Azzurra (Pizzeria – Ristorante Italiano – Vineria) is, quite simply, the most popular Italian restaurant in Ao Nang. Opened in 1998 and located in the middle of Ao Nang Beach Road, this long-established Italian-run diner has had throughout the years only one goal in mind: to serve the highest-quality food as possible to its customers and Azzurra’s success and longevity speak for themselves.
The restaurant’s location is also certainly an asset to its success: Ao Nang Beach Road is always busy at sunset time, and Azzurra’s front tables offer a great sundowner spot where to sip a cocktail or a glass of wine, despite the road traffic and the trees bordering the beach.
Azzurra restaurant is set on the ground-floor of a contemporary two-storey building and has typical Italian trattoria décor: dark grey & white-tiled flooring, red bricks and beige/yellow beams, white and beige tablecloths, dark wooden furnishing with bright-red cushions on the chairs, and two superb large ‘trompe-l’oeil’ paintings on the side walls, representing Italian countryside landscapes and Neapolitan seaside sceneries.
The restaurant’s 20 tables can accommodate comfortably up to 80 diners, and a large red-and-black bar counter stands at the back of the dining room. The atmosphere is pretty cool and casual; the passing traffic is not loud enough to be an annoyance, and an unobtrusive Mediterranean music choice (Italian, Greek classics) provides a relaxing background feel.
As stated, the food’s quality is the main focus of Franco Bagatto Russo, the owner of Azzurra: 80% of the ingredients are imported, and only two products served in the restaurant come from cans - tuna and black olives. The menu is 100% Italian, and most of the preparations are homemade: sauces, pastas, pizzas dough, bread, the owner learned how to cook in his hometown in Italy, and attaches great importance to home-style cuisine.
From bruschette pomodori e oregano (toasted bread rubbed with garlic and topped with diced tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and organo) at 140 baht, to sautéed di vongole piccante (fresh baby clams cooked in extra virgin olive oil with white wine, tomato sauce, garlic, chili, and topped with Italian parsley) at 280 baht, to penne gamberi e vodka in slasa rosa (pasta cooked in fresh tomato and cream sauce with prawns, flamed with vodka and dressed with Italian parsley) at 340 baht, to pizza quattro stagioni (four-season pizza) at 320 baht, you’ll find all the dishes that made Italian cuisine famous worldwide. A children’s menu is also available.
The drinks list offers all the usual suspects with a certain Italian twist as all wines on offer come from Italy (Terre di Prenzano Chianti Classico – 2,400 baht per bottle for instance), and a few imported Italian beers (Morena pure malt, Black Royal lager/red/stout – 180 baht/bottle) are available.
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View from Ao Nang Beach Road -
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Pretty busy place
Azzurra
- Opening Hours: Mon - Sat: 11:00 - 23:30, Sun: 16:00 - 23:30
- Location: in the central area of Ao Nang Beach Road
- Remarks: All prices mentioned in this page are of February 2014
- Tel: 075 637 848
