Restaurant in Nettuno, Italy
Creative coastal cooking at a fair price.
La Taverna di Bacco holds two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024–2025) and delivers ambitious modern cooking steps from the Nettuno seafront at a mid-range €€ price point. Michelin specifically flags the wine list as worthy of note, making it the strongest combination of creative food and serious wine in the local area. Easy to book, genuinely worth returning to.
La Taverna di Bacco is worth booking if you want creative modern cooking at a mid-range price point in a coastal setting that punches well above its postcode. Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) confirm this is not a casual trattoria doing tourist-track pasta — it is an ambitious kitchen taking traditional Lazio ingredients and pushing them somewhere more interesting. For the price tier (€€), the cooking-to-cost ratio is strong. If you have been once and ordered safely, come back with more curiosity and let the wine list do more work for you.
Situated steps from the seafront at Largo Luigi Trafelli in Nettuno, La Taverna di Bacco reads visually as a chic, intimate room before you've looked at a menu. The decor is deliberate and considered — the kind of small restaurant where the fit-out signals that the kitchen is taking itself seriously. That visual promise carries through to the plate. Michelin's assessors have flagged the cuisine as combining traditional influences with an innovative approach, producing dishes described as ambitious, creative, and modern. That framing matters for your decision: if you arrive expecting direct Roman coastal cooking, you may be surprised. This kitchen is reaching.
The cuisine type is listed as Modern Cuisine, which in this context means a kitchen that uses regional and seasonal foundations but is not bound by them. Nettuno sits on the Tyrrhenian coast south of Rome, and coastal Lazio cooking has a strong identity , fish, local produce, simple preparations. La Taverna di Bacco takes that identity as a starting point, not a ceiling. The result is a menu that gives returning diners something to explore beyond the obvious choices. If you've already been and defaulted to the most recognisable dishes, the next visit is the one to take a risk on the more creative plates.
The wine list deserves specific attention, and Michelin has called it out explicitly as particularly worthy of note , which is not boilerplate praise in a Michelin assessment. For a €€ restaurant in a mid-sized coastal town, a wine program that earns that kind of recognition suggests genuine curation rather than a standard regional list padded with house pours. If the wine program drove your last visit, it should be the reason you return. If you didn't explore it last time, that is the clearest upgrade available to you on a second visit. Italian wine lists at this level often reward diners who are willing to ask for a recommendation rather than defaulting to the obvious appellations , and a kitchen with Michelin recognition tends to attract a sommelier or owner who has opinions worth hearing.
For context on how seriously this list might be taken: Italy's most celebrated wine-driven dining rooms, such as Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, operate at €€€€ and treat the cellar as the centrepiece. La Taverna di Bacco is not playing in that league by price, but the fact that its wine list earns a specific Michelin callout at the €€ level is meaningful. It suggests a program with genuine depth, not just adequate coverage.
The Google rating of 4.6 across 147 reviews supports the Michelin assessment without overstating it. That score, at that volume, points to consistent execution rather than a single exceptional evening. Consistency at a creative kitchen is harder to achieve than one brilliant service, and it's the more useful data point for repeat visitors.
Nettuno itself is not a destination dining city in the way that Modena or Alba commands a detour. It is a coastal town on the Lazio coast with a genuine local character, and La Taverna di Bacco sits within that context rather than above it. That is part of its appeal: the pricing reflects the local market, the room is intimate rather than theatrical, and the experience does not carry the ceremony overhead of a major-city fine dining room. For a second visit, that combination , ambitious cooking, serious wine, no dress-code formality overhead, mid-range pricing , is exactly what makes it worth coming back to rather than trading up to something more expensive elsewhere. You can explore and spend without the high-stakes pressure of a tasting menu at a three-star.
If you are planning around the broader area, our full Nettuno restaurants guide covers the wider field, and TerraMadre is worth knowing as a local alternative with a country cooking focus if you want contrast on a multi-day visit. For wine-specific exploration in the region, our Nettuno wineries guide has the relevant context. Accommodation options are covered in our Nettuno hotels guide, and if you want to round out the trip, our Nettuno bars guide and experiences guide are useful starting points.
Booking difficulty at La Taverna di Bacco is rated Easy. As a small, intimate room in a coastal town rather than a high-profile city destination, you are unlikely to face the weeks-out scramble that applies to larger Michelin-recognised restaurants in Rome or Milan. That said, small seat counts mean a single large group can fill the room, so booking ahead for weekends and summer evenings is sensible. No phone or website is listed in our current data , check Google or local booking platforms for current contact details.
Quick reference: €€ pricing, Michelin Plate (2024–2025), 4.6 Google rating, easy to book, Nettuno coastal setting.
Based on available data, the kitchen operates at an ambitious creative level that justifies structured tasting formats if they are offered. At the €€ price tier with two Michelin Plates, a tasting menu here would represent strong value compared to equivalent creative menus at €€€€ restaurants like Reale in Castel di Sangro or Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone. Confirm current menu format when booking, as specific menu details are not available in our current data.
