The best Italian restaurants in Dunedin run from a family-run Tuscan dining room in the city centre to a pizzeria built onto the sea wall at St Clair. Whether you are after handmade pasta, a wood-fired margherita or a long table for a birthday, the Italian restaurants in Dunedin below stretch from Moray Place and George Street out to the coast, with Etrusco at the Savoy and The Esplanade among them.
1Etrusco at the Savoy
Etrusco at the Savoy is a family owned Italian restaurant in the centre of Dunedin, set in the ornate dining room of the historic Savoy building on Moray Place. Federico and Meegan Gianone run it alongside sons Rion and Zane, cooking traditional Tuscan recipes with a wide range of pasta and pizza. The restaurant is fully licensed and BYO, with an extensive cellar wine list.
Services
- Traditional Tuscan pasta dishes
- Pizza, listed on the menu as le pizze
- Italian-style breads, antipasto and salads
- Italian desserts including tiramisu and gelato
- Group bookings for parties of ten or more, taken by phone
Highlights
- Family owned and operated by the Gianone family, with both sons holding shares in the business
- Trading in the historic Savoy building on Moray Place for more than 20 years
- Fully licensed and BYO, with an extensive cellar wine list
- Gift vouchers available for dining at the restaurant
- Open seven days from 5.30pm
Location & Contact
Name: Etrusco at the Savoy
Address: The Savoy Building, 8A Moray Place, Dunedin
Phone: 03 477 3737
Website: etrusco.co.nz
2The Esplanade
The Esplanade sits on the sea wall at St Clair beach, serving wood-fired pizza, pasta and Italian small plates from breakfast through to dinner. Menus change weekly and the room is backed by a full bar of Italian aperitivi, cocktails and wine. It comes from the team behind No7 Balmac, Piccolo Bar and Sorella Gelato.
Services
- Wood-fired pizza across red and white bases, from margherita to pescatora
- Pasta and risotto including gnocchi, lasagne, pappardelle and spinach ravioli
- Antipasti such as arancini, fritto di mare and wood-oven baked cheese
- An Italian breakfast menu served from 8am daily
- Cocktails, Italian wine and aperitivi from a full-service bar
Highlights
- Beachfront site at 2 Esplanade, facing the sand at St Clair
- From the team behind No7 Balmac, Piccolo Bar and Sorella Gelato
- Menus updated weekly
- Gluten free pizza bases, vegan mozzarella and dairy free options marked on the menu
- Private room for group bookings, with reservations taken online
Location & Contact
Name: The Esplanade
Address: 2 Esplanade, St Clair, Dunedin 9012
Phone: 03 456 2544
Website: esplanade.co
3Filadelfio’s
Filadelfio’s is a gourmet pizza restaurant and bar on the Gardens corner at the north end of Dunedin, trading at 3 North Road since 1995. The menu runs from classic and premium pizzas through a pasta selection to salads, burgers and dessert pizzas, served in a New York inspired room. Logan and Jo Beck bought the business in 1998 and expanded it into a small South Island group.
Services
- Gourmet pizzas across classic, favourites and premium ranges
- Pasta including spaghetti bolognaise, carbonara and puttanesca
- Salads, nachos and starters such as garlic bread and seasoned wedges
- Kids’ meals and dessert pizzas
- Set menu for groups of twelve or more
Highlights
- Trading at 3 North Road on the Gardens corner since 1995
- Gluten free pizza bases and gluten free fusilli pasta available
- Vegan and vegetarian pizzas on the standard menu
- Half and half toppings available on large pizzas
Location & Contact
Name: Filadelfio’s
Address: Gardens corner, 3-5 North Road, Dunedin
Phone: 03 473 6232
Website: filadelfios.co.nz
4La Porchetta Dunedin
La Porchetta is a family style Italian restaurant at 218 George Street in central Dunedin, one of four New Zealand stores in a trans-Tasman group. The kitchen covers pizza and pasta alongside meat, poultry and seafood dishes and desserts, running from brunch through to dinner. The George Street room is large and open plan, and takes bookings for functions and group dinners.
