The Best Restaurants in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

From Michelin-starred dining to farm-to-table alpine favourites, these are the best restaurants in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, to book this winter and beyond.

Cortina d’Ampezzo has always known how to put on a show. Ringed by the jagged drama of the Dolomites, it’s long been Italy’s most glamorous mountain town—a place where fur-trimmed ski jackets, espresso-fuelled mornings, and lingering lunches are part of the rhythm.

With the Winter Olympics returning to Cortina in 2026, the spotlight is back on, and this winter the town feels especially charged, buzzing with anticipation and an influx of visitors ready to eat as well as ski.

But Cortina isn’t just about the slopes. Its dining scene has quietly evolved into something far more compelling than post-ski fuel and hearty mountain classics. From Michelin-starred fine dining to deeply rooted farm-to-table restaurants and long-standing local favourites, this is a town that takes food seriously.

I spent several days eating my way through Cortina, moving between chalets in the woods, polished dining rooms in grand hotels, and buzzing spots in the town centre, tasting everything from alpine comfort food to ambitious, starred, modern cooking.

This guide is for the food lovers descending on Cortina this winter, my picks for the best restaurants in Cortina d’Ampezzo for this season and beyond.

Read more: The Ultimate Guide to Cortina d’Ampezzo: Best Things to Do

9 Best Restaurants in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

1. Tivoli

Set along the road to the Falzarego Pass, at the base of the Tofane mountains, Tivoli occupies a refined Alpine chalet where the views are unapologetically spectacular, and the atmosphere feels calm, assured, and quietly luxurious.

In the kitchen is chef-owner Graziano Prest, whose cooking shows an impressive fluency in both mountain tradition and modern fine dining. His approach leans heavily on exceptional ingredients—much of it sourced from the surrounding Dolomites—while pristine seafood arrives daily from the Adriatic, creating menus that feel rooted yet expansive.

There are several ways to eat here, all of them compelling: a meticulously paced seven-course tasting menu, the Altergusto experience inspired specifically by the local alpine landscape, a fully realised vegetarian tasting, and a confident à la carte offering.

On my visit, the cooking struck that rare balance between generosity and precision. A roasted artichoke was earthy and deeply satisfying, followed by a croquette drenched in truffle and parmesan that felt indulgent in the best possible way.

Raw seafood pasta paired sweet shrimp with caviar, while the lamb-filled ravioli were the standout—silken, rich, and borderline unforgettable. A barely cooked venison dish so tender it dissolves on the tongue, while Graziano’s signature pigeon dish was heaven for both flavor and texture.

Wine plays an equally important role in the experience. Graziano is a serious collector, and the cellar runs deep with standout Italian bottles alongside prestigious French labels and older vintages worth lingering over. The sommelier is excellent—engaged, intuitive, and refreshingly knowledgeable—and the wine pairing is absolutely the way to go.

If you time it right and secure one of the coveted window tables, the mountain panorama becomes part of the meal, elevating an already exceptional experience into one of the most memorable restaurants in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

2. El Brite de Larieto

El Brite de Larieto is the antidote to white tablecloth formality, a reminder of why eating in the mountains feels so grounding in the first place. Tucked into a quiet larch forest just outside Cortina, with the Dolomites rising theatrically all around, this is farm-to-table in the most literal sense possible.

The farm isn’t a concept or a marketing line; it’s right there next door, complete with animals, dairy, and the raw materials that shape almost everything on the menu. Opened two decades ago and thoughtfully refined over the years, El Brite balances rustic charm with just enough polish to feel intentional rather than homespun.

The kitchen leans heavily into Alpine traditions; meat, charcuterie, cheese, butter, and dairy take centre stage, supported by herbs, berries, and produce that feel unmistakably local.

Start with the butter and focaccia, which deserves its own moment. The butter, made in-house, is so rich and pure it’s genuinely distracting, easily among the best I’ve ever tasted, and dangerously easy to overdo. Then the roasted carrots with yeast sauce, a deceptively simple dish that sets the tone immediately: deeply savoury, comforting, and quietly clever.

Pasta here is deeply satisfying rather than showy. The tagliatelle with the agriturismo’s own sausage ragù is rich, hearty, and exactly what you want after a morning in the mountains, while the slab of pork belly, all crisp edges and melting interior, is unapologetically indulgent and entirely on theme.

El Brite de Larieto easily wins you over with honesty, flavour, and an unbreakable connection to its surroundings. Come hungry, grab a seat on the sun-lit terrace, and don’t rush it, this is mountain cooking done right.

3. Alajmo Cortina

Alajmo Cortina brings a very different kind of energy to the town, more urbane, more playful, and quietly ambitious. Set inside the revived shell of a historic restaurant, the space unfolds vertically: a lively bar at street level, with the dining rooms spread across two wood-heavy floors above (yes, you’ll earn dinner via the stairs).

It feels traditional at first glance with warm timber, alpine references, but the mood is distinctly contemporary, driven by a young, switched-on team and the unmistakable Alajmo confidence. While the kitchen stays largely anchored in regional cooking, it isn’t afraid to wander, with seafood, refined technique, and a few left-field ideas woven through both the tasting menus and the à la carte.

The dishes here are memorable in that quietly clever way. A potato cappuccino arrived first, topped with smoked trout with its own roe, a clean, precise dish that played beautifully with texture and salinity.

