TavernAllegra — Restaurant in Sorrento

We veered off the main street in Sorrento and turned down a dark alley.  A few turns later Tavern Allegra stood before us.  Had we made a horrible choice?

Absolutely not! Owner Giuseppi Aprenda greeted us at the door, and from that moment on we had an unbelievable evening.

Allegra promotes itself on having live music, and they weren't kidding!  Two gentlemen belted out hits all night long, not accepting passive listening, and instead encouraged guests to sing along and play a few tambourines circulating the room.  They took a break early on and some random guy started singing an aria from an opera...a capella.  And he was good, like really good!

So we're at a restaurant... That means food, but what a first 15 minutes.  We settled in as Eddie Van Halen and the gypsy on the mandolin took their break (green M&Ms for all [if you get it, you get it].

We went with a Scialatiellial frutti de Mare and the Ravioli de Mare for Primi.  Go big seafood or go home.  Tavern Allegra chefs delivered a home run, or in Italy, maybe a bicycle kick goal from outside the box.  Generous clams and mussles in a tasty sauce that required three pieces of bread to clean the plate. The ravioli was packed with seafood and had mini clams on top.  That disappeared quickly too.

Slash and Roy Clark [Hee Haw] started up the music again (look up the references) and the house started rocking.  A family of eight had everyone joining in on a sing along.

Our Secondo was a Branzino Scottoto ai Cipollotti with Vedure alla Griglia.  The red peppers and the zucchini blended perfectly with the fish and onions.  Light course, but full of flavor.

Burt Reynolds left the building because the boys played a number that sounded more like a song from Deliverance than an Italian hit.  Again the crowd went crazy.

We finished our meal with espresso, Ameretto  and of course a Limoncello Torte, after almost it's Sorrento not Kentucky.

What a great night,...

This little traditional, family run and authentic restaurant turned out to be our #1 favourite of all the places we travelled to across the Amalfi Coast, Capri and Sorrento and a real hidden gem where the food is DIVINE and the service is FRIENDLY, WARM AND WELCOMING with an owner who is wholeheartedly proud of his restaurant!!!!

We have spent days and eaten lunch, dinner or both in the following places: Praiano, Amalfi, Positano, Capri, Anacapri and finally Sorrento and hand on heart this has been the best food we have experienced for the entire trip.

The location is up a side street and it's small, quiet and unassuming outside but don't let that fool you, because we met the owner who immediately showed a passion for his restaurant, food and guests that was more genuine than anything else we experienced in Italy where he welcomed us in to have a look at the cosy romantic inside.

Inside there was music played by a local guitarist and it added to the atmosphere.

This is the rustic and genuine Italian culture we were seeking and it was delivered!!!!

Starters were a twist on Bruschetta with their own special approach (see pictures) and Calamari followed by a Risotto with citrus fruits of Sorrento which was fresh and light and also a special local sausage pasta .... All of these were so full of flavour and incredibly DELICIOUS !!!!!!!

Later in the evening the guitarist came out to sing for the outdoor tables which was quite special too. Again he was another person genuinely happy to entertain the guests.

We had both the house white and red wines which wefe light and pleasant and easily drinkable and inexpensive The entire meal was fantastic value for money consider the HIGH QUALITY of the dishes.

A really special little restaurant evidently popular as we witnessed many locals and obviously repeat guests march up the alley and right into the restaurant knowing this was where they wanted to...

Should you find yourself in Sorrento do not miss the opportunity to visit this restaurant. Heading down an alleyway a block off Via Corso, you will find the chance to have a true Italian -- a true Sorrento -- experience. Absolutely delicious food, and wonderful service from people who are clearly delighted to be there.

We ate here two nights in a row, and had two very different experiences that were both wonderful. The first night, we had been out adventuring and missed lunch, so we had dinner here at 6 PM. As you might expect if you are familiar with how Italians eat, we had the entire restaurant to ourselves. As a result we got to have more wonderful interactions with the staff. My wife and I and our twin girls, age 9, were treated like family.

The next night we came in much closer to 9 PM, and the place was packed. There was a gentleman playing guitar. We were greeted like old friends, and despite the crowd, managed to sit at the same table we had had the night before. The food was just as amazing as the night before, and tonight we were treated to the owner singing "That's Amore" along with everyone in the restaurant.

It was an unforgettable...