Ristorante il Frantoio — Restaurant in Assisi

By great Google review and staying in companion hotel Fontebella Paplace, I reserved two dinners at this restaurant. Its reputation is well deserved for its all-olive taste menu. The best disks are vegetables as it fits into Saint Francesco’ poverty vow without sacrifying balanced flavor. It fitted to my spiritual homage to Assisis theme.

Portion is on the lean and olive-infused. I had the best red meat disk, a morsel of rabbit that was expertly smoke. I felt like eating a whole rabbit by just a bite. The mousse disk is presented in a tuna can and supprisingly good; it is heavenly light and thick, and the flavor captures the essense of late summer rain of earthy steam and finished with refreshing new air. The vegan lasagna disk, in my opinon is the best; it packs Umbria nature and farm-to-table cooking- well balanced and packful flavors.

The cooking disks change throughout the season and err on the experimenting side; some are expertly crafted while some need more refining. The raw ocean disk does not pair well with olive, and no-butter-allowed in kitchen limits the range of flavor. The scallop disk lacks tanginess; I would love more with a pinch of black pepper or even a sprinkle of green olives. The desserts should not be compared to Parisisan; be warned some would have a hint of supprisingly good olive.

Best part about this restaurant is the serice staffs who pleasantly explain the intricacy of these disks but not intrusive. It commands quiet atmosphere with great view of assisi valley and setting sun; you will not see day-bus tourists here at all. The price is on expensive scale but not wallet busting.

You should come to this restaurant only with an open mind for Umbria experimenting disks, with Assisi spirit of nature and earthy. It does NOT include: hearty, glutonous, cheap, gimmicky. Expect the food freshly made with nature spirit and strong vigor for olive-oil; do NOT go here if you have an itch for Umbria hearthen meaty disks or Italian...

We had an amazing lunch here - the food, wine, and view were all great. Each dish was beautiful and much thought and care had been put into every element on the plates. We are vegetarian and though at first we thought there might not be many options, it was no problem - there were several great options for each course and we had a hard time choosing which dish was our favorite! The service was friendly and attentive, just the right amount of attention. We live in the DC area with several Michelin star restaurants around us and il Frantoio definitely lived up to that high standard! We’ll be back the next time...

Not perfect but still a unique experience and to be strongly applauded for daring to be different. We had the 7 course tasting menu which was adventurous in the use of olive oil, not always successful in my view, but with some real highlights, such as the tomato and olive oil based dessert which I absolutely loved. Other menu highlights were the pigeon multiple ways and for me, the star or show, the leek crème brulee which I will always remember! The setting in the garden was beautiful but compromised by the wind and a very persistent wasp, both of which thankfully disappeared after dark. Service was...