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Welcome to our updated guide to the best Italian restaurants in Salt Lake City. But we’re talking more than just your classic Italian favorites. From pasta to pizza to specialty cheeses, Salt Lake City has a lot to offer when it comes to Italian cuisine. We may not have the reputation like other major cities for our Italian restaurant options, but that didn’t stop us from making our way through a lot of cheesy, garlicky, and carby goodness to bring you 11 neighborhood favorites. It’s time to put SLC on the map with our top recommendations for pomodoro spaghetti, gnocchi arrabbiata, and authentic Italian pizza.

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11. Francesco’s Restaurant

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Stepping into Francesco’s means stepping into your uncle’s low-key Italian restaurant in Salt Lake City. Tucked into a busy Taylorsville shopping plaza, Fancesco’s is a simple family diner that serves traditional Italian classics without frills and fluff. Each pasta dish is made with thick homemade noodles and smothered in your choice of alfredo, meat, or marinara sauces. The family style restaurant serves some killer garlic bread that may fill you up before you dive into your entrees. There are dozens of options but our favorites are the stuffed manicotti and lasagna. One bite and you’ll be glad you stopped in.

10. Cafe Trio

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Cafe Trio is one of our favorite restaurants for pomodoro pasta. This neighborhood bistro is located between 9th & 9th and downtown and serves great Italian options even though it’s a casual American restaurant. As a particularly clean space, you’ll love visiting Cafe Trio for brunch or dinner and can enjoy your food out on the patio or inside their contemporary dining room. The rosemary flatbread is absolutely delicious, topped with goat cheese, tomato, roasted pepper, and onions. The simple pomodoro pasta with spaghetti, basil butter, burrata, and parmesan is wonderful and we highly recommend adding meatballs to your dish for an even more substantial experience.

9. Stoneground Kitchen

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Stoneground Kitchen is a memorable Italian restuarant in Salt Lake City. Located downtown, this restaurant boasts one of the best patio dining spots in town with intimate, beautiful outdoor seating beneath lights and greenery. The pasta is the star of the show here and we recommend the black tagliatelle served with lobster claw & knuckle, cremini & oyster mushroom, with chardonnay-cream sauce for something totally unique, or the lasagna for something traditional. The diavola pizza has impeccable flavor if you’re looking to order a second course.

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8. Per Noi Trattoria

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When it comes to great Italian restaurants in Salt Lake City, Per Noi Trattoria is one of our very favorites! Situated on Highland Drive on the east side of Sugar House, this family-owned restaurant serves fantastic pizza, pasta, and other classic Italian entrees. Whatever you do, say yes to the arancini, a fried rice ball filled with fresh mozzarella, homemade bolognese, and peas with a side of pomodoro sauce. It’s just like the ones you’d find on the streets of Rome. You’ll also want to order one of their house-made pastas whether you choose lasagna, gnocchi, or ravioli. Buon appetito!

7. Stanza

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Stanza is the Italian restaurant in Salt Lake City you visit when you want the comfort of classic pasta dishes but also want something different, new, and fresh. The restaurant itself is upscale and modern, and the food is just as elegant and memorable. Menu favorites include stone fruit burrata, served with frisée, smoked heirloom tomato, prosciutto, crispy farro, and cherry balsamic vinaigrette. For pasta, you’ll want to order the rigatoni alla bolognese for the most flavorful pork, beef, and prosciutto ragu you’ve had in a while. And don’t even get us started on the parmesan! It’s mouth-watering good.

6. Celeste Ristorante

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Celeste Ristorante is one of the absolute best Italian restaurants in Salt Lake City. As you walk into the restaurant, the comfort and authenticity of the space is tangible. The food here is traditional, classic Tuscan cuisine including dishes you’re familiar with and other forgotten classics. Take your time here for an enjoyable, thoughtful, drawn out meal filled with authentic Italian bread, la burrata, prosciutto e melon, handmade pasta dishes, and of course dessert. Trofie portofino paste is one of our very favorite entrees and we’ll never pass up one of Celeste’s daily specials. Bonus points for the absolutely wonderful service.

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5. Sicillia Mia

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Sicillia Mia is one fo the best Italian restaurants in Salt Lake City for so many reasons. First and foremost, their dining experience is unique and delicious. Their menu has a wide variety of classic Italian dishes but we’ll always reach for the spaghetti alla carbonara first. This decadent, homemade pasta dish is served and tossed in a giant parmesan wheel right by your table. The pasta itself is to die for and the experience is unquestionably fun.

4. Caputo’s Market & Deli

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While not your typical sit-down restaurant, Caputo’s is our next Italian restaurant in Salt Lake City for it’s speciality cheeses, meats, chocolate, and other regional Italian foods. The employees here are incredibly knowledgable and will help you find exactly what you need, and situated beside the market is a Deli that serves up fantastic Italian sandwiches. We recommend their most popular sandwich, The Caputo – prosciutto, mortadella, salami, provolone, lettuce, tomato, olive oil, and balsamic. Close second to that is the The Meatball – meatballs, marinara sauce, parmesan and provolone cheeses. Both are very filling but make sure you leave room for a sea salt chocolate chip cookie as well.

3. Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana

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Settebello’s is our top pick for Italian restaurants when you’re looking for the best pizza in town. Located on the buzzing street of downtown Salt Lake City, Settebello makes killer pizza with flavors like parmigiana, gorgonzola, balsamic roasted Roma tomato, and even goat cheese. The crust here is incredibly authentic and only takes one bite before you’re hooked! Be sure to get your hands on the classic Margherita, the spicy diavola, and their simple Bianca pizzas. Even their insalata menu offers wildly flavorful salads, including their beet salad or involtini di prosciutto. If there’s room, there’s gelato next door as well.

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2. Veneto Ristorante Italiano

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For an intimate, beautiful dining experience you’ll want to put Veneto at the top of your list for Italian restaurants in Salt Lake City. Built inside a beautiful repurposed home on 9th south, Veneto features year-round classical favorites and seasonal specialties from the Veneto, Italy region. Although it changes monthly, indulge in a variety of their seasonal offerings on the menu, including their house made pastas. The owners Amy and Marco as well as their staff will make you feel as if you’re dining in their own home with their detail and authenticity.

1. Valter’s Osteria

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Valter’s Osteria is everything you hope for in an amazing Italian restaurant. If we could only dine at one of our favorite Salt Lake City restaurants, this would be our pick. The food here is insanely delicious, the environment is elevated and special and the service is warm and inviting. Start with their pasta sampler – a sample of homemade pasta served on one plate. For pasta, an absolute must-order is the gnocchi arrabbiata – a house potato dumping in a zesty organic tomato sauce. The flavor of this dish is truly incredible and one of the best you can find in all of Salt Lake City.