Restaurant in Verona, Italy
Three menus, one clear booking case.
Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli is Verona's only three-Michelin-star restaurant and one of the most decorated tables in northern Italy, holding 96 La Liste points and an OAD Europe top-100 ranking. Three distinct tasting menus — creative, classic, and fully vegetarian — give it unusual range at this level. Book months ahead; walk-ins are not realistic.
Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli is one of a small number of three-Michelin-star restaurants in Italy where the cooking, the setting, and the occasion genuinely align. With 96 points from La Liste (2026) and a ranking of 91st in Europe from Opinionated About Dining (2025), this is Verona's most decorated table by a significant margin. Book it for a milestone dinner, a serious date, or a once-in-a-career business meal — and book it far in advance, because getting a reservation here is close to impossible without planning weeks or months ahead.
Giancarlo Perbellini returned to his home city to take over the historic 12 Apostoli address, and the result is a restaurant that carries both personal weight and serious technical ambition. The space has been updated in recent years — the decor refresh gives it a sharper contemporary feel without erasing the building's historic character, which includes Roman ruins in the basement that are genuinely worth seeing before or after your meal.
Three tasting menus define the experience here, and choosing between them is your first real decision. "Io e Silva" is dedicated to Perbellini's wife and leans toward imaginative, boundary-testing dishes , think cooked and raw shellfish with soya and peppers. "Io e Giorgio" honours his mentor and takes a more classically grounded approach. "L'Essenza" is fully vegetarian. If you eat meat and fish and want to see what this kitchen does at its most creative, "Io e Silva" is the clearest argument for the price. If you prefer technique applied to tradition rather than invention, "Io e Giorgio" is the more reliable choice for first-timers.
The wine list is one of the most compelling in northern Italy, with a particular depth in French labels that reflects both Perbellini's personal enthusiasm and that of the sommelier. For a tasting menu at this level, pairing with the sommelier's guidance is worth doing rather than ordering by the glass , the list is extensive enough that navigating it alone, without context, means missing what makes it interesting.
The chef's table is the specific booking to request if you want the fullest version of the experience. You dine as a couple , or a small group , with a direct sightline to the kitchen, watching the brigade work in close coordination. This is not a performance element added for effect; at three-star level, watching that kind of precision in real time adds a layer to the meal that a standard dining room seat does not provide. If you are celebrating something and the chef's table is available, take it.
Technical case for Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli rests on its ability to operate across three very different registers simultaneously. The three-menu structure is not a marketing device , it reflects a genuine range of culinary vocabulary, from the contemporary and playful to the classically rooted and the plant-focused. Very few kitchens at this level commit to maintaining that range at consistent three-star execution. For comparison, Osteria Francescana in Modena pursues a more singular creative identity; Dal Pescatore in Runate operates in a deeper classical tradition. Perbellini's kitchen does something harder: it holds multiple modes in tension without losing coherence in any of them.
Among Italy's three-star cohort, that range puts it in interesting company. Uliassi in Senigallia and Reale in Castel di Sangro each push creative boundaries from a specific regional or ingredient base. Casa Perbellini's edge is that the historic setting and the homecoming story are inseparable from the food , this is cooking that knows exactly where it comes from and is willing to say so, while still moving forward. That combination of rootedness and invention is harder to find than it looks, and it justifies the trip to Verona on its own.
For those who want to see how this style of creative Italian cooking compares at the European level, Arpège in Paris and Quique Dacosta in Dénia offer useful reference points , both operate at the intersection of tradition and experimentation, and both share the same La Liste tier as Perbellini's kitchen.
There is no confirmed bar or counter walk-in option at Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli based on available data. Given its three-Michelin-star status and near-impossible booking difficulty, this is not a venue where casual drop-in dining is a realistic expectation. If you want a more spontaneous Verona experience, Al Bersagliere or Verona's bar scene will serve you better.
The chef's table is specifically recommended for couples in the available data, but larger group enquiries would need to be directed to the restaurant directly , phone and booking method details are not publicly listed in our database. At €€€€ pricing across multiple tasting menus, a group dinner here would represent a significant commitment; plan well ahead and contact the restaurant early to discuss availability and configuration.
Arrive with a menu decision already in mind: "Io e Silva" for the creative, modern direction; "Io e Giorgio" for the classical approach. If the chef's table is available, request it at booking rather than on arrival , it sells out independently of the main dining room. Budget for wine pairing on leading of the tasting menu price; the French-heavy list is one of the restaurant's distinct strengths and is difficult to navigate without the sommelier's input. Also allow time to see the Roman ruins in the basement , they are part of the address's character and worth five minutes of your evening.
For contemporary Italian at the next price tier down, Il Desco is the closest in ambition. For something more accessible without sacrificing quality, L'Oste Scuro offers seafood-focused cooking at €€€. If you want traditional Veronese food in a historic room without the tasting-menu format, Trattoria al Pompiere at €€ is the practical choice. See our full Verona restaurants guide for a broader view of the city's options.
