My message is straightforward. When dining at a restaurant that advertises itself as serving Italian cuisine one should have the opportunity to order Italian wine from a wide selection to pair with the food.

Recently in San Francisco we ate at two restaurants that featured Italian cuisine that included wine menus of only Italian wines or almost all Italian wines. A-16, owned by sommelier and author of two books on Italian wines, Shelley Lindgren, features a Southern Italian cuisine and mostly a Southern Italian wine menu. Montesacro, founded by Italian born Gianluca Legrottaglie, features Roman cuisine, including the Roman pizza Pinsa and has a menu of only Italian wines.

These food and wine experiences energized me to continue my efforts in identifying Boston area restaurants that feature an Italian cuisine and have a wine menu reflective of the cuisine. Prior to Covid I had been developing a list of restaurants that met the criteria of serving both an Italian cuisine and an Italian wine menu (at least 90% of the wines on the menu originate from Italy). For a variety of reasons after Covid my research stalled, but now I am re-engaging with my project. Below is a list of restaurants based upon my pre-Covid and a couple post-Covid dining experiences and a current review of certain websites that meet my definition of “Authentic Italian Cuisine” – a restaurant that has an Italian food and an Italian wine menu (again a wine list comprised of at least 90% of wines produced in Italy). The list below is a work in progress as I do not have information on all Boston area restaurants that have an Italian cuisine.

Restaurants that feature an Italian cuisine with a wine menu with a large offering of California and Oregon, French and other non-Italian wines do not qualify under my definition of “Authentic Italian Cuisine”. When we have visited Southern Italy we rarely have seen wines from these non-Italian areas included in wine menus. Thus, from my point of view to be considered “authentic” – a restaurant needs to offer a wide range of wines from the same region as a specific cuisine. The reader is welcome to disagree, but this article is to direct readers to what I consider an Authentic Italian dining experience.

Note where I mention that a producer is a friend, it indicates that we have visited that producer in Italy.

Giulia – Cambridge – Pre-Covid we ate at Giulia twice. The restaurant features an all Italian wine list, including wine from our good friends at Le Vigne di Raito, located in Vietri sul Mare, Salerno (the easternmost town on the Amalfi Coast). and our other good friends at Casa di Baal, located in Montecorvino, Salerno.

MIDA – South End, Newton, East Boston (newest location) – we dined at the South End location pre-Covid. It features all Italian wines. We attended Mucci Imports 10th year anniversary hosted by MIDA of Newton. Mucci imports only Italian wines and many are included in MIDA’s wine list.

Bar Mezzana – South End Ink Block Neighborhood – we have dined at Bar Mezzana several times, including once post-Covid. The restaurant features an Italian coastal cuisine and has a wine list that consists of almost all Italian wines (there are three California wines). From time to time our friends’ wine from Casebianche, located in Torchiara, Salerno (Cilento), is on the list.

Coppa – South End – we dined at Coppa pre-Covid. The wine list is all Italian but for two California wines. We enjoyed a bottle of wine from our friends at Regina Viarum, located in Falerno del Massico, Caserta.

Cafe Gelato – Quincy – a cafe that recently obtained approvals to serve alcohol. I have eaten there twice since they started to serve alcohol. Cafe Gelato serves only Italian wines, including wine from our friend Fabiana, located in San Jonico, Taranto, Puglia.

Forcella – North End – Post- Covid, we have dined at Forcella several times, including once at the outdoor patio. The wine list is 100% Italian.

Nebo – South Station – Before I retired I had several lunches at Nebo. Based upon a review of the wine menu per its website, all the wines are Italian except for one outlier from France.

da LaPosta – Newton – we are looking forward to dining at da LaPosta and having a Neapolitan pizza with a bottle of wine from Luigi Tecce, a friend from the Irpinia wine area of Avellino. Per its website, da LaPosta serves only Italian wines.

Bar Volpe – South Boston – we are looking forward to dining on Southern Italian cuisine served at Bar Volpe along with a bottle of wine from our friend Du Cropio from Ciro` Marina, Calabria. Per its website Bar Volpe’s wine list is all Italian except for a few bottles of Champagne.

Sportello – Seaport – another restaurant with a 100% Italian wine list (based upon review of its website) that we are looking forward to visiting. Per the wine list, our friends Gigi and Gaetano Reale’s white wine Aliseo is available. The winery is located in Tramonti on the Amalfi Coast.

La Morra – Brookline – per its website this is another restaurant with a wine list that is 100% Italian. La Morra has an extensive selection of wines mostly from the northern and central regions of Italy.

SRV – South End – per its website the small selection of wines is 100% Italian. The list includes our friend Giovanni Valenti’s Carricante wine from the Mt. Etna area of Sicily.

Fox & the Knife – South Boston – based upon a review of its website Fox & the Knife almost did not make the list. Similar to its “sister” restaurant Bar Volpe, Fox & the Knife has a few bottles of Champagne, but unlike its “sister” it includes three bottles of Pinot Noir. However, the balance of the wine list is all Italian, mostly from the north and central regions. There are a few stellar Southern Italian wines, including our friends from Casa di Baal – mentioned above.

Honorable Mention – May move up after we visit

Here are five restaurants that I am undecided as to whether to include in the above listing. Two of the five we had dined at pre-Covid. I will update this list as we visit these restaurants and review the wine lists.

Il Panino – North End – our “go to” Italian restaurant in the North End. We must have eaten at Il Panino a dozen times over the years.

Tavolo – Ashmont section of Dorchester – our go to Italian restaurant in Dorchester. We have eaten there at least 7 or 8 times.

Pammy – Cambridge, has served wines from a few of our friends: Sergio Arcuri from Ciro` Marina, Calabria, Casula Vinaria from Campagna, Salerno, Campania and Terre del Principe from Castel Campagnano, Caserta, Campania.

Table – North End and is not to be confused with Tavolo, which translates to “table” in English.

Via Cannuccia Dorchester – a new restaurant; one of the owners (Stefano Quaresima) is from Anzio, a small town outside of Rome.

Other Boston Area Restaurants

There must be other restaurants in the Boston area that meet the definition above as an Authentic Italian Cuisine. Please feel free to send the names of those restaurants to me at rgriff53@gmail.com.

Special Mention -Berkshire Restaurant – Hilltop Hot Pies – is a new restaurant in Egremont (south of Pittsfield); the owner Rafi Bildner began operations this summer. Before, Rafi made pizza from a mobile truck for several years. Last year, Rafi spent time in Melito Irpino, Avellino, Campania “interning” at Antica Trattoria Di Pietro, a family owned trattoria. When we met at an enoteca in nearby Grottaminarda, Avellino, Rafi shared his plans for Hilltop Hot Pies and how his experience at Antica Trattoria Di Pietro helped influence his planned Southern Italian cuisine at Hilltop Hot Pies. Consistent with the Southern Italian cuisine that is being served at Hilltop Hot Pies, Rafi’s wine list will soon consist of wines only from Southern Italy. Hilltop will cease its outdoor service the last weekend of September and will now direct its attention to renovating an old restaurant that will become Hilltop’s permanent home.