Il Covo dei Briganti — Restaurant in Arezzo

Strolling into Il Covo dei Briganti felt like unearthing a time capsule—except instead of gold coins, it’s filled with old tools, crates, and an impressive knack for mixing rustic charm with culinary magic. It’s not every day you find a restaurant that looks like it moonlights as a blacksmith’s workshop but manages to have the sound system of a top-tier nightclub. Talk about priorities!

We kicked off our culinary adventure with a glass of Affligem beer from the tap—crisp, refreshing, and exactly what you need after exploring Arezzo. Then came the star-studded food lineup. First up, focaccia fritta with stracchino and prosciutto cotto, which was essentially a cloud of fried perfection, lovingly stuffed with creamy cheese and delicate ham.

Next, the macaroni aretini with duck sauce was so rich and flavorful, we briefly considered adopting duck-based diets. And the tortello con ripieno di patate viole with sausage juice? Let’s just say if purple potatoes were as cool in childhood as they are in this dish, we’d have had much more enthusiastic veggie days.

The staff deserves a standing ovation—not just for their stellar service, but for the owner’s warm, personal touch, chatting up every guest like we’re long-lost friends. The combination of hearty food, welcoming vibes, and a decor that doubles as a conversation starter made for an unforgettable experience.

Final thoughts? Il Covo dei Briganti is less of a restaurant and more of a lucky discovery. If you’re in Arezzo and miss this spot, you're...

We found ourselves in Arezzo on a rainy mid-April day. With our tourist plans shot, we decided to find a nice restaurant to have lunch- unfortunately this was not it. The space is a typical restaurant. However the food was not. We were given bread but no oil to start. I ordered the soup of the day which was Ribolita- a Tuscan vegetable bread soup. Not being from Tuscany I thought the dish was supposed to be bland, so I ate as much as I could, but could not finish because there was too much bread and not enough vegetables (which were mushy anyway). The next dish I ordered was pici, which came out, but was taken back because they got the order wrong. My husband ordered the maccharoni noodles - which in his words was “inedible.” His second dish came out which was pork ribs- which was “ok”- with potatoes that were over cooked. My pici came out and this time the food was over salted and the pici was crunchy. The only reason this is not a one-star review is because the waitress tried to make it right and bring me another dish, but by this point I didn’t trust the food and simply wanted to leave. This was the first time that I was unable to finish my food because of the low quality of the dish. I would not visit this restaurant again and would not suggest to my...

Unfortunately not a great experience.

When we showed up, I assume the owner, told us we needed a reservation. So we made one for in about 15 minutes for inside.

After 15 minutes we got back and got our table, the girl who helped us was very friendly and explained the menu. The restaurant was still empty. We ordered a starter (baked aubergine with mozzarella) and a balsamic pasta and gnocchi. The gnocchi was tasty, but the other options were nothing special. During dinner we were still the only people in the restaurant, yet we felt ignored by the staff. The music that was playing was very depressing (covers from Soundgarden etc.).

When we got the bill we also had to pay for our table (€2 a person, I am aware a lot of tourist places do this in Italy) What they also did, is not give you a receipt with VAT on it. I think you will know...