Restaurant in San Bonifacio, Italy
Serious pizza, small town, strong case for booking.
I Tigli is Simone Padoan's Michelin-recognised pizzeria in San Bonifacio, ranked #28 on OAD Casual Europe 2025. At a €€ price point, it delivers fine-dining sourcing and natural-leavening technique that few Italian pizzerias match at this tier. Book in advance and verify hours before travelling — this is the defining reason to stop in San Bonifacio.
Yes — but plan ahead, because the hours listed for I Tigli reflect a venue that operates on its own schedule, and confirmed opening times should be verified directly before you travel. Simone Padoan's pizzeria in San Bonifacio has been ranked in the top 30 of the Opinionated About Dining Casual Europe list for three consecutive years (#42 in 2023, #27 in 2024, #28 in 2025) and holds a Michelin Plate (2025), making it one of the most credentialed pizzerias in northern Italy. At a €€ price point, this is one of the clearest value propositions in the Veneto region: serious craft, accessible pricing, and a specific reason to make the trip to San Bonifacio.
San Bonifacio is a market town in the Verona province, not a destination dining hub. That is precisely the point. I Tigli has made this address significant on its own terms, drawing visitors who might otherwise head straight to Verona for a high-end meal. For anyone building a San Bonifacio restaurant itinerary, this is the anchor booking — the reason to stop here rather than pass through.
Padoan's approach to pizza is leading understood through its ingredients rather than its style. He works with a mix of wholemeal and semi-wholemeal flours, uses natural leavening with serious attention to fermentation timing, and varies hydration levels to produce doughs with different textures and crispness profiles. The result is a crust that reads as both structured and light , a technically demanding combination that most pizzerias do not attempt. Toppings draw from fish, meat, and vegetables with the sourcing rigour you would associate with a tasting-menu restaurant, not a neighbourhood pizza counter. The classics, including a Margherita, are on the menu and are worth ordering as a baseline , they show you the dough without distraction.
Desserts here are not an afterthought. Multiple independent assessments of the restaurant flag the dessert selection as a genuine strength, which is unusual for a pizzeria at any price tier. If you are visiting for the first time, stay for the full meal.
I Tigli is not a casual drop-in option. Given its ranking position and the fact that it operates in a small town with limited competition for this type of dining, booking in advance is the right approach even if the door policy appears relaxed on the night. Arrive with a reservation confirmed. The restaurant holds a Google rating of 4.5 across 1,750 reviews, which for a pizzeria in a non-tourist town suggests a loyal and experienced customer base rather than a casual tourist crowd.
Dress code is unpublished and no specific guidance exists in the venue data, but the combination of Michelin recognition, OAD top-30 status, and a house philosophy that references haute cuisine techniques suggests smart casual is the appropriate baseline. Trainers and shorts are likely out of place; a clean, considered outfit is in keeping with the room's intent.
For timing: because confirmed service hours are not currently available, contact the venue directly before planning travel. Weekends are the safer bet for availability in restaurants of this profile. If you are pairing this visit with a broader Veneto itinerary, Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli in Verona makes a logical dinner complement on the same trip. You can also explore accommodation options in San Bonifacio, bars nearby, local wineries, and experiences in the area to build out a full stay.
Italy has several serious fine-dining pizza concepts, but very few have sustained this level of critical recognition over multiple years while staying at the €€ price tier. For reference points beyond Italy, Pizzeria Bianco in Los Angeles and Bettina in Santa Barbara represent similar ambitions in the US market , chef-driven, ingredient-focused, and operating at a price point below the fine-dining ceiling. I Tigli occupies a comparable position in Europe, with Padoan's nearly 30 years of experience giving it a track record that newer concepts cannot match.
If you are already planning a Veneto or northern Italy trip and have room for one more booking, the effort-to-reward ratio here is strong. The combination of OAD top-30 ranking, Michelin recognition, and a price point that does not require a special occasion makes this a practical choice for anyone who takes pizza seriously as a culinary category. For visitors exploring Italy's broader restaurant landscape, the country's leading tables , Osteria Francescana in Modena, Piazza Duomo in Alba, or Le Calandre in Rubano , operate in a different category entirely, but I Tigli holds its own as the defining reason to visit San Bonifacio specifically.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy. Reservations are recommended given the venue's reputation, but this is not a multi-month waitlist situation. Confirm current hours and availability directly with the restaurant before travelling, as the hours in our current database are not confirmed. No phone number or website is listed in our data at this time , check Google or local booking platforms for current contact details.
