The 10 best restaurants in Cortina d'Ampezzo
There’s no two ways about it, Cortina d’Ampezzo is one of the most beautiful ski resorts in the world. Surrounded on all four sides by the craggy, red rock monoliths of the Northern Dolomites, the town’s setting couldn’t be more spectacular. The architecture is elegant, particularly the 19th century old town around the pedestrianised main street, Corso Italia. The resort epitomises a certain kind of postwar, Italian chic.
Cortina was a key location for House of Gucci, the 2021 biopic starring Lady Gaga. James Bond visited in For Your Eyes Only, at the zenith of the high camp, Roger Moore era. And the resort continues to attract well-heeled, fur-wearing types from nearby Venice and Verona to this day. Cortina’s restaurants range from Michelin-starred establishments catering to this crowd to rustic mountain huts. This being Italy, you can eat well at all of them.
For further Cortina inspiration, see our guides to the resort's best accommodation and après ski.
Find a restaurant by location
In resort
SanBrite
Located a little way up the hill to the east of town, SanBrite is definitely worth the five minute drive, if you can get a table. Guests are greeted by a modern take on the wood-panelled dining room, with minimalist chairs and plenty of recycled timber. Once you are seated, the waiters file in with mountains of homemade butter, served with freshly baked bread.
The restaurant, whose name means “healthy pasture,” has earned not just a Michelin star, but also a green star for sustainable gastronomy. Chef Riccardo Gaspari prioritises not just locally sourced ingredients, but those his team produce themselves on the farm. The secret of his cuisine, he writes, lies in, “the tradition of milk milked in the morning, the taste of a pine, the smell of a goat,” and creating ingredients first, before designing a dish.
His cooking is an upmarket version of “the food that my father ate, that my grandfather ate,” he says. The taster menu includes such delicacies as snails served with herbs, meat from their farm, and their own, aged cheese. Wine pairings are extra, but well worth it. It really is a special place.
Contact: sanbrite.it
Price: £££
Il Ponte
An unpretentious, two-story place with a homely feel, Il Ponte, just beyond Corsa Italia, over the road leading to the Faloria cable car, boasts lots of wood and a welcoming atmosphere. Old skis adorn the walls above bench seating, terracotta tiles line the floor, and the buzzy open-plan dining room is always busy.
The menu offers a massive choice of wood-fired pizzas, lots of good pasta primi, and some classic alpine secondi, all at reasonable prices. A classic pizza like a Capriciossa would be our go to, but if you don’t fancy that, try a deliciously simple pasta dish like the tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms. The wine list is mostly local, but decent, and also reasonably priced
Contact: ilpontecortina.it
Price: £
Al Camin
While not as upmarket as its near neighbour, SanBrite, Al Camin offers a classy dining experience in a restaurant that looks traditional at first glance, but reveals modern elements on closer examination. Look out for the brick-lined bar, and the Union flag-upholstered bench in one corner.
The food is the work of Chef Fabio Pompanin, who owns and runs the place alongside his wife Lorena. Specialities include “Ommagio alla Donna” (homage to women), a dish of gnocchi, with rocket pesto, prawns and monkfish laid out to look like a bouquet of flowers. As well as his chef’s qualifications, Pompanin is a qualified sommelier, and picks the wine list himself. His selection includes 150 Italian varieties, as well as a handful of foreign options.
Contact: ristorantealcamin.it
Price: ££
Il Vizietto di Cortina
Small, cosy and smart, Il Vizietto di Cortina is right on Cortina’s car-free main street. The decor is heavy on the wood, but less traditional than inspired by Etsy: think surrealist touches, like oversized cutlery hanging on the walls, alongside craft-style hearts and plentiful fairy lights.
The food looks great, and tastes even better. Favourite dishes include suckling pig or braised veal cheek in red wine sauce, both available as a starter or main course. There’s always fresh fish of the day and a hearty soup of prawns, shrimp, scampi, mussels and tomatoes. And, of course, a range of pasta dishes and risottos. The wine list is extensive, and well-priced too.
Contact: ilviziettodicortina.it
Price: ££
Tivoli
Opened in 2002, Tivoli is the brainchild of chef and owner Graziano Prest, whose mouth-watering Michelin-starred cuisine helped put Cortina on the culinary map. His restaurant is housed in a simple-looking chalet, a 10-minute drive out of town, at the foot of the Socrepes slopes. But there is nothing plain about his elegant dining room, nor the food he and his team serve in it.
