Where to eat and drink in Siena

We’ve visited Siena twice (so far!) in November and May and we’ll definitely be back so no doubt this post will be updated from time to time. My husband is Italian, from Bologna, so these restaurants all have his stamp of approval. Here’s where we recommend you eat and drink in Siena – a stunning city full of history, charm, the famous Palio and … great food and wine.

Where to drink in Siena

Siena has lots of places to have a drink or aperitivo – which is such an Italian tradition. If you get there early enough, you could probably bag a front row seat at a bar or restaurant in Piazza del Campo to have a drink and watch the sun go down. Unfortunately we never timed it right for the front row so didn’t have a drink here. But just look at the view of Palazzo Pubblico … absolutely stunning.

I’m not a fan of eating at a restaurant right by a very touristy area but a drink would be fine!

Here’s where I recommend going for a drink in Siena before dinner.

Bar Osteria Il Bargello

Il Bargello is a bar as well as a restaurant. They actually also have a wine shop around the corner and if you buy a drink or eat here, you get a discount at the wine shop. It’s located just steps away from Piazza del Campo although inside there’s no view of it.

They do have some outside tables which are in the little street leading to Piazza del Campo so if you sat there you would have a partial view. It’s lovely inside though so we didn’t mind sitting inside. The first time we went it was around 4pm and we’d not really had lunch so we ordered some bruschetta with a glass of wine. They aren’t the sort of bar to give you olives or crisps or anything but if you do go at night for a drink you get some crostini. We had chicken liver, which I didn’t mind but my husband wasn’t a fan of.

If you’re a wine lover, you’ll love Il Bargello as they have a fantastic collection at good prices. If I remember correctly, we paid about €7 or €8 for a glass of Tuscan sparkling wine.

Bonucci Boulangerie La Lizza

We actually just stumbled across Bonucci one night as we were walking around and thought it looked really cute. It’s located near La Lizza park and the NH Hotel so not really right in the centre but only about a 10 minute walk from Piazza del Campo. It’s also a restaurant but we’ve only ever had drinks here – three times!

It’s got lovely lighting and a great ambiance. You also get some snacks like peanuts, crisps and olives with your drink as well as some crostini or focaccia with different toppings. On some nights they even have live music. It’s pretty well priced too – we paid around €20/25 for 4 glasses of sparkling wine with snacks.

Birra Bader

If you’re a beer lover, you’ll love Birra Bader.

In 1886 Guglielmo Bader arrived in Siena from Germany and brought with him the ‘German method’ of beer – which is low fermentation. He opened a brewery which no longer exists but Birra Bader is carrying on the tradition by taking inspiration from his story and creating craft beer in a German method.

Now I’m not a beer drinker so I stuck to wine! But I love the story and the history – and the fact that the decor is retro and quite quirky.

Where to eat in Siena

Siena has loads of restaurants to suit every budget so you’ll be spoiled for choice. Here’s the restaurants we loved and recommend.

Salefino

We absolutely adored our meal at Salefino and we would definitely book again next time we’re in Siena. A bonus was that it was about a two minute walk from where we were staying. The decor is lovely and the lighting (for us) was perfect.

They don’t take bookings online – you need to call or email them. And I’d highly recommend you book because it was full when we went! And I can see why… the food is fantastic.

Obviously Siena is not near the sea but we opted for the tuna tartare as one of our starters and it was absolutely delicious. I loved the mango and avocado with it – very fresh. The presentation was gorgeous too. We also had fried zucchini flowers that were stuffed with mozzarella and anchovy. Very yummy!

I chose the guinea fowl with mashed potato as my main and my husband had the pork cheeks. Again, absolutely delicious. And how we fitted it all in I don’t know as we’d also had a pasta course! And then we shared a dessert… we rolled out the restaurant with full, happy bellies.

If you’re only in Siena for one or two nights, absolutely book a table at Salefino – you will not be disappointed. They also have a wine bar around the corner – which we didn’t go to but if it’s anything like the restaurant, I’m sure it’s great.

Antica Osteria da Divo

A bit of a funny story… we had tried to book Antica Osteria da Divo but they didn’t have availability on the night we needed. On our first night in Siena we headed to the restaurant we had booked only to find it completely closed! They were closed for three nights but hadn’t bothered to let us know.

