A popular restaurant in Corfu Town serving excellent Italian-influenced dishes alongside Greek classics. Known for its excellent pasta dishes, wood-fired pizzas, and a warm welcoming atmosphere.
Il Vesuvio is a popular Italian-influenced restaurant on Guilford Street in Corfu Town, operating from a warm dining room in the heart of the Old Town and serving a menu that blends Italian classics with Greek influences in the manner that reflects Corfu's centuries of Venetian and Italian cultural connection. The restaurant has been a reliable fixture for visitors seeking an alternative to traditional Greek taverna cooking without venturing outside the Old Town's historic core. Wood-fired pizza is one anchor of the menu: thin-crust preparations topped with fresh ingredients that show the kitchen's Italian orientation clearly. Pasta is the other: seafood pasta with Ionian mussels and clams in white wine is the dish most frequently cited by return visitors. Risotto — a reflection of the island's Venetian inheritance, since risotto appears in the northern Italian tradition that also shaped Corfiot pasta dishes — is prepared correctly with proper technique. Tiramisu, the quintessential Italian dessert, rounds out the experience with a version made in-house. The dining room is warm, candle-lit, and suited to evening dining rather than a quick lunch stop. Evening service begins at 6 p.m. and runs through to midnight, and the kitchen handles the post-theatre dinner pace of the Old Town tourist traffic well. In peak season a reservation is recommended; outside July and August the restaurant is generally accessible walk-in.
Good to know
- Hours
- 6PM-12AM daily
- Reservations
- Recommended
Location
Guilford 3, Corfu Town, 49100
39.6241, 19.9214 View on map
Highlights
- Wood-fired pizza with thin crust in the Italian tradition — a reliable alternative to Greek taverna cooking in Corfu Old Town
- Seafood pasta with Ionian mussels and clams in white wine — the restaurant's most praised main course
- Risotto prepared with correct technique, a nod to the Venetian culinary heritage that shaped Corfiot cooking
- Warm, candlelit dining room well suited to evening dining in the heart of the Old Town
- Homemade tiramisu — a consistent dessert highlight for the restaurant's Italian-leaning menu
Tips for visiting
- The seafood pasta with mussels and clams is the single dish most worth ordering — it combines Italian technique with locally sourced Ionian shellfish.
- Book ahead for a weekday evening table in peak summer; the Old Town dining scene fills from 8 p.m. onward.
- Il Vesuvio opens evenings only from 6 p.m. — it is a dinner rather than a lunch destination.
- The wood-fired pizzas are best suited to casual dining and sharing; the pasta and risotto are the more accomplished preparations.
- Ask about the fresh pasta option on the day — the kitchen occasionally prepares a handmade variety not listed on the standard menu.
Accessibility
Il Vesuvio is at street level on Guilford Street in Corfu Old Town. The entrance and main dining room are on a flat level. The surrounding Old Town cobblestone streets present some difficulty for wheelchair users, but the restaurant entrance itself is accessible from the pedestrian path on Guilford Street.
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Frequently asked questions
Why is there an Italian restaurant in Corfu?
Corfu's culinary culture has been shaped by four centuries of Venetian rule and later Italian influence, making Italian food traditions genuinely woven into the island's gastronomic history. Restaurants like Il Vesuvio are a natural expression of this rather than purely a tourist concession.
Does Il Vesuvio serve lunch?
No — Il Vesuvio operates evenings only, opening from 6 p.m. daily. Visitors looking for an Italian lunch option in Corfu Old Town should explore the café-bistro options on Guilford Street.
Is Il Vesuvio good value?
Main courses typically cost €15–25 per person, placing it in the mid-range of Corfu Town's restaurant scene. Pizza is at the lower end; pasta and risotto fall in the middle. It represents reasonable value for the Old Town location.
What is the atmosphere like at Il Vesuvio?
The dining room is warm and candlelit, suited to couples and small groups for a relaxed evening meal. It is lively without being loud — a comfortable mid-scale dining atmosphere rather than either a formal or a raucous taverna setting.