The Best Country For Fine Dining, According To Guy Fieri

While Guy Fieri earned his fame from dozens of diners, drive-ins, and dives, it doesn't mean he's above a little white-tablecloth service every now and then. In an interview with Travel and Leisure, he said that Italy is the best country for fine dining not just in Europe, but in the whole world.

For most people, this should come as no surprise. Fieri's got a well-documented love of Italian food, and the country has some of the best restaurants, most celebrated chefs, and beloved ingredients in the world. From Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana to Enoteca Pinchiorri led by Annie Féolde, this country is steeped in culinary history. Perhaps it's because Italy is in the Mediterranean, giving it prime growing conditions for a huge variety of foods. Maybe it's because Italy itself has so many regional cuisines that even locals have a hard time keeping track of what is and isn't considered "authentic."

Regardless, the universal appeal of Italian food is undeniable, and Italian chefs in their home country take their cooking seriously. As of October 2025, Italy has 393 Michelin-starred restaurants, including 14 with three stars. Unfortunately, Fieri couldn't take his usual tactic of ordering entree after entree when visiting these places. Like Fieri, you'll have to know how to order properly at an Italian restaurant if you want to experience them fully.

Italians take a different approach to dining than most European establishments. There are plenty of ordering mistakes to avoid with Italian cuisine, but even more important is understanding how the courses are meant to go together.

You won't see steak and pasta served together in Italy because they're considered separate courses. The primo is the first course of the meal, where starches like pasta take the stage. While a simply sauced and meatless pasta course may sound underwhelming, it gives you the opportunity to fully enjoy the quality of ingredients in a fine dining establishment. Secondo, the second course, is where you'll find proteins like chicken, beef, or fish given their own spotlight to shine in.

One of the biggest myths about Italian dinners is that you have to order every course. If you're at a fine dining establishment and want to skip the antipasti to save room for dessert, or just don't feel like having a primo pasta, don't be afraid to speak up. Unless your restaurant has a prix fixe menu with established courses at a set price that you order ahead of time, there's nothing wrong with passing on one course or another.