Niko Romito's Reale scores a record 99 at Gambero Rosso

Reale, Niko Romito's restaurant in Castel di Sangro, scored 99 out of 100 in Gambero Rosso's Ristoranti d'Italia 2027 guide, the highest mark the guide has ever awarded.

Gambero Rosso presented the new edition on Tuesday at the Nuvola convention centre in Rome, part of the magazine's 40th-anniversary programme. This year's guide covers 2,573 addresses, including 316 new entries.

Osteria Francescana, Massimo Bottura's restaurant in Modena, placed second with 98 points. Enrico Crippa's Piazza Duomo in Alba took third with 97. The three restaurants have traded the top positions for several editions; Reale and Piazza Duomo tied at 97 points in the 2025 guide.

Ninety-nine points is as close to perfect as Gambero Rosso has ever gone.

A single score replaces three

This edition drops the old system of separate marks for cuisine, wine cellar and service in favour of one overall score. Gambero Rosso now rates restaurants with its Forchette symbol, trattorie with Gamberi, and wine bars with Bottiglie, each on a one-to-three scale.

Six addresses reach the top Tre Forchette rating for the first time or return to it this year: Condividere in Turin, Glam Enrico Bartolini in Venice, Materia in Cernobbio, Orma in Rome, Ristorante Famiglia Rana in Oppeano, and Signum on the island of Salina.

Three restaurants honoured for history

Gambero Rosso also gave a separate history award to three restaurants it credits with shaping Italian dining: Dal Pescatore Santini in Canneto sull'Oglio, Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, and Don Alfonso 1890 in Massa Lubrense.

Romito moved his family's trattoria out of central Castel di Sangro in 2011, rebuilding it inside a restored 16th-century monastery on the edge of town. The kitchen is still built around a handful of technique-led dishes; a potato dressed with only saffron and caper powder has stayed on the menu for over a decade.

The guide has raised Reale's score in most editions since 2018, when it first reached 96 points. The jump to 99 leaves the restaurant little room to climb before the guide's ceiling. Parmigiano Reggiano's own export growth this year is a reminder that Italian producers, not just restaurants, are having a strong run abroad.