I had remembered the name of this restaurant, which was nearby, so off we went in the hopes they had a table. Clearly our luck was in as they’d had a ‘no show’ and could seat us. And WOW. This has to be one of the most beautiful restaurants as it’s almost cave-like. It’s set on about three different levels and we were on the bottom level. It was pretty romantic. If you’re planning to propose at dinner, you might want to consider doing it here!

Usually when a restaurant looks this pretty you think the food won’t match up but actually the food was fantastic! The pasta is made in-house and the Bolognese ragu was so good. And as my husband is from Bologna, he is the biggest critic of a Bolognese ragu!

We had such a fabulous meal at Antica Osteria da Divo and I’m so glad we got a table. The food was wonderful and the service was great – not to mention the stunning setting. I highly recommend booking though! You might not be as lucky as we were…

Ristorante Pier Pettinaio

If you’re looking for an old-school Italian, then Ristorante Pier Pettinaio should be on your list! Think loads of old photographs on the walls, bright lighting and white tablecloths. It’s a family-run restaurant that opened in 1931 so it’s an institution in Siena.

Normally we’re not fans of restaurants with bright lighting as we much prefer more intimate lighting but sometimes when a restaurant is so historic, you have to make an exception! And it did not disappoint.

The starter of asparagus flan with Gorgonzola cream and walnuts was absolutely delicious and just what was needed on a cold November night. I loved the dish it was served on too – very modern.

They make all their pasta in-house. I ordered the tortelli, filled with guinea fowl and truffle, and pecorino cream. It was fabulous! My husband had the hand-rolled pici with ragu and he really enjoyed it.

We both shared a steak with grilled potatoes after our pasta and it was cooked perfectly for us – medium rare. They have Fiorentina on the menu but we wanted something smaller.

We had a wonderful meal at Ristorante Pier Pettinaio. The food was really good and the service was excellent – attentive, friendly and professional.

Enoteca i Terzi

We didn’t have a reservation at Enoteca i Terzi but luckily they had a table available. Located about 100 meters from Piazza del Campo, the restaurant is located inside old brick vaults and around a 12th century tower. They have outside tables too in the summer but as it was May and not that warm, they hadn’t set them up when we went.

I’ll be very honest, when they served the bread I had reservations as some of the bread wasn’t that fresh. Which is practically sacrilegious in Italy! Thankfully all the food was actually really good. They change the menu every two weeks, serving seasonal dishes. They are also a wine shop so of course they have an excellent wine selection.

We both had the pici with ragu as our pasta course and it was fantastic. You could tell the pici was handmade too as they weren’t consistent in size. The ragu was rich and full of flavour.

For my main I opted for the cotelette, which I rarely have, and I’m so glad I ordered it as who doesn’t love a massive piece of deep fried meat? My husband had the sirloin with roasted potatoes, which was perfectly cooked.

Mugolone

If you’re looking for a restaurant that’s more refined and not typically ‘Italian’ then book a table at Mugolone. The restaurant is historic, with a 70 year history of culinary art. It was run by the Mariotti family but is now under new management – however they have respected the history and tradition and have kept some of the key items that were always on the menu, such as pigeon, liver, rabbit and brain (yes, really. It was on the menu when we went).

The restaurant has three different rooms. We have had dinner here twice – when we visited in November and in May. The first time we were seated in the first, and main, room. The second time we were in the third room. I much preferred the main room and would recommend requesting to sit there if you book. During the summer they also have some tables outside.

I must say that we preferred the food the first time we ate here. That’s not because the second time the food wasn’t good – it really was – it was just the actual dishes themselves.

Mugolone is the type of restaurant where you get little morsels from the chef before your starter – which is always welcome! I loved the quirky way that they were served.

If I remember correctly, the head chef is Japanese so whilst there is a nod to Italian food and tradition, some of the dishes are more adventurous. On our first visit we had empanadas as a starter!

On our second visit we ordered the tuna starter which we thought would be a tartare but were totally surprised when it arrived as it was more like sushi. It was very yummy (although I enjoyed it more than my husband did) and it looked like a piece of art.

Of course there are some more typical Italian dishes on the menu, like this Parpadelle with a chunky ragu – which was so yummy!

The desserts were also as pretty as a picture – how beautiful is this walnut cake? It was so moist too. Definitely not a dry sponge in sight!

If you’re looking for an elegant dining experience with some unusual dishes, in a beautiful setting with professional service – book a table at Mugolone!

So those are my recommendations for where to eat and drink in Siena. Let me know if you book any of them!

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