TerraMadre is the clearest local alternative, with a country cooking focus that sits at a different register to La Taverna di Bacco's modern approach. If you are willing to travel for comparison, Uliassi in Senigallia operates at a higher price tier but is one of Italy's most serious coastal fine dining rooms. Within Nettuno specifically, the dining field is limited , see our full Nettuno restaurants guide for current options.
An intimate room in a coastal town at the €€ price point is generally well-suited to solo diners , you are not paying the ceremony tax of a formal multi-course tasting room, and the relaxed Nettuno setting means solo guests are not conspicuous. The wine list, flagged by Michelin as particularly worthy of note, is an asset for solo diners who want to explore a glass or two alongside creative cooking without committing to a bottle. Seat count is not published, so it is worth calling ahead to confirm counter or bar seating availability if that format matters to you.
No formal dress code is listed. At the €€ price tier in a coastal Italian town, smart casual is the practical standard , you won't need a jacket, but visibly beachwear-casual would be out of step with the chic decor Michelin describes. Think the kind of outfit you'd wear to a good neighbourhood restaurant in Rome rather than anything more formal.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which means you are not looking at the weeks-in-advance scramble that applies to higher-profile Michelin restaurants. That said, it is a small room in a seasonal coastal town, so weekend evenings and peak summer dates fill faster than midweek. A few days ahead is likely sufficient for most visits; same-week booking for a Thursday lunch is probably fine. Weekend dinners in July and August warrant booking further out. Contact details are not currently listed in our data , use Google or local booking platforms to confirm.
At the €€ price tier with two consecutive Michelin Plates and a wine list that earned specific Michelin recognition, yes , the value proposition is strong. You are getting creative modern cooking and a curated wine program at a price point well below what equivalent ambition costs in Rome or at Italy's headline fine dining restaurants like Osteria Francescana in Modena. The 4.6 Google score across 147 reviews confirms that the kitchen delivers consistently, not just on headline occasions.
Yes, with the right expectations set. The intimate room and chic decor create a occasion-appropriate atmosphere, and the creative cooking and serious wine list give the meal substance. It is not a high-ceremony fine dining experience with the full production of a major-city destination restaurant , think more relaxed than theatrical. For a birthday dinner, anniversary, or celebratory meal where the priority is great food and wine over formal service ritual, it fits well. If you want the full ceremony of a white-tablecloth production, Dal Pescatore in Runate or Le Calandre in Rubano operate at a different register.
Specific dishes are not available in our current data, so we cannot point to signature plates. What the Michelin record does tell you: the kitchen's strength is in its creative modern dishes that combine traditional influences with an innovative approach. On a return visit, that means the dishes you haven't tried yet are likely more interesting than the ones you defaulted to the first time. Ask about the wine list pairing options , Michelin's specific callout of the wine program suggests the team has views on what works together, and following that lead is likely the highest-value move on a second visit.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Taverna di Bacco | A small restaurant just a stone’s throw from the sea which is memorable for its chic decor and intimate ambience. The cuisine combines traditional influences with an innovative approach resulting in ambitious, creative and modern dishes. The wine list is particularly worthy of note.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | €€ | — |
| Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Dal Pescatore | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Osteria Francescana | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Quattro Passi | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Reale | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
Comparing your options in Nettuno for this tier.
If creative, modern cooking is what you're after, yes. The Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) signals consistent kitchen ambition, and the €€ price range means you're getting an innovative, ambitious menu without the financial commitment of a full Michelin-starred experience. If you prefer straightforward traditional Italian, this kitchen's modern approach may not be the right fit.
La Taverna di Bacco is the only Michelin Plate-recognised venue in Nettuno, so for comparable creative cooking in the area you'd need to look further afield in Lazio. If you want to stay coastal and keep the €€ price point, the local seafront trattorias in Nettuno offer traditional rather than modern dishes — a different proposition entirely.
The intimate, small-room format described by Michelin works reasonably well for solo diners — compact rooms tend to feel less awkward alone than large, cavernous spaces. The chic décor and wine list (noted as particularly worthy by Michelin) give you plenty to focus on at the counter or a small table. It's a comfortable solo option at the €€ price point.
Michelin describes the décor as chic and the ambience as intimate, which points toward neat, put-together dress rather than anything formal. A coastal Italian town like Nettuno doesn't demand a jacket, but overly casual beachwear would be out of place. Think polished casual: a linen shirt or simple dress suits the room well.
As a small, intimate room in a coastal town with Michelin Plate recognition, demand peaks in summer when Nettuno draws beach visitors. Book at least one to two weeks ahead in high season (June to August) and you'll likely be fine; shoulder season bookings can often be secured a few days out. Don't leave it to the day if you have a fixed evening in mind.
At €€, this is one of the stronger value cases for Michelin-recognised modern cooking anywhere on the Lazio coast. Two consecutive Michelin Plate awards (2024, 2025) confirm the kitchen is operating at a level well above its price bracket. For creative, ambitious dishes in a setting steps from the sea, the price-to-quality ratio is hard to argue with.
Yes, particularly for a quieter, intimate celebration rather than a large group dinner. The small room and chic décor suit a birthday or anniversary for two or a small group. The wine list — specifically highlighted by Michelin — means you can mark the occasion properly without having to settle for a thin by-the-glass selection.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