At three Michelin stars, 96 La Liste points, and a top-100 European OAD ranking, the credentials are as strong as you will find in northern Italy outside Milan. The multi-menu structure means you are getting a kitchen that operates across different registers , creative, classic, and vegetarian , which is a meaningful point of difference at this price level. If tasting menus are a format you enjoy and Verona is on your itinerary, this is one of the clearest cases for spending at the leading end. If tasting menus are not your preference, the price will be harder to justify. Compare against Quattro Passi or Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler if you are weighing three-star options across Italy more broadly.
Yes, this is one of the stronger special-occasion arguments in Verona. Three Michelin stars, a renovated room with historic bones, Roman ruins in the basement, and the option to book the chef's table as a couple give the evening a structure that ordinary restaurants cannot match. The "Io e Silva" menu, dedicated to the chef's wife, carries an obvious resonance for romantic occasions. Book the chef's table if you want the most immersive version of the experience. For broader Verona planning, see our Verona hotels guide and experiences guide to build the full trip around the dinner.
No dress code is specified in our data, but at three-Michelin-star level in Italy, smart dress is the appropriate default , jacket for men is advisable, and anything casual risks feeling out of place in a room at this price point. Verona's dining culture at the leading end leans formal without being rigid. When in doubt, overdress rather than underdress.
The presence of a dedicated fully vegetarian tasting menu , "L'Essenza" , is a strong signal that the kitchen takes dietary requirements seriously. For other restrictions (allergies, intolerances), contact the restaurant directly when booking; at this level of operation, advance communication is standard practice and the kitchen will generally accommodate with notice. Phone and website details are not listed in our database, so reach out via your booking channel or reservation platform.
If you are building a broader Verona itinerary around this dinner, the following Pearl guides cover the city's other strong options: Filia Ristorante, Iris Ristorante, and Al Capitan della Cittadella are worth considering for meals before or after. Our Verona bars guide, hotels guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide cover the rest of the city.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli | €€€€ | Near Impossible | — |
| Trattoria al Pompiere | €€ | Unknown | — |
| L'Oste Scuro | €€€ | Unknown | — |
| Il Desco | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Al Bersagliere | € | Unknown | — |
| Antica Bottega Del Vino | Unknown | — |
How Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli stacks up against the competition.
The venue is structured around tasting menus rather than a bar or à la carte format, so a casual counter visit is not the model here. The most informal seated option is the chef's table, which the La Liste entry specifically recommends for two guests and gives direct sight lines to the kitchen. If you want flexibility without committing to a full menu, this is not the right address — consider Antica Bottega Del Vino for a more casual Verona evening.
The restaurant can seat groups, but the chef's table format is flagged specifically as a couples or small-party experience. Larger groups should check the venue's official channels via its address at Vicolo Corticella S. Marco, 3 to discuss room configurations. At the €€€€ price point, expect pre-set menus rather than flexible ordering for any group booking.
Choose your menu before you arrive: 'Io e Silva' leans imaginative and produce-forward, 'Io e Giorgio' is the classic register dedicated to Perbellini's mentor, and 'L'Essenza' is fully vegetarian. The wine list skews heavily French, which is unusual for a Veneto restaurant and worth factoring into your spend. Budget extra time to visit the Roman ruins in the basement — they are part of the dining experience, not a footnote. The chef's table is specifically recommended by La Liste for couples.
Il Desco is the closest Verona alternative for serious tasting-menu dining. For a step down in formality without sacrificing quality, Trattoria al Pompiere and Antica Bottega Del Vino are the go-to options — the latter particularly strong on regional wine. Al Bersagliere and L'Oste Scuro suit diners who want Veronese cooking without the tasting-menu format or three-star pricing.
At €€€€ with three Michelin stars, a 96-point La Liste score (2026), and a place on Opinionated About Dining's Top 91 European restaurants (2025), the credentials are in order. The value case is strongest if you commit to the chef's table and treat the Roman ruins and kitchen theatre as part of the experience. If you want à la carte flexibility or a shorter commitment, the price-to-format ratio tips against it — book Il Desco instead.
Yes, and specifically for two. La Liste singles out the chef's table as an exceptional setting for a couple, with the open kitchen providing what it describes as watching chefs work 'like the well-practised members of an orchestra.' The three-menu structure means you can calibrate the tone — nostalgic and classic with 'Io e Giorgio', or more adventurous with 'Io e Silva'. The Roman ruins in the basement add a Verona-specific layer that no other restaurant in the city offers at this level.
The venue holds three Michelin stars and a Les Grandes Tables Du Monde designation, which signals formal expectations. Treat it as a black-tie-optional occasion: jacket for men is advisable, and anything visibly casual (trainers, shorts, jeans) would be out of place. The updated decor noted by La Liste suggests a polished environment where dress matches the surroundings.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
