Boutique Hotel Don Alfonso 1890

Dining at Don Alfonso was an experience that transcended mere culinary satisfaction and ventured into the realm of the unforgettable. From the moment we arrived, the impeccable service set the tone for the evening. The staff demonstrated an acute attention to detail that made us feel not only welcomed but truly cherished as guests. Their professionalism and warmth were unparalleled.The surprise birthday arrangement for my partner was the cherry on top of an already splendid evening. The discreet yet thoughtful gesture added a personal touch that made our celebration all the more special.One of the highlights of our visit was the exclusive tour of the wine cellar. Venturing into the heart of Don Alfonso's wine collection, we were guided through an impressive array of vintages and varietals, each telling its own story. This intimate peek into the culinary world of Don Alfonso enriched our dining experience, providing context and depth to the exquisite wine pairings that accompanied our meal.Speaking of the meal, to say the food was exceptional would be an understatement. Each dish was a masterpiece, meticulously crafted to deliver a symphony of flavors that left us in awe. The chef's genius shone through in every course, with each plate surpassing the last in complexity and taste. It was a culinary journey that weaved local tradition with innovative techniques, creating a menu that was both familiar and delightfully surprising.In conclusion, our dinner at Don Alfonso was not just a meal; it was a celebration of culinary artistry, exceptional service, and personal touches that together created a truly memorable experience. For anyone seeking not just to dine, but to be taken on a gastronomic adventure, Don Alfonso comes highly recommended. Each plate not only satisfied our taste buds but also captured our hearts, leaving us with memories that we will cherish for years to come.

This was the most wonderful culinary experience. Something that, should you find yourself in Sorrento, you should not miss. The family Iaccarino were all most welcoming, the new decor is serene and stylish, the food and service was off the end of the scale. A memorable three hour lunch on a Saturday was the highlight of our holiday. I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough.

One of the best dinners of my life. Don Alfonso isnt your typical 2 Michelin star fancy experience. Don Alfonso gives you the fancy, elegance, homey, warm and simple experience all at once. You don’t get the feeling that they’re trying to sell you an expensive bottle of wine. They want to give you the best Italian dinning experience of your life and they certainly delivered that. Every bite was exceptional. It was by far the best meal I had in Italy. Mario welcomed me like I was the most important customer, the food was perfection, the wine was great, the family kept coming to check in. The staff was all amazing. I had a truly great experience. Worth every euro and will return every time I visit.

Whatever changes the years may bring, it is always wonderful to return here to be welcomed back by the Iaccarino family. The hospitality remains warm and welcoming so it is always a joy to spend time here when we are not out exploring this wonderful part of Italy.||The housekeeping here is exceptional and would put many larger luxury hotels to shame. We had moved a floor lamp from its original place as we wanted to use it to illuminate the dining table in our room, and when our room was serviced the next day we found that it had been replaced by a table lamp without having to ask. It is little touches like this that really distinguish this property.||The breakfast is of course delicious and local with lots of a la carte options, hot, cold, sweet and savoury to add to the extensive bakery basket. Room service, if one can call it that, is special here too as all of the dishes come from the 2* kitchen so it is definitely the best room service in the world!||We love our time here so much that each year before we leave we book up our next stay, and this year it was no different, so here we are counting down the days until summer 2023!

This was the best dinner we had on our honeymoon! The staff were extremely attentive and the owner and chef went table to table making sure everyone was enjoing their meals. The entushiasm shown by everyone shows just how important the quality of the restaurant was to the staff, and it was a pleasure interacting with them! Also, the food was outstanding. There was a great mix of modern takes on dishes along with classic pastas and main courses. We cannot recommend this place enough for anyone in the area!

Such a beautiful and extravagant experience. The people are so welcoming and the tour of the wine-cellar and garden (as well as the history we learned) was awe-striking. I’ve been to plenty of Michelin restaurants (Especially in NY which is home to the best food) and hands down, I can’t find anything better than in Italy. For an experience of a life-time and a savory dinner, don’t miss out on this experience if in the area. We even ended up seeing a proposal… she said yes ‼️

Our tour arranger, Mario Milo, booked this dinner for my two friends and me. We didn't expect such a special experience! From the tour of the wine cellar, the decor, the amazing extra treats that kept arriving at our table, to the little stool where my purse was placed, this restaurant is top notch. Who knew purses had their own chairs?||We met the owner and his mother and fully enjoyed their company. I hope he really does watch Ozark on Netflix:)||This was an amazing way to end our trip to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast.

