TN, Italy.

Green Tower stands out in our minds as our introduction to the Trento restaurant scene and local Trentino cuisine. We literally met friends for lunch at the popular spot just hours after dropping off our luggage at our hotel.

Though we enjoyed our pizza, the standout dish was risotto with Vialone Nano rice, pears, Roquefort cheese and crispy speck. Far from our last pizza or risotto in Trento, these dishes provided a gateway to this new-to-us part of Italy.

Pro Tip
Wash your meal down with Trento DOC wine. Green Tower has an extensive wine menu featuring various local varietals as well as quaffable bottles from other parts of Italy.

Green Tower Ristorante Pizzeria is located at Via Torre Verde, 29, 38122 Trento TN, Italy.

Eating so much pasta and pizza presents a challenge – leaving room for dessert. Though we often failed at this challenge in Trento due to full bellies and expanding waistlines, we made sure to sample various local sweet treats.

This is an Italian city where apple strudel and Sacher tortes are as easy to find as gelato and other traditional Italian desserts. Based on our tireless research, these are our favorite Trento cafes:

Trento’s Gelateria Cherry serves an incredibly creamy product that compares favorably to the best gelato we’ve eaten in Italy. To be sure, we taste-tested several flavors including Amarena, Pistachio and Stracciatella.

We shared a cone stacked high with scoops of Cherry Fondant (Cherry’s sensational version of dark chocolate) and Monalisa gelato during our first visit.

Dark and rich, the fondant scoop was one of the best chocolate gelatos we’ve ever licked into oblivion. Just as tasty, the Monalisa scoop blended yogurt with marzipan and orange to create a luxurious flavor sensation rivaling the best gelatos in Bologna, Naples, Rome, Venice and Verona.

Despite the gelateria’s numerous options, we ordered the same flavors during our second visit, a decision for which we have no regrets. Why mess with success when it comes to gelato?!

Pro Tip
Don’t feel left out if you have dietary restrictions Gelateria Cherry has lactose-free, gluten-free, sugar-free and vegan flavors.

Gelateria Cherry is located at Via Paolo Oss-Mazzurana, 41, 38100 Trento TN, Italy. Their original location is in Revoreto.

Making Trento sweeter since the 1960’s, Casa del Cioccolato is more than your typical Italian pasticceria. This Trento chocolate shop serves a wide selection of Austrian and Italian delicacies, with many Sicilian favorites in the mix.

We were initially perplexed by the shop’s display of cassatas and cannolis despite the vast distance between Trento and Sicily. Seriously, they’re at opposite ends of the boot. However, we later learned that Casa del Cioccolato’s owner hails from Sicily.

Pro Tip
Stop by for a pastry and coffee when you’re touring Trento. The sugar and caffeine will give you a necessary energy boost so you can see all the sites.

Casa del Cioccolato is located at Via Rodolfo Belenzani, 21, 38122 Trento TN, Italy.

Specialty coffee is our blessing and our curse. We love the stuff so much that we often have difficulty enjoying mainstream coffee shops. This is especially a problem in Italy where third wave coffee is still a bit of a unicorn concept.

In dire need of a good cup of coffee after a week drinking over-roasted coffee in Verona, we were guardedly optimistic to give Panificio Moderno a try. Our advance reconnaissance indicated that the modern bakery serves specialty coffee in addition to freshly baked breads, pizzas and pastries. But we’ve been disappointed before.

We’re pleased to report that Panificio Moderno exceeded our expectations. Not only does the cafe serve excellent specialty coffee, but it also has free Wi-Fi and comfortable seating. Needless to say, this cafe quickly became our happy place in Trento.

Pro Tip
Not a coffee fan? You can drink wine or beer at Panificio Moderno instead.

Panificio Moderno is located at Piazza Lodron, 21, 38122 Trento TN, Italy.

Trentodoc is serious.

We’ve imbibed great sparklers in Spain, France and even Southern England. With subtle, mouth-tingling bubbles, a funky nose that almost reminded us of reblochon cheese and a subtle, dry finish, this Northern Italian appellation rivals those other sparklers is not to be missed in Trento.

Using the same classic method as Champagne, Trentino wineries like Altemasi, Ferrari, Maso Miri and Rotari produce Trentodoc with just four grapes – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier and Pinot Blanc. In fact, DOC regulations stipulate the use of these grapes only.

Why is Trentodoc so good? It probably has something to do with the area’s mountain terrain and a climate that’s not so different from France’s Champagne. Regardless of the reason, Trentodoc is our wine of choice in Trento.

Pro Tip
Order Maso Miri’s Trentodoc if you see it on a Trento menu. We couldn’t get enough of the bubbly elixir.

Trentodoc is located at all wine bars in Trento.

While Trentodoc is arguably the best wine to drink in Trento, Rethia holds a similar status in regards to craft beer. Just a 15-minute drive from the city center, this craft brewery has been producing quality ales since 2014.

Head brewer Luciano Faes guided us around the Italian craft beer facility before leading us through a tasting. Under his tutelage, we tried six beers – Magnolia, Lisep, Mariamata, Jet Lag, Guna and Wild Side.

All were excellent but the Wild Side brew stood out for its unique flavor profile and 7% ABV. Considering Faes’ background as a winemaker and sommelier, this sour beer made with locally grown Sauvignon grapes makes perfect sense.

Pro Tip
Contact Rethia in advance to schedule a brewery visit. You can taste beer and buy bottles after you finish your tour.

Birrificio Rethia is located at Via ai Fossadi, 21, 38096 Vallelaghi TN, Italy.

Antica Birreria Pedavena is the kind of beer hall we’d expect to find in Germany. Despite the geographical surprise, this Trento pub brews its own beers and serves them in a cavernous space filled with large tables of festive drinkers.

Dating back to 1921, the ‘antique’ brewery offers a range of local food specialties as well as dozens of pizza options. Beer, comfort food and pizza – what else do you need at a brewpub?

Pro Tip
Try a seasonal beer if you want something other than standard brews like lager and weizen.

Antica Birreria Pedavena is located at Piazza di Fiera, 13, 38122 Trento TN, Italy.

We enjoyed our stay at the Grand Hotel Trento. Not only does this hotel have a prime location across from Piazza Dante, but it’s also accessible to the city’s train station and the best Trento sites.

Hotel services include 24/7 desk reception, free Wi-Fi and daily breakfast. We especially enjoyed the hotel’s morning buffet with items like local meat, cheese and pastries.

Check out our guide to eating in Italy as well as our picks for the best Italian foods and the best Italian desserts before your trip so that you don’t miss a delicious bite.

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