Perugia Food
Explore Perugia Food: Restaurants, Markets & More
Perugia food is tied to Umbrian cooking, hill-town markets, local chocolate, cured meats, cheeses, truffles, lentils, olive oil, and simple pasta and meat dishes. The city’s historic center is compact, but its food options range from traditional restaurants to casual cafés, markets, and small food shops.
We spent a month in Perugia researching what to eat, where to eat it, and how the city’s food fits within the wider food culture of Umbria. This guide focuses on local dishes, restaurants, food markets, and practical stops for a short or longer stay.
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Local Food in Perugia
Local food in Perugia is based on Umbrian ingredients such as olive oil, lentils, beans, pork, cured meats, cheese, truffles, mushrooms, game, pasta, bread, and seasonal vegetables. Compared with coastal Italian cities, Perugia leans more toward inland dishes, slow-cooked meats, soups, and earthy flavors.
Useful dishes and products to look for include strangozzi, torta al testo, porchetta, umbricelli, lentils from Castelluccio, Norcia cured meats, pecorino, black truffle, olive oil, and Perugian chocolate.
For a broader regional overview, see our Umbria Food page.
Umbria Food
Umbrian food is rooted in inland central Italy. It uses olive oil, legumes, pork, cured meats, truffles, cheese, bread, pasta, vegetables, and seasonal ingredients. For more on these regional specialties, see the official Flavours of Umbria food guide.
In Perugia, those regional patterns appear in restaurants, markets, bakeries, cafés, and small food shops. Check out our Umbria Food page for more information.
Restaurants in Perugia
Restaurants in Perugia range from traditional Umbrian dining rooms in the historic center to newer kitchens and casual neighborhood spots. For a first visit, choose one place for local pasta or truffle dishes and one easier stop for lunch during a walk through the old town.
Ristorante Il Giurista
- Address: Via Bartolo, 30, 06123 Perugia PG, Italy
Ristorante Il Giurista is a traditional restaurant in the historic center. It is a useful option for pasta, meat dishes, and a slower meal near Perugia’s central streets.
Ada Ristorante
- Address: Via del Bovaro, 2, 06121 Perugia PG, Italy
Ada Ristorante is a small restaurant in Perugia’s historic center. Check the current menu and booking requirements before going, especially for dinner.
Trattoria Oberdan Perugia
- Address: Via Guglielmo Oberdan, 35, 06121 Perugia PG, Italy
Trattoria Oberdan is a central option for a casual sit-down meal. Its location makes it easy to combine with a walk through the old town.
L'Attaccabrighe
- Address: Str. Pievaiola, 246, 06132 Perugia PG, Italy
L'Attaccabrighe is outside the most central old-town route, so it works better if you have a car, taxi plan, or a specific reason to eat away from the center.
Ristorante Al Tartufo
- Address: Via Ulisse Rocchi, 4, 06123 Perugia PG, Italy
Ristorante Al Tartufo is useful if you want a meal focused on truffle dishes and Umbrian ingredients. It is centrally located, so it can fit into an old-town walking day.
Luce Ristorante
- Address: Via Ulisse Rocchi, 18-20, 06123 Perugia PG, Italy
Luce Ristorante is a central dining option near other historic-center restaurants. Check current hours and menus before planning around it.
La Moglie Ubriaca
- Address: Via Alessi, 30, 06122 Perugia PG, Italy
La Moglie Ubriaca is a central restaurant option near Perugia’s old-town walking routes. It can work for dinner after visiting the main streets and viewpoints.
Food Markets in Perugia
Food markets in Perugia are useful for seeing seasonal Umbrian ingredients and everyday shopping patterns. Expect produce, bread, cheese, cured meats, olive oil, honey, pantry items, and small local products rather than a visitor-focused food hall.
Mercatino di Elce
- Address: Via Maria Bonaparte Valentini, 65, 06123 Perugia PG, Italy
Mercatino di Elce is a neighborhood market outside the main tourist route. It is most useful for longer stays or visitors who want to shop where residents buy everyday ingredients.
MercaTezio
- Address: Str. Perugia - S. Marco, 95, 06131 Perugia PG, Italy
MercaTezio is outside the historic center and works better for visitors with a car or local transport plan. It is more practical for everyday shopping than sightseeing.
Mercato Contadino Perugia Campagna Amica
- Address: Via della Madonna Alta, 112, 06128 Perugia PG
Mercato Contadino Perugia Campagna Amica is a farmers market focused on local and regional producers. It is useful for seasonal produce, olive oil, cheese, honey, and other Umbrian products.
Mercato Agricolo Biologico Umbria Terra Viva
- Address: P.za Piccinino, 06122 Perugia PG
Mercato Agricolo Biologico Umbria Terra Viva is an organic market option for local produce and pantry items. Check the current schedule before planning a visit, because market days and locations can change.
Food Tours in Perugia
Food tours in Perugia provide an organized way to learn about Umbrian dishes, local ingredients, and the role of markets, bakeries, and small eateries in the city’s food culture. These tours typically include short walks through the historic center combined with tastings of regional specialties.
Best Places to Stay in Perugia
Hotels in Perugia
There are many great places to stay in Perugia. For the best experience, we recommend staying near Piazza IV Novembre (the castle marker on the map below). The area around Piazza IV Novembre is the most pedestrian-friendly, surrounded by restaurants and historical shops.
Here’s a map with hotel and apartment options that can be filtered to meet your needs. Select your travel dates to get specific availability and prices.
FAQs About Perugia Food
What food is Perugia known for?
Perugia is known for Umbrian dishes and products such as strangozzi, umbricelli, torta al testo, porchetta, truffles, olive oil, lentils, cured meats, cheese, and chocolate.
Is Perugia good for food?
Yes. Perugia is a good food city if you want inland Umbrian cooking, traditional restaurants, markets, chocolate shops, and slower meals in a historic hill-town setting.
What should I try first in Perugia?
Start with torta al testo, strangozzi or umbricelli, a truffle pasta dish, Umbrian cured meats, local cheese, and Perugian chocolate.
Are there food markets in Perugia?
Yes. Perugia has neighborhood markets, farmers markets, and organic market options. They are useful for produce, cheese, cured meats, honey, olive oil, bread, and pantry items.
How does Perugia food differ from coastal Italian food?
Perugia is inland, so the food leans more toward pork, cured meats, truffles, legumes, olive oil, pasta, soups, game, and vegetables rather than seafood.
What chocolate is Perugia known for?
Perugia is home of Perugina, a well-known Italian chocolate brand that produces high-quality chocolates, including the iconic Baci chocolates with hazelnuts. To learn more about factory visits, tastings, and the history of Baci, check the official Casa del Cioccolato Perugina website.