For more on what to do around the area, see our full San Bonifacio restaurants guide.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| I Tigli | An iconic pizzeria which has brought Italy’s favourite street-food snack right up to date! With almost 30 years’ experience behind him, Simone Padoan knows how to make difficult things easy: he uses a mix of wholemeal flours and pays meticulous attention to natural leavening processes to create a dough which has a crispy crust yet soft interior. He also focuses on different types of toppings, including fish, meat and vegetables – whether your preference is for traditional or more imaginative pizzas, every option is of the highest quality. A choice of excellent desserts provides the perfect conclusion to your meal!; Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #28 (2025); Michelin Plate (2025); High-quality raw materials, the best cooking techniques, and sourdough leavening. All combined in a new concept of pizza, meeting with haute cuisine.; "The House of Linden Trees is ready to welcome you..." This is the slogan that opens the website. Simone Padoan confirms himself as a soloist in the art of pizza (recent history speaks for him) also in the value he gives to hospitality. Inheritance of family values. His world is then made of creativity and mastery. The doughs are made with wholemeal and semi-wholemeal flours with natural leavening and take on different consistency and crispiness based on hydration and processing. Once the size is chosen, there is room for imagination, without forgetting that the basics of Padoan's verb can also be found in the Margherita and other classics. There is a touch of brilliance in every creation. Well-calibrated pairings. The proposal of desserts is also of the highest level."; Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #27 (2024); Michelin Plate (2024); Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #42 (2023) | €€ | — |
| Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Dal Pescatore | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Enoteca Pinchiorri | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Enrico Bartolini | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Le Calandre | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
The menu is structured around fish, meat, and vegetable toppings with a strong focus on raw ingredient quality, which gives some flexibility for pescatarians and vegetarians. Simone Padoan's approach centres on sourcing and technique rather than a fixed menu, so dietary needs are worth communicating directly when booking. Specific allergy or intolerance policies are not documented in available data, so confirm in advance.
Yes. A serious single-dish format like this suits solo diners well — you can work through the menu systematically without the logistical overhead of a large group. The venue's reputation draws a food-focused crowd, which makes it a comfortable solo destination. Booking ahead is still advisable given its OAD Top 30 ranking.
The menu spans traditional and imaginative toppings across fish, meat, and vegetables — Simone Padoan's dough work (wholemeal and semi-wholemeal flours, natural leavening) is the through-line regardless of which direction you go. The Margherita is a deliberate benchmark here, not an afterthought, so it's worth ordering as a reference point. Desserts are noted as consistently strong, so leave room.
At €€ pricing, yes — this is one of the few places where fine-dining technique is applied to pizza without a fine-dining price tag. An OAD Top 28 ranking in 2025 and consecutive Michelin Plate recognition confirm the critical standing. For the level of craft involved, the value-to-quality ratio here is difficult to match in the Italian pizza category.
Specific service times are not confirmed in available data, so check directly with the venue before planning your visit. Given that I Tigli operates in a small town rather than a city dining circuit, service periods may differ from what you'd expect at an urban restaurant. Confirming hours before travelling from Verona or further is essential.
A formal tasting menu format is not documented in available data, but Padoan's creative approach to toppings and his noted dessert programme suggest ordering broadly across the menu will give you the full picture. At €€ pricing, sampling multiple options is financially practical. Think of it less as a tasting menu and more as a structured exploration of the pizza format.
Yes, with the right framing. This is not a white-tablecloth celebration venue, but an OAD Top 30-ranked pizzeria run by one of Italy's most technically serious pizza makers — that context makes it a strong choice for food-focused occasions. If the occasion calls for a conventional fine-dining room, Dal Pescatore in Canneto sull'Oglio is the regional alternative.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