Staying at Don Alfonso is like staying with family. We can’t recommend the property and restaurant enough. The food and service are outstanding. We will be back !

Our dinner was a surprise set up by the Oasis Olimpia Relais which is about 5 mins away as part of our culinary vacation and cultural experience. And what a surprise it was!! When we arrived we were greeted by a hostess who gave us some history about the restaurant and gave us a tour around the newly renovated property, their extensive wine cellar, sitting room and cooking school kitchen. Our visit so happened to coincide with their grand re-opening after a year and half of renovations. They also have rooms you can rent and one villa as well as enroll in cooking classes. During our meal one of the owners Salvatore came to our table and greeted us, as did Chef himself! We felt special and appreciated and they were truly genuine and happy to have us. The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated, with intimate areas and quiet spaces as well as larger open spaces for larger groups. Service was above and beyond and the food out of this world. No wonder it's a two Michelin star restaurant. If you're a foody you must try one of their locations! I'll be trying the one in Toronto next time I'm there! Thank you again for a wonderful evening!

This is an experience. We ordered the tasting menu. Every plate was not only beautiful, but amazing. Ask for a tour of the 2700 year old wine cellar.

This is an experience! From Sorrento, you need a taxi. My hotel said the taxis were busy because it was Saturday night and last minute. The restaurant arranged a taxi for pickup/return with no problem. Upon arrival, we were greeted and led to the wine cellar for a tour. Created in 1500AD, the wine cellar with 25,000 bottles is slightly older than my own country. :) We ordered the Chefs Choice menu tasting (not the Traditionale.) Both options looked amazing. The service was impeccable. We each had a local Campania wine. Smelled heavenly and tasted so, too. Multiple courses were served. They were all unique and inventive. The presentation was lovely. I cannot pick a favorite! The owner came by the table to say hello and later shook our hands as we left for the evening. The other patrons were nicely dressed. Highly recommend for a special night!

What a bunch of snooty and despicable people representing this establishment. My wife and I had heard about this restaurant and that it had a Michelin star and we decided to stop by to inquire about reservations for another night. We were dressed casual in Summer attire as we were walking down the street getting Gelato with our teenage kids. We asked if this was the entrance to the restaurant as it appeared clearly it was the front of the restaurant, but located in the side of the building in between the hotel and restaurant. There were 3 woman and a man standing at the front and one of the woman told us this wasn't the entrance to the restaurant and directed us to walk further down the street to get to the entrance. There was no language barrier whatsoever, her English was clear and concise. The man at the front said this is the entrance right here and the woman laughed and said "no, he is only joking and told us to continue down the street the main street to the right." We walked around the corner till we hit a dead end at the church and then realized what had happened. We walked back and asked why she told us to walk down the street and then she rudely asked if we had a reservation. We told her no we wanted to inquire about one for another night. She then said she could help us get a reservation on another night. She seemed to be the one in charge tonight and the lady was either a manager or Maître d' as she went to walk us over to the hotel to check the reservations schedule. We told her no that was okay and walked away. We are no strangers to fine dining restaurants and frequent them often back home. We have some amazing restaurants in Souther California and we are accustomed to great food and great service. We were completely disgusted to be treated so rudely or that anyone would be treated like this for that matter. I rarely ever leave a negative review, but was so disappointed in the way we were treated I felt it important to share. For any restaurant to play a joke on a customer because they felt they were not in proper attire to dine at their restaurant is like one of those situations you would see in a movie. Hard to believe these places actually exist. And by the way, we would have made reservations for a party of 5 and likely had a very large bill to pay, so their loss.

