What Cuisine Does A Coastal Italian Restaurant Really Serve?

Picture this: you're sitting on a fabulous beach on the Amalfi Coast, sipping an Aperol Spritz and nibbling on calamari while you take in the breathtaking views. Sounds pretty amazing, doesn't it? Unfortunately, this fantasy is out of reach for most people, which is why so-called "Coastal Italian" restaurants aim to provide the next best thing.

This chic, beachy style of Italian restaurant has been popping up in cities across America in recent years, with media outlets like Eater taking note of the emerging trend. Notable examples include Élephante and Capri in Los Angeles, Casino in New York City, and Faccia a Faccia in Boston. But what exactly differentiates a Coastal Italian restaurant from any other — and what kind of food does it serve?

There is no universally accepted answer to that question. Italy has no uniquely "coastal" region, because almost the entire country is coastal, so there's not necessarily a specific regional cuisine that all of these restaurants are referencing. However, many of them do point to Southern Italy as their main geographical influence, and understandably, heavily feature seafood on their menus. Another near-constant across Coastal Italian restaurant menus is their emphasis on spritzes and other delicious Italian cocktails that seem to transport you to the Riviera. Ultimately, Eater contends that the descriptor is mostly an aesthetic sensibility rather than a culinary one, but if you dine at one of these restaurants, you are likely to find a focus on delicate pastas, seafood specialties and fresh, Mediterranean flavors.

One of the major qualities that distinguishes the Coastal Italian culinary aesthetic is its contrast to the traditional Italian-American "red sauce" style of restaurants. With their heaping portions of, well, red sauce, plus rich, meaty dishes and complimentary garlic bread for good measure, these establishments are a staple of American culture born out of the Italian diaspora. They originated primarily on the East Coast of the United States and are typically associated with Italian immigrant communities of the early 1900s in places like New York and New Jersey. Though the classic dishes they serve, such as spaghetti and meatballs or veal Parmesan, are central to the American understanding of Italian food, many of them aren't actually from Italy.

Red sauce-style Italian restaurants are still hugely popular in the U.S. today, but they now share the spotlight with Coastal Italian establishments and other more upscale spots. While red sauce joints evoke a distinctly American nostalgia for the Little Italies of years past and their red and white checkered tablecloths, Coastal Italian restaurants are meant to conjure a fantasy of traipsing around Italy itself on an expensive vacation. That's not to say that one is necessarily more authentic or delicious than the other — it's all a matter of what vibe you're looking for.