Services
- Pizza and pasta
- Meat, poultry and seafood dishes
- Desserts
- Functions, group dinners and online ordering for delivery or pick up
Highlights
- Central George Street address, a short walk from the Octagon
- Mini Chef parties for children
- Free wifi in store
Location & Contact
Name: La Porchetta Dunedin
Address: 218 George Street, Dunedin 9016
Phone: 03 974 8870
Website: laporchetta.com.au/dunedin
Italian Restaurants in Dunedin at a Glance
| Business | Based in | Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| Etrusco at the Savoy | Dunedin | Family owned and operated by the Gianone family |
| The Esplanade | St Clair | Beachfront site at 2 Esplanade, facing the sand at St Clair |
| Filadelfio's | Dunedin | Trading at 3 North Road on the Gardens corner since 1995 |
| La Porchetta Dunedin | Dunedin | Central George Street address, a short walk from the Octagon |
How to Choose the Right Italian Restaurant in Dunedin
- Decide what you actually want on the plate. A pasta and Tuscan menu, a wood-fired pizza list and a big family pizza restaurant are three different nights out.
- Check the dough. Wood-fired bases, hand-stretched bases and thicker gourmet bases all behave differently, and most kitchens say which they use.
- Ask about dietary options before you book. Gluten free bases and pasta, vegan cheese and dairy free swaps are common but not universal, and some are limited to one pizza size.
- Match the room to the group. Large open-plan restaurants suit birthdays and student flats, while a small first-floor dining room suits a quiet dinner for two.
- Confirm the licence arrangement. Some Dunedin restaurants are fully licensed, some are BYO, and a few are both, which changes what you bring with you.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dunedin Italian Restaurants
What does an Italian meal cost in Dunedin?
Prices vary by restaurant and change over time, so check the current menu before you book. As a guide, published menus in the city put pasta mains and single-serve pizzas in the mid to high twenties and thirties, with shared antipasti and larger family pizzas costing more.
Which parts of the city do these restaurants cover?
Central Dunedin is well served, with Moray Place a minute from the Octagon and George Street running north through the retail strip. For a coastal option, St Clair is about ten minutes south by car. The Gardens corner at the top of North Road covers North Dunedin and the university end of town.
Do I need to book?
For a weekend evening, yes. Several restaurants take online reservations and others prefer a phone call, particularly for tables of ten or more, which usually need to be arranged directly with the restaurant.
Can I find gluten free pizza and pasta?
Gluten free pizza bases are widely offered in Dunedin, often at a small surcharge and sometimes only in one size. Gluten free pasta is less common but is available. Tell staff about allergies when you order rather than relying on the menu alone, since shared ovens and kitchens are normal.
Are these restaurants suitable for children?
Most are. Larger open-plan restaurants carry a dedicated kids’ menu and run children’s parties, while smaller dining rooms are quieter and better suited to older children and adults.
What is the difference between a pizzeria and a full Italian restaurant?
A pizzeria builds its menu around the oven, with pizza first and a shorter list of sides and pasta. A full Italian restaurant carries antipasti, pasta, risotto and dessert as separate courses. Several venues in Dunedin do both, so read the menu rather than the name.
Can I get Italian food delivered or as takeaway?
Yes. Some restaurants run their own online ordering for pick up and delivery, and others offer takeaway by phone. Wood-fired pizza travels better than a plated pasta dish, which is worth keeping in mind for a longer drive home.
How do I check a restaurant’s food safety grade?
Food premises in the city operate under food control plans verified by the Dunedin City Council, and many restaurants display their grade near the entrance. If you cannot see one, it is reasonable to ask.
How We Chose the Best Italian Restaurants in Dunedin
Every business in this guide was found by searching for italian restaurants in Dunedin, then checked against its own website. Names, addresses and phone numbers are taken from the business’s own site rather than a directory feed, so what you see here is what they publish themselves. We also check that each one is actually based in or genuinely serving Dunedin, rather than a national operator running a local landing page. A business with no website of its own is not listed, because there is no primary source to verify it against.