La Tagliata — Restaurant in Positano

We recently visited La Tagliata as a small group on holidays and had a fabulous time but it is a bit of a process to dine here so just thought I'd help clear up some confusion.

Getting there: We stayed in Positano and there is a shuttle service for the restaurant. We rang the restaurant and got the scheduled pick up time and closest location to where we were staying. We saw from many previous reviews that the shuttle runs to a rogue time and is always late, we ended up waiting 25 minutes for it but once we saw how chaotic the road up to the restaurant is, it made sense. So I do suggest trying to get an earlier service if you can, not that it seemed to matter what time we arrived for our booking so I suspect it would be no issue if you were running a bit late as a result of the shuttle. The return service loops the other way so don't stress if it feels like you're going in the wrong direction. The shuttle services are also not usually branded, thankfully the driver just knowingly pulled up to collect us from our agreed pickup location because we would not have known which service to flag down if we hadn't cleared this part up with the restaurant beforehand.

The food: It is very much home style cooking and we really enjoyed it. Fair warning, it is a pretty insane amount of food, we couldn't come anywhere near close to finishing and we felt bad for the wastage, but it was all really delicious. Come with a big appetite! We noticed some tables were smarter about asking for a half serve of the meat to try and reduce the waste, perhaps we should have considered the same.

Drinks: we were offered only their house made wine. Drinkable, nothing to write home about but it was bottomless so that was nice. Unsure if there actually is a drinks menu but we didn't mind.

Service: The service we had from all the staff was all really great right up until the last moment when we went to pay the bill and were told that cash is preferred - at no point during the booking process do they mention this and when we asked to pay by card, we were met with a surprisingly rude response accompanied by an exaggerated eye roll - the same guy who was so lovely just five minutes prior suddenly had a distaste for us because we didn't know cash was preferred and he didn't respond at all when we thanked him for the experience nonetheless and practically shooed us out the door. Had we known cash was preferred at such a busy location we would have come more prepared, however I would think that such a busy restaurant with such a big volume of tourists each day would either happily accept card or at least make this part clearer. It was also difficult to know how much cash we were meant to have brought as you cannot see the menu ahead of time, and many people dine in groups here.

The view is spectacular and all in all it is a very unique experience that we are glad to have done, despite the sour ending with the cranky customer service. As long as you're prepared for a bit of a chaotic journey up and back, it'll be...

La Tagliata is more than just a restaurant — it honestly felt like we were invited into someone’s home. The setting is incredible, perched up in the hills above Positano with views that almost don’t feel real. But what makes it really special is the family.

Grandfather, Grandmother, and Mama are in the kitchen cooking every dish with love and tradition, while the son greets you at the door like you’re family. Their grandson, Luigi, and Maximo were our servers, and they couldn’t have been kinder. Luigi even took the time to explain the history of the restaurant, which made the whole experience feel even more personal.

The meal is a set four-course menu, and everything comes straight from their own farm right next to the restaurant. After eating, we were able to walk through the farm, see the vegetables growing on the terraces, and meet the animals — pigs, bulls, chickens, and rabbits. The highlight for us was seeing piglets that had just been born while we were there for lunch. That was a first for us at any restaurant — and definitely a story we’ll never forget.

The food itself was outstanding. The antipasti could have been a meal on its own (I was ready to wave the white flag right there), but then came the homemade pastas, followed by a parade of grilled meats and vegetables, and finally dessert with limoncello. The portions are generous, the flavors are authentic, and the house wine (included) flows freely — which, let’s be honest, never hurts.

We went on a Saturday at lunchtime, which I’d highly recommend. It wasn’t crowded at all, so it felt really relaxed and gave us time to enjoy both the food and the views without feeling rushed.

Another thing that makes La Tagliata so unique is their full-day cooking class. It starts at 9 in the morning and goes until about 4 in the afternoon. You pick all your ingredients straight from the farm, then cook and eat together. When we arrived for lunch, we could hear the class wrapping up — music blasting, laughter, and a bit of party energy drifting through the air. Then, as soon as everyone sat down to eat, it went completely silent for about 30 minutes. That’s how you know the food is good — the party literally stopped until every bite was finished. Then the music kicked back on and the celebration started again. It looked like so much fun that we immediately said we’d book a class ourselves if we come back.

Everything about La Tagliata felt warm, authentic, and truly special. At about $50 per person including wine, it’s not just a meal — it’s an experience, and one of the best we had...

Providing three stars for the views and because ... while I disagree with how the family behind La Tagliata is not transparent of where the ingredients for their meals are sourced ... I found the family really hospitable during our meal - and I respect the business they have built.

My primary frustration with La Tagliata is their dishonesty in telling tourists and other guests that the meals served is all sourced from food grown from their garden. I am writing this review for future guests or tourists who are wondering what they might experience. It absolutely is a tourist trap when it comes to the quality of the food, but if you are looking for a certain experience - I do think La Tagliata provides.

I do believe some ingredients come from the family's garden, but as someone who comes from a professional hospitality / food&beverage background, it is simply impossible to serve the hundreds of people they feed per day during lunch service, dinner service, and cooking classes only sourcing from their small garden. I also found the conditions they keep their animals in (donkey, dogs, chickens, etc) very dirty and borderline abusive. There are different cultural norms in Italy than where I originate from, but the conditions their animals are in would 100% be considered neglectful ... and borderline abuse from the authorities in my country.

Because it is told to guests that they are eating food only from the garden, I feel that La Tagliata gets away with very low-quality dishes, often, overcooked meals that could best be described as "mush". If you weren't told what the dish is made of, you would not be able to discern by the look or taste...

All this is to say, if your intention to visit La Tagliata is to experience a beautiful view along the coast, get drunk off of their unlimited rough "house wine" (NOT made in vineyards they own by the way), have a pretty affordable group dinner with low-to-medium quality food (50-60 euros pp) - this is your place, and you will really love it.

If you are drawn to La Tagliata with the expectation of a farm-to-table meal, traditional Italian food, an authentic southern Italian experience, or a desire to really experience the culinary or beverage scene of Campania - there are so many superior options for you along the Amalfi Coast. Michelin restaunts (La Serra, Zass), Kasai in Praiano, Da Gabrisa & Posides in Positano, etc

PS - if you come for lunch prepare to listen to Gasolina on full volume x 100 times for the cooking class...