Somewhere between the chain restaurants and the strip malls, you may have given up on Nashua’s Italian food scene. We understand. It’s been a disappointing search. But consider this list your culinary compass. Because you shouldn’t dismiss an entire city’s offerings—especially ones as comforting and soulful as Italian cuisine—just because you’ve had one too many mediocre meatballs. The restaurants here are everything you hope Nashua isn’t: predictable, bland, or forgettable.
We promise they’ll change your mind.
Mike’s Italian Kitchen
$$ | (603) 595-9334 | WEBSITE
If Mike’s ever closes, we will delete this guide. Because what’s the point of Nashua without Mike’s? There is none. This Italian kitchen has been the culinary heart of everything great about dining here for years now. It’s one of the only restaurants that makes sense for a first date or a night out. The lemon cake is exceptional and the Maine blueberry dessert is popular. You’re guaranteed to have some wonderful conversations with the knowledgeable staff.
The only small change that’s happened here lately is they now offer great cocktails alongside the exceptional food. We’ll allow that, but please don’t touch another hair on this perfect Italian kitchen’s head.
Pizzico Ristorante Bar – Nashua
$$ | (603) 633-8993 | WEBSITE
Yes, there are Italian restaurants in Nashua serving food that we wouldn’t wish on our greatest nemesis. But there are also places like Pizzico Ristorante Bar, where locals tend to outnumber tourists for a reason. This Italian spot isn’t just one of the best restaurants in Nashua—it’s one of the very best in all of southern New Hampshire. The elegant yet comfortable dining room is a refreshing antithesis to chain restaurant blandness.
The vegetable lasagna is perfect, the cocktails are well-crafted, and, most shockingly, it’s all reasonably priced. Pizzico’s $65 three-course special comes with so much food, you’ll feel compelled to ask your server, ‘Are you sure?’ when they drop the check. In a city of mediocre restaurants, this place couldn’t be more refreshing.
Cucina Toscana
$$ | (603) 821-7356 | WEBSITE
Nashua dining rarely feels authentic. But this is an Italian restaurant for purists. The comfortable spot in the heart of the city makes you feel transported. The balanced flavors are served on simple plates with fresh, homemade pasta. The room is warm, inviting, and has a selection of reasonably priced house wines that makes it easy to enjoy a complete meal.
Cucina Toscana is the best place to pretend you’re in Tuscany, and since we can’t get the standout Lobster Risotto or chicken eggplant parm without Jen’s knowledgeable service, this restaurant has become our favorite place to eat here.
The Martini Bar At Pizzico
$$ | (603) 633-8993 | WEBSITE
There’s only one reason you’re convincing us to hit Nashua after a long workday—for martinis at Pizzico. And while they serve lunch, you come here for happy hour. The crowd often spills into the bar area. Glasses clink so loudly they might drown out the music. We’ve seen regulars slide right onto barstools without missing a sip. It’s a glorious couple of hours of endless martinis, pretty decent pizza, and reliably friendly service. Just arrive early if you want a good spot at the bar.
They’ve got plenty of parking lately, and are now packing folks into corners of the restaurant that don’t have the best view of the action.
Lui Lui
$$ | (603) 888-2588 | WEBSITE
You would think that Nashua has been completely overrun by chain restaurants, but thankfully places like Lui Lui persist—in a quiet corner of town, no less. Their wood fire pizzas are our favorites. The BBQ pizza comes with chicken fingers instead of grilled chicken, tomato sauce, cheese, and we’re pretty sure we tasted a hint of smoky barbecue sauce in there, too. The Taste of Italy entree uses a hearty portion of pasta, which goes so well with fresh crusty bread and olive oil with spices.
It makes for a great family meal, or just a satisfying $18 dinner, which is thankfully not extinct in Nashua yet.
Soprano’s Pizzeria
$ | (603) 880-0443 | WEBSITE
You don’t need us to tell you about Soprano’s. Nashuans have been talking about this pizzeria for years, and you’ve probably gotten the memo by now. It’s still a lovely place to spend a reasonable $15 on pepperoni pizza, but the reason it makes us love Nashua is because it proves that good things can endure.
Nashua is a city always reaching for the next dining trend, but Soprano’s is a reliable sanctuary of big-flavored mozzarella sticks, delicious chicken tenders, and servers like Deanna who’ve been working the counter long enough to remember regulars’ growing families. That gives us comfort. And we also love the meatball subs.
Kinsley House Of Pizza
$ | (603) 882-0554 | WEBSITE
This sounds like a joke. And there is a healthy amount of irony that goes into enjoying Kinsley House Of Pizza. But this place is genuinely one of the most well-preserved slices of classic Nashua pizza joints left, and their spinach pizza is an absolute attack on the senses that will put a big, dumb smile on your face. You can enjoy it by coming here and paying way too little money for dinner. But the Kinsley hack for locals is to just walk in and order at the counter.
The gentleman behind the counter starts helping around dinner time, and if you come 20 minutes before, there’s usually no wait. Stick to the pizza or straight subs—the Hawaiian pizza here is nuclear waste. But the overall experience is pure, unfiltered Nashua comfort food energy. And we kind of love it.