Borghetto — Restaurant in Barano d'Ischia

First of all this was simply one of the best restaurant experiences I have had in my 28 years. The setting, the view, the restaurant being an old chapel where you can get married, the service and of course the food. All exceptional.

We started off with a FREE Bruschetta and herby fried doughball as a welcome which we thought was a lovely gesture. Every table was receiving this.

For our antipasti we shared an Aubergine Parmigiana which was the best we have ever eaten. We explained this to our fabulous waiter who responded “I am not surprised because my mama made it”. Hearing this was so heartwarming and you could see how passionate he was about the food.

For our primi we shared a pork lard pasta, the waiter responding “a great choice” when we ordered it and to no surprise he was totally correct.

For our secondi we shared the fried fish platter and steak with tomato, rocket and parm. All so well cooked, full of bold flavours .

For our dessert we got the only one on the menu, being of course the Tiramisu. Soft, velvety, sweet with a great punch of coffee, this was again one of the best we’ve had.

After we finished we had to show our gratitude to the waiter and explained how much we enjoyed the food. He received these comments with such sincerity, you could see how chuffed he was. To thank us, he proceeded to serve us a gift of fig cake (not on the menu) and limoncello. This was such a lovely gesture and shows the genuine passion for great food and for us to experience it.

To top off a fantastic evening, the waiter brought his Mama out so we could thank her for the delicious Aubergine Parmigiana. We got a full explanation into how she cooks it and we will try our best to recreate is as best we can when back in London.

All in all, you have to try this place. It’s a must and we will visit every time we come to Ischia.

The price for this now invaluable memory was just €70…

GRAZIE...

We found this restaurant on google maps and wanted to have a special family dinner for our last night on the island. We made the arduous trek up the hill, but even with some extreme hairpin turns…we are so glad we went!

Let me start with the drive. We were driving a midsized SUV, and yes(!) the skinny little roads and 180 turns do make you sweat. Note that google maps take you PAST the turn for the restaurant and will deliver you to the backside, so you need to watch for the handmade restaurant sign attached to a pole about a block before google tells you to turn and turn left. As you drive up the hill on the parallel road you will see on google maps when you are near the restaurant and see its lights on the hill. There will also be a second sign on your right to turn into the driveway.

As far as the food, it was delicious. Most of their food is scratch prepared in house. The gnocchi, ravioli and ziti were delicious. The rabbit…delicious. The eggplant parm was O.M.G. to die for (I love eggplant and have never had eggplant parm I enjoyed…but this was divine). The tiramisu…what a star! And their house made red wine was a spectacular blend (well balanced, dry, delicious).

One of my family members has several allergies…gluten, wheat, dairy, eggs, and tomato. The kitchen was very sensitive to this and helpful. We super appreciated the accommodations and the staff going above and beyond to make sure we all had delicious, filling meals.

We traveled from the US and so cannot dine here regularly, but we will come back every time we visit the island (and if we lived on the island, we would definitely dine here often).

On top of it all, we love supporting family owned businesses where they clearly pour love into their product. This was a...

We called Borghetto on a Monday evening around 20:30, asking if we could come an hour later — not only did they say yes, but when we arrived (after a surprisingly long scooter ride up into the hills), they had clearly prepared everything with care. We were the only guests at the time, and yet the owner (we assume) had set the entire restaurant with white tablecloths — and gave us the best table, complete with cutlery and ready to go. It felt so personal and welcoming, almost like dining at a friend’s place, but with all the elegance of a proper restaurant.

He started us off with a bruschetta on the house, which ended up being the best one we had on our entire trip. Super flavorful, with a proper hit of garlic – not just tomato on bread. You could tell there was pride in every detail.

We ordered a shared appetizer from the menu, then split a pasta as our primo and had a secondo each. We finished off with a tiramisu to share and had two glasses of wine with the meal. Every dish was absolutely delicious – fresh, well-balanced, and clearly made with care. The service throughout was fantastic: personal, unpretentious, and genuinely warm.

And then the bill arrived… 70 euros total, including everything. Easily the best value meal we had during our time on Ischia — both in terms of quality and the whole experience.

If you’re visiting Ischia, make the trip up the narrow roads...