This is by far the best restaurant restaurant in Italy. Elegant, with no detail overlooked. The cuisine is inventive thanks to Ernesto, head chef and son of the owners, Alfonso and Livia. Their other son Mario manages everything. Livia is there most nights during dinner and makes sure everyone is happy. There is also a small hotel which is as elegant as the restaurant. We have stayed here a few times and are here now. The wine cellar is in an 600 BC Etruscan cave which runs from the restaurant down to the sea. They have over 25,000 bottles of wine. They also have a cooking school. The best part is how friendly the staff is. They only want to see that their guests are satisfied. Even if you only go here once, it will be worth it.

Dont listen to Andy or the pompous ass guy whining about their lack of an extensive wine cellar. Seriously?? I came for authentic LOCAL cuisine and this place delivered on another level. Everything we ordered was superb, from the stuffed peppers to fish and cheese to the red snapper with pasta. Roast lamb, fish. Amazing!! Great service!@ This restaurant picked us up at our hotel and drove us home free of charge. This is a great place. Highly recommended by locals and tourists, you will be VERY happy coming here!!

A once in a trip place. Very classy ambiance. A welcoming place that defines hospitality from the moment we arrived. The food was incredible and just kept on coming. The service presentation were amazing and exceeded by the food most f sources locally and from their own organic farm. If you only went to one restaurant in Italy this is the one .

We stayed in Santa Agata and were lucky enough to score a table for six at Don Alfonso. It was the last night for our extended family trip in Italy and we though it would be a great way to cap off a fabulous trip. We were immediately treated by friendly staff who took us in a tour of the impressive wine and cheese cellar located several feet below the property. After the tour we were seated in a beautiful white dining room with pink accents. The number of staff waiting on us was amazing. They gave special attention to the young dinners of our group and proactively offered to make any substitutions on the tasting menu as needed. The meal started with an artfully presenter amuse bouche. The following plates were progressively got better and better. The owners stopped by throughout the evening to ensure we were having a great experience. You can really tell they put a great deal of time and passion to deliver a superior experience to their guests. All the little details have been attended to like custom china patterns that match the fabric on the chairs. After a mind blowing dessert (essence of lemon) we were treated to a special tour of the kitchen. The chef was very kind to the kids and asked them about their favorite items of the meal. He also gave us a tour of the kitchen before we slipped out the back door. Yes this is a splurge, but it is a very memorable 3 hour dining experience we surely won't forget!

Very fancy restaurant!! I really enjoyed my dinner here!! This was probably the nicest restaurant I've ever been to. The waiters and waitresses were amazing! The food and wine were exquisite!! Thank you so much Don Alfons

Maybe it's just me. Maybe I am just past fine dining and haute cuisine. The last few $300pp meals I've had have not impressed including our recent table at Don Alfonso. The rave reviews on blogs ("best meal ever" was the common refrain), 5 stars on trip advisor, yelp, etc and yes, the 2 Michelin stars set the expectations high - perhaps to un-achievable levels. But maybe it's just me. Getting to the restaurant in St Agata was too much trouble by bus, If you want a seating in the evening, plan to add another €100 in cabs from nearby Sorrento to take you the 20 min to and from the boutique hotel. The grounds were lovely. A quick tour of their wine cave and cheese aging room was a nice touch, but really nothing to look at and the climb down to the cheese room was pretty sketchy for my wife in her nice dress and high heels. The restaurant decor was well done. Multiple rooms with clean white walls and sophisticated pink furniture/accents and zany figurines and art throughout. The kitchen itself was beautiful. They have a stove that looks like an exotic Italian sports car. Looking back at the meal now, I found the whole experience so "un-Italian". When I think of the best Italian food we have had, I think of food that is unrestrained, simple and well executed. The dishes we had at DA seemed too fussy, overly concocted, but not even that original. I started this review a day after our meal, but never finished it. And now it's been about 2 months since I had the meal and I can't even remember what I had (besides a very overpowering eel mousse). Everything tasted fine, but for the buzz that preceded this meal, it was unremarkable and a let down for us. Also, you can skip dessert because the petits fours that ended the meal were the highlight of our dinner and better than the ala carte desserts we ordered. We had some serious service issues as well. There were crumbs on the seat when we arrived, the dimmers in the dining room were malfunctioning so we ate in stark ultra bright conditions, and the dining room was also too warm. Worst of all, my wife cut her lip on a chipped wine glass. This is bad for any restaurant, but for a two Michelin star establishment, this is catastrophic. Also, besides the excellent wine steward, the rest of the staff was mediocre and uninspired. We have had countless meals during our travels throughout Italy were we enjoyed much better food and service at a fraction of the cost of our meal at DA.

