Il Tempio del Gusto

We are more than halfway through our 40 tour of Bavaria and Tuscany/​Umbria. We have dined at some great restaurants including the Four Seasons in Florence. I must say, our dinner here was the absolute best we have had anywhere and for an amazingly low price. If you don’t eat dinner here, you will have missed one of the best culinary events you could have in Italy.

I just came back from an 18-​day, whirlwind eating tour through Tuscany and Umbria. I ate A LOT, and most of it was amazing. Needless to say, Il Tempio del Gusto was the standout of the entire trip. I am still drooling over it.
Let me get this out of the way, my parents and I are huge eaters. My 140 pound father can put it away with the best of them, and I am no slouch either. During a majority of the trip we ate 3 – 4 course meals for both lunch and dinner, so we got a good sense of Tuscan and Umbrian cuisine.
We came here on Friday for lunch. We were able to stop by the restaurant in the morning and put our name down, so it isn’t too difficult to get a table. We saw people throughout the afternoon stopping in to put in a reservation for dinner, and they too were able to get a spot. The décor is very cute and hip — white chandeliers, fun chairs, see-​through glass on part of the floor where you can see into the wine cellar. Overall an inviting atmosphere.
While scanning the menu, we were brought out a basket of the best bread I ate in Italy, and some delicious olive oil soaked crostini. We went with a bottle of Montefalco Sagrantino wine, which is a purple wine, and I highly recommend. That is when the fun happened. My parents each went with an appetizer — smoked salmon for my mom, mushrooms for my dad. They were kind enough to bring me a mini-​plate of mushrooms as well, so I wouldn’t feel left out. Nice touch. Both were incredible, and we were oohing and ahhing. Next, for the pasta course, I ordered Carbonara, which had been on my list all trip. My mother got polenta with fish, and my father ordered risotto with scallops. They were all amazing, but the winner went to my dad, because on top of the risotto was a huge prawn, head on. The chef then proceeded to come out with a enormous truffle in hand, and started shaving away on top of their dishes. While waiting for our 2^nd courses, the server brought us each out a ravioli, which again was amazing. At this point I started to get extremely full, but there was still more! I got seared tuna, which was great. Also, too much food. Do yourself a favor, don’t order too much, hard as that may be.
3 hours later, the check arrives (complete with a bowl of biscotti, as if we really needed to eat more). The price was barely any higher than most places we ate, despite the service being on an entirely different level. This place was truly incredible, I highly recommend.
P. S. as we were heading out the door, the hostess (and part-​owner, her husband is the chef) gave us some homemade chocolate with sea salt and rosemary. Stop feeding me!!! But really, it was excellent and a week later I am still paying the price.

Can I give this place 10 stars? There are not enough words to describe it! First off all, you must make a reservation. My husband and I went there mid-​Sept on a Monday. We made reservations before going to Italy so had no problems once we got there. There were two other couples waiting with us for the restaurant to open, and they were turned down because all the tables were booked. Also, note that the restaurant does not open until 8pm.
We were greeted by a nice, friendly hostess who took us up the stairs. Had a nice small corner table. The service was top notch! From the entrance to the waitress, to the servers, everybody was very courteous and friendly. They speak English! Big plus for us since our Italian is very poor.
Before everything else, they gave us free sample dishes, nicely presented and delicious! The chef came out and asked us if we liked it. A very nice personal touch! For our appetizer, we wanted to share the Pigeon — big plate dish. They brought it out already split into two servings and nicely presented on each plate which was very very delicious! The best pigeon we’ve tried. For my first course, I got the pasta with tomato sauce. I didn’t like it, but everything else was super so I didn’t care. My husband got the ravioli in some cream sauce. It was soooo good. Wonderful tastes. For my main course, I got the stuffed guinea fowl, which was one of the most delicious food I ever tasted. I’m not exaggerating! My husband got the duck breast which was also delicious! For dessert we shared the chocolate soufflé. It had a nice rich texture to it but was different then usual soufflés we had in the past. Our waitress also brought box of cookies for my husband’s cappuccino.
If we ever return to Italy we will for sure to make our way to Spoleto just to go to this restaurant. In fact, my husband is thinking to stop by there between our travels to different European countries just so we can have another amazing dinner!
It’s an unforgettable experience with delicious and nicely presented dishes. Also, we didn’t pay more than we would pay for a nice dinner here in the States. All plus a bottle of sparkling Rose I think we paid 130 Euros. Go ahead and try!