This is a separate post about the Siena Food Scene, because there were too many great restaurants to write about in the main Siena post. I’ve been to Siena three times for work, and hopefully will go back again each year in the future. Each time, the University of Siena has fed us very well for lunch and dinner! I especially enjoy trying the regional foods and wines. Only once did I have food other than Italian. I’ve divided the post into four sections: Snacks, Restaurants, Desserts and Beverages.
Snacks
First, there are many places to have snacks. However, I have not tried very many of them because I usually had big lunches and dinners, so I was not very hungry in between. I consider pizza a snack so am listing pizzerias here, even though sometime I had pizza as a meal. Often, the pizza is served in rectangular pieces rather than a triangular slice. There are many toppings to choose from including plain cheese, sausage, pepperoni, eggplant, rocket, ham, spinach and more.
Pizzeria Poppi has a number of locations, and I tried the Ivano branch because it was on the way home. Thin crust with delicious toppings. La Trofea Pizzeria is nearby and also very tasty.
For a more sit-down pizza experience, I recommend I Gabellieri Pizzeria, which is just outside of the old town walls. And another fun and reasonable pizza restaurant is Ristorante Pizzeria Tia Loca. They’re able to accommodate large groups, and we went there with all of the students in our course.
Caffe A. Nannini is located in the Piazza del Campo. It has a great location but a bit touristy, so I recommend it for drinks and snacks, rather than a meal.
Finally, the Siena Agricultural Consortium is an excellent place to stop for snacks and also to buy local ingredients. The charcuterie, cheese, focaccia and other foods are great to eat on the go. Additionally, they have fresh and dried pastas, mushrooms, sauces, wines, cheeses and more that you can take home.
Gelato and pastries are described below as Desserts.
Restaurants
Most of the restaurants I can recommend have Italian food, as that is the best cuisine in the area! There are local specialties such as pici (pasta), Bistecca alla Fiorentina, and cinta sinese (pork).
By far, the restaurant I have eaten at the most is a lovely, cosy place called Osteria Da Gano. It is close to the University of Siena, and all of our lunches were there. I’ve tried quite a few dishes and my favourite is the simple pici cacio e pepe. However, they have variations of the pici, tagliatelle, steak, fish, and much more. Service is very friendly and quick! I also think it is not on the main tourist path so it is less hectic than closer to the Piazza del Campo.
Il Biondo is a quaint, cosy restaurant with a private dining area for larger groups. The food is always excellent and the service friendly. They have a great selection of fresh fish, steaks, and excellent pastas. Desserts are also beautifully presented and hard to resist, even if you have no room left. Finally, they have a great wine selection and you can have a look at all of the bottles around the restaurant.
Another fine dining experience in Siena is Compagnia dei Vinattieri. It has great food and wine, and the atmosphere is elegant and cosy. Don’t forget to ask for a visit to the wine cellar.
Enoteca I Terzi is one of my favourite restaurants for the food and atmosphere. Surrounded by wine in a cave-like room, dinner is quite an experience. Make sure to check out the daily specials, as those are usually slightly different Italian dishes to the normal menus around town.
Ristorante Pier Pettinaio, Ristorante San Desiderio and La Taverna di San Giuseppe are three other recommendations in the centre of Siena.
Osteria del Gusto and Osteria Le Logge are casual restaurants with great food in the centre of Siena. Although, osterias were traditionally wine bars serving casual food, the current Osterias have a good variety of dishes to choose from.
Il Pomodorino is a casual restaurant that I recommend for pizza. It’s located on a quieter street near the centre so has a relaxed atmosphere.
Finally, the only non-Italian restaurant I have tried in Siena was Ravioli Wang. As the name suggests, it is Chinese food. After a week, I had a craving for something different so had wontons, chicken and rice. It’s located just north of the old town area.
Desserts
Pastries and gelato in Siena are wonderful! I say this about most places in Italy though. The typical local cookies are ricciarelli, which are like chewy almond macarons. Delicious! The best place to get ricciarelli is Pasticceria Peccati di Gola just outside the Porta Romana. Another typical dessert, though less to my taste is panforte. It’s a fruit and nut cake that can last a very long time unopened.
Pasticceria Buti Siena and Pasticceria Nannini Conca D’Oro also both have a great selection of pastries. Another typical pastry is the
All of the gelaterias I have tried were tasty and I would recommend them. Usually, I order pistachio as one of the flavours, as that is my comparison between places. In 2023, my favourite was Gelateria La Mandorla. Others include Masgalano Gelateria, La Vecchia Latteria and Gelateria Il Bacio.
Beverages
Of course, like in any city you can find coffee, soft drinks, cocktails and more. The local specialties include Franciacorta, Vinsanto and regional wines, so I will focus on those.
Franciacorta is a sparkling white wine, similar to Prosecco. In fact, I prefer it to Prosecco as it tends to be less sweet, and a bit dryer. Unfortunately, it is not very common in the UK, so there are not many choices. Next time I have to remember to bring some back!
For red wines, these are named after the local areas such as Chianti, Montepulciano, and Montalcino. The most common grape is Sangiovese and the local wines either have 100% or a blend of Sangiovese.
There are also tasty white wines such as Vernaccia and Moscatello, not named after a specific area.
Vinsanto is a sweet wine that is often served with dessert or with cantuccini (hard biscuits).
Finally, Ilginus from Montalcino is a London dry gin that comes in a beautiful bottle. I first tried this in 2023, and liked the subtle botanical flavours including fennel.