If there is a better, more hospitable hotel and a restaurant in the USA or Italy you will have to prove it by me. This place is top of the class. Bar none. What great people from the morning till night. Livia, Mario and Ernesto as the family have done a unbelievable job of making everybody feel welcome and at home. This is our 3rd time here and it never gets old. We look forward to making this as a part of our annual trip to Italy. We took a tour of the wine cellar again. So great at 25,000 bottles. Dates back to 600 BC. Yep that's right. The stairs just keep going down and down. Unreal. Joe and Judy Pisano

This amazing restaurant in Sant'Agata is a bit of a hike from Sorrento, but worth the trip. Fantastic night with tasty dishes all the way through. Absolutely go see the cheese and wine cellar if you get the chance.

Wow a truly memorable experience. A jem, and totally worth the drive. Mario and his family take immense pride in ensuring perfection and treating you like you were family. The suckling black footed pig, duck, truffle with egg. Crab soup and the pasta were all perfectly executed. They all come with a story ensuring to give homage to their provenance and the hence their quality. Then came the desert WOW!!! Their sampler was beyond phenomenal.

This is a world class restaurant with amazing food and service. Each dish is planned with much effort, time, and Iove! Highlights included their deep fried lobster, eel ice cream, spaghetti mackerel, lamb, suckling pig, and even their ice cream. We appreciated all of the intricacy and complexity of each dish and had a wonderful time!

Wow, just wow. This restaurant was an outstanding experience beginning to end. I know that this five star review is one of many but I truly do believe this was the most amazing restaurant I've ever been to. Service, food and ambiance were all 5/5. I do not have one bad thing to say, everyone was extremely friendly and made our dinner so enjoyable. Totally worth the money and the trip from wherever you are staying in this area.

The best dinner on the Amalfi coast by far. Fabulous food, great service and an excellent experience. We selected the biggest tasting menu, ate outside and walked the kitchen and cellars after the meal.

Absolute perfection. The food was the best I've had. The wait staff was always on point. The wine cellar tour is a must.

Best of the best!! Spectacular food, decor, hospitality!! Beautiful family business with a boutique hotel along with private cooking classes! I cannot wait to go back!

We've lunched there 4 times so far and truly enjoyed each one. Service is impeccable, decor outrageous and food is delicious. Its a mystery why the Italian family which owns this restaurant chose St. Louis for its first restaurant in the U.S. (rather than NYC or LA) but St. Louis has really lucked out. Soups are delicious and pastas special. It was wonderful to learn their tomatoes are grown in the volcanic ashy soil near Pompeii and that its pasta is put outside near the Mediterranean to dry thereby absorbing the sea air and that no butter at all is used in the kitchen. Finally, a world class restaurant in St. Louis!

Here's the short version... This was unequivocally the best meal of my life, an evening that everyone involved will always remember. We all had the degustazione menu, which was ten small courses served over a period of 4 hours... this is the Slow Food Movement at its very best. Each one was exquisite, so much so that the table (there were seven of us) sometimes became a chorus of people closing their eyes and moaning with the pleasure of the flavors. How can this food DO this to your mouth when 99% of the stuff that you eat can't? Absolutely extraordinary food. As amazing as it all was, if I could have taken only a single course with me, it would actually been the simplest: home-made buffalo mozzarella which has ruined me for this cheese anywhere else. Unbelievably good. The sommelier, a wonderful man named Maurizio, at our request served a different wine with each course, and the pairings were heavenly. At the end of the meal (it's now midnight, and we've been here since 8 pm), he gave us a tour of their wine cellar, which is one of the largest in Italy... stone stairs descending down, down into what were once Etruscan catacombs, passing chambers filled with Brunellos and Barolos and even - in a dusty little alcove above the stairs - a G H Mumm 1893 champagne.. When we emerged back into the restaurant, we were invited to join the owner - a wonderful woman named Livia - in the library, where she introduced us to her friend, a wine-maker from Asti, and treated us to more wine and unhurried, welcoming chat. I have eaten at great restaurants all over the world, but this one was in a class of its own. Truly an experience to cherish.

