Taverna Antonio — Restaurant in Ischia

We stumbled upon Taverna Antonio by pure chance—and what a find. They were fully booked for the night, but graciously squeezed our party of two in, and thank god they did. As a foodie, I thought I had seen it all… but octopus carbonara? Game-changer. It’s been two days, and I’m still thinking about it.

We also shared the mussel scarpariello, which was packed with flavor, and what I believe was the Ischian bruschetta—a simple yet perfect mix of tomatoes, olives, capers, and sardines. We dug in so quickly I didn’t even get to photograph it. Everything was fresh, thoughtful, and rooted in local tradition with a creative touch.

The restaurant is family-run, and Antonio himself was our waiter—charming, attentive, and clearly proud of what they’ve built. You can tell the space was recently redone; both the interior and exterior are beautifully styled, blending modern polish with island soul. Even the pottery was custom and adorable—another detail that made the whole meal feel special.

The only (minor) downside wasn’t even their fault: the restaurant next door had harsh fluorescent lighting that interrupted the otherwise lovely ambiance. But once the food hit the table, we barely noticed.

Taverna Antonio is the kind of place you remember—not just for the food, but for the heart behind it. If you’re in Ischia, make a reservation. You’ll be...

We chose Ischia over capri and amalfi to avoid the over touristy feel and to get a more local vibe and have a nice beach day. While we were there we found Taverna Antonio and it made our day! From the beginning we were greeted with warmth and seated right by the water with an amazing view. The food and wine were some of the best we had on our whole three week trip and what made our visit to Taverna Antonio the most special was Daniella, our server. She made us feel less like restaurant guests and more like friends or family. She was so sweet and welcoming. She made great recommendations, she speaks Italian and German and let me practice my very poor German with her. She’s truly special and welcoming and when we visit Italy again we are making it a point to stay on ischia and to visit this place again…a few times. If you’re on ischia or even in Naples, do yourself a favor, and visit this special taverna. The food, atmosphere, and warm service will be something that I promise will make a beautiful experience, something you’ll...

I don’t recommend!!! I wanted to eat there because it was one of the places a local recommended to me. I asked for a table, the waitress told me to wait because she has to ask her supervisor and at the same time asked me if I was Italian ( I was speaking to her in Italian when I arrived). I responded that I am not Italian as that was the truth. After 5 minutes of waiting, I politely asked her again.. finally this guy comes (I think it was the manager) and tells me it is not possible as they are fully booked (although there were a lot of empty tables and they don’t make reservations). I never felt this offended in my entire life, and this comes from someone who lived in multiple countries, speaks multiple languages, recently moved to France and we all know how welcoming the French can be.. but never like this, it is the first time something like this...