The risotto was a showstopper: impossibly creamy, enriched with champagne, caviar, and bone marrow, and so perfectly balanced it bordered on indulgent excess without ever tipping over.

A grilled Arctic char roulade with lovage sauce followed, smoky and delicate, the herbal sauce pulling everything into focus, and a braised stuffed hare in civet sauce, finished with black truffle and served alongside potato and leek purée. Deep, complex, and profoundly alpine, it felt like a statement dish rooted in tradition but executed with modern precision.

If you appreciate classic flavours filtered through a contemporary lens and a strong sense of place, Alajmo is a must when in Cortina.

4. San Brite

SanBrite is Cortina’s understated star, the kind of place that lets its Michelin badge sit quietly while the cooking does all the talking. With just seven tables, it feels intimate and intentional, wrapped in elegantly reclaimed wood and anchored by a large picture window framing the Ampezzo Dolomites.

It’s easily one of the best restaurants in Cortina d’Ampezzo, though it wears that title with admirable restraint.

The opening move is memorable: generous bowls of pale, silky butter arrive with excellent bread, setting the tone immediately. The butter comes from SanBrite’s sister farmstay, El Brite de Larieto, and much of what follows is drawn from the same hyper-local ecosystem.

Owner-chef Riccardo Gaspari cooks with deep respect for Alpine traditions, but the execution is clean, modern, and precise. Desserts are made without added sugar and are especially impressive, relying on natural balance rather than sweetness.

With so few tables, booking well ahead is essential.

5. 1224 Restaurant

1224 Restaurant is the new chapter from the team behind Baita Piè Tofana and a clear signal that they’re thinking bigger, sleeker, and more central. You’ll find it inside the Grand Hotel Savoia, right in the heart of Cortina, where the former mountain hideaway has been reimagined as a polished, contemporary dining room with all the comfort you’d expect from a grand hotel setting.

Baita Piè Tofana may have closed its doors, but this feels less like an ending and more like a strategic upgrade.

The menus remain firmly rooted in alpine territory, with the same respect for local ingredients and mountain flavours that made the original such a favourite, now delivered with a touch more refinement. For anyone who loved Baita Piè Tofana, 1224 Restaurant is the natural next stop; for everyone else, it’s a smart new addition to Cortina’s dining scene, and one well worth putting on your radar.

6. Ariston

Ariston sits right in the heart of Cortina, a polished, alpine-leaning dining room that has long been woven into the town’s social fabric. The interiors are warm and classic with wood, soft lighting, and an atmosphere that feels quietly assured rather than showy. It’s a restaurant that knows its audience and serves them well, night after night.

The kitchen focuses on regional Italian cooking with a clear mountain sensibility, delivering dishes that are generous, comforting, and confidently executed. Expect well-made pastas, robust meat dishes, and flavours that lean into richness.

The menu doesn’t wander far from its roots, and that’s precisely the strength here. It’s the ideal spot that serves deeply satisfying food in a Cortina setting.

7. Al Camin

Al Camin is one of the best restaurants in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, and a classic with a distinctly convivial streak. Located just outside the town centre, it’s known for its warm, wood-lined interiors and an atmosphere that fills up quickly once the evening crowd arrives.

The room buzzes—locals, repeat visitors, families, all orbiting around a menu that’s firmly grounded in Alpine tradition.

The cooking leans hearty and satisfying, with a focus on mountain dishes done well rather than reinvented. Expect generous plates, rich sauces, and flavours built for cold-weather appetites: pastas, grilled meats, and regional specialities that feel exactly right after a day outdoors.

Al Camin is all about comfort, familiarity, and the kind of food that keeps people coming back year after year.

8. Ristorante de LEN

Ristorante de LEN is Cortina with a cooler, more contemporary edge. Set right in the centre of town, it pairs a sleek, design-forward dining room with a menu that looks to the Dolomites through a modern lens.

Wood is still very much part of the story here, but it’s cleaner, sharper, and more architectural—mountain style, edited.

The kitchen focuses on seasonal, local ingredients, treating them with a lighter, more refined touch than you’ll find in many traditional alpine restaurants. Dishes are precise and thoughtful, often playing with texture and balance rather than sheer richness. I

t’s a place that attracts a younger, design-savvy crowd, equally suited to a long dinner or a well-considered glass of wine at the bar. De LEN feels firmly rooted in Cortina, just interpreted for now rather than nostalgia.

9. Bonus: Al Capriolo

Al Capriolo is worth knowing about precisely because it isn’t in Cortina. Located in nearby Vodo di Cadore, it makes a perfectly timed lunch stop if you’re driving up from Venice and want to sidestep Cortina’s lunchtime crush altogether.

The restaurant is welcoming and unfussy, with a menu that leans confidently into regional Cadore and alpine cooking. Expect honest, well-executed dishes, generous portions, and flavours that favour comfort over complication.

As a strategic stop on the way into the Dolomites, Al Capriolo is less about destination dining and more about very good timing—and that alone makes it a smart addition to any Cortina-bound itinerary. They also have lovely and affordable accommodation options if you fancy staying in this area.

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Which of these best restaurants in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, will you be heading to? Share your questions and comments below—I’d love to hear from you!

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