The menu changes frequently, but typically inventive dishes include radicchio and gorgonzola fondue with cracked fried egg on top; suckling pig and mushroom ravioli with lovage sauce and black truffle; or venison chop with porcini mushrooms and raspberry vinegar emulsion. The wine list is excellent and international. Best of all, the staff are notably engaging and unpretentious. Not always a given, in a restaurant of this calibre.
Contact: ristorantetivolicortina.it
Price: £££
On the mountain
Rifugio Averau
Rifugio Averau has a cosy, rustic interior and a terrace with amazing views including, on clear days, the mighty Marmolada—which at 3,343m is the highest peak in the Dolomites. The refuge is managed by Mateo and Margot, the scions of a storied local family of mountaineers. Santo Siorpaes, the 19th-century patriarch, pioneered over 30 first ascents in the Ampezzo valley and the surrounding area.
The restaurant’s location at the confluence of two lifts means it’s often packed at lunchtime, but if you’re looking for simple mountain food, served quickly and without fuss, this is a great place to make a pitstop. Their cakes, in particular the chocolate cake, are excellent too.
Contact: rifugioaverau.it
Price: ££
Closest lift / piste: Fedare Forcella Novolao / Novolao
Baita Resch
Baita Resch sits in a prime location in the Tofane ski area. It’s easily reached by the Olympia chairlift, which offers access to several cruisey blues. The interior is a classic Italian mountain chalet – wood-panelled walls, with red and white upholstered bench seats – but eat on the sun deck if you can, the views are spectacular.
They make mountain classics very well, including sausage and polenta, beef goulash and an excellent pappardelle with venison ragu. But make sure you save room for dessert. Owner Ivan is a pastry chef, and his strudel is something else.
Contact: baitaresch.it
Price: ££
Closest lift / piste: Olympia / Prati
Capanna Tondi
Capanna Tondi, which sits 2,340m up on Faloria with incredible views over the valley, has been run by the Verzi family since 1939. Today, Gianfranco and his wife Rosi Larese are joined by their son Marco – the third generation to run the place, and the fourth generation to work in hospitality.
The refuge has a gorgeous south-facing sundeck outside, a cosy, wood-panelled interior, and an excellent kitchen. The food is not just delicious, but remarkably inventive for a mountain restaurant. Their beetroot-filled pasta is a highlight.
Contact: rifugiocapannatondi.it
Price: ££
Closest lift / piste: Girilada / Tondi normale
El Camineto
One of Cortina’s best restaurants, near the foot of the Duca d’Aosta chairlift on Tofana-Socrepes, El Camineto is popular with Cortina’s non-skiing crowd – the chic set who swan up from Venice for the weekend, mostly to be seen in fur-lined shawls.
If that’s not you, however, don’t let their presence put you off. The restaurant really is excellent, with a spacious, woody interior and big, south-facing sun terrace that offers fabulous views. The service is formal but friendly, and the menu is wide-ranging – unusual specialities include pasta with onions, a variety of risottos, white polenta with scallops and porcini mushrooms, and spaghetti alla vodka. It’s accessible by road, and open for dinner too.
Contact: ilmeloncino.it
Price: £££
Closest lift / piste: Tofana Express / Olympia
Rifugio Pomedes
Located at the foot of the Punta Anna peak, the large terrace of this mountain hut offers breathtaking views of Cortina and some of the most iconic peaks of the Dolomites. Built in 1955 by the mountain guide and maestro di sci Luigi Ghedina ‘Bibi’ and his wife, Lucilla Gilmozzi, the rifugio is still run by their youngest children, Ruggero and Renata, to this day.
The restaurant is arranged around a traditional stufa – a ceramic, wood-fired stove – and the kitchen specialises in dishes that are typical of the Ampezzo valley, including casunziei (half-moon shaped pasta), smoked pork loin, and beef goulash. The latter might be a staple around these parts, but their version is excellent. The restaurant is open for dinner by request.
Contact: rifugiopomedescortina.com
Price: £
Closest lift / piste: Duca d’Aosta Pomedes / Cacciatori
How we choose
Every restaurant in this curated list has been expertly chosen by our ski expert, following years of experience on the slopes. We cover a range of budgets, from piste-side huts to Michelin-starred restaurants – to best suit every skier’s taste – and consider the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price in our recommendations, with options both in the resort and on the mountain. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest opening and provide up to date recommendations.