Open from 20:00. There are lots of parking spaces inside of entity. Valet parking staff will take care of your car when you drive in. Tonight there were 15 Caucasian and 9 Japanese in total to start with. What an occasion. I tried 'The traditional' tasting menu for 140 euros. It was worthy coming here and I AM stuffed. Managers, servers, sommeliers and chefs are all nice. I got to see the wine cave before dinner. The traditional tasting menu is consisted of amuse, 2 antipasto, primo piatti, secondo piatti, cheese, pre dolce, dolce, piccola pasticceria. Deep fried lobster, Deep fried fig, and Deep fried lemon. A little too much of deep fries, though they were somewhat tasty. For more detail, please see photos I took. Even though its wine cellar IS incredible, unfortunately the selections of glass wine seemed to be limited. I wanted to have a Bordeaux ish, but they could have served only Madeira ish ones. Was it because of local grape or Lazio cab?? It was my first time to decline twice. I don't know why, but third chianti had also smelled and I felt it like Madeira ish. Maybe it's because of my nose?, temperature?, or shape of glass? Anyway, a glass of white wine was excellent, though. Overall, it was a very sophisticated experience in Sorrento, Italy. I loved the service and ambience a lot. Someday, I'd like to come again.

I wish it lived up to the hype...I am very surprised at the 2 star Michelin rating as we dine often at Michelin rated restaurants. The food may have been rated for that, but the service, terrible. sitting in this beautiful room, it almost seemed as if it were rush hour. Servers scurrying around, dishes coming out and not really being explained....If you're looking for a place in Positano, you myst try RADA...innovative, creative and most definitely deserves at the least 1 star....don't know how it doesn't after trying both...I'd return to RADA any time for an "experience"

By far the best restaurant; every plate is not only art well presented, but certainly stimulates your brain, elegance sophistication and certainly different level of culinary display of delicate delicious food.

Great restaurant. We choose the tasting menu and everything was perfect. The owner come discuss with you and we finally managed to visit the wine caves and go see the kitchen.

Absolutely wonderful food and dining experience. Main point of my review is to let you know that you can reach it by the SITA bus (main line btwn sorrento positano amalfi etc). No need to spend $$ on a driver. Get off at stop name 'bovio sant' agata' (make sure you look at the stops for the time you get on because the bus takes two routes between sorrento and positano and only goes by sant agata half the time). After you get off its an easy (flat :) 15 min walk and clearly marked by signs. Last bus approx 7-8 pm so can't do dinner. And in the late afternoon they only run once an hour, but while we waited, it was a nice chance to chat about everything we ate :)

we booked a cooking course through here, and this place is gorgeous. we arrived the afternoon before the course and it was still sunny out. upon arrival, we sat in the lounge/library area and were treated to almond water and dried lemon peels. then we were shown to our room which was gorgeous and had a huge bathroom. we then lounged by the pool a bit in the garden. the next day, we had a private cooking course w/ one of the chefs of the restaurant. of course, before that, we had breakfast, which was all freshly baked pastries, yogurt and fruit. the pastries were fabulous. for the cooking class, since my husband is veg, we were able to make a veg version of everything for him and then a regular one for me. our course was a pasta course, and we made 3 separate dishes, all of them delicious. we also took a tour of the wine cellar which holds 25k bottles of wine. the cellar dates back to the 6th century BC! after the course (and after we stuffed our faces), livia, the matriarch of the place, gave us gifts of pasta and sauce to take home! everyone here was so lovely, and i felt like a member of the family. ernesto, the son, who is also the chef of the restaurant, also presented us w/ certificates of completion of the course. :) i absolutely loved my stay here and can't wait to come back again and again, especially since we didn't get to eat at the michelin starred restaurant this time!

Yes the food and facilities are world class, but what makes this a truly special place is the people. They are welcoming (even to our group of 8 that included 4 under the age of 7) and make you feel like you are at home. We are so glad we took the risk of dragging the kids with us to this unforgettable experience. Grazie mille a Alfonso, Mario da Feldman family.