There's a restaurant in Ascoli Piceno that doesn't give you a menu.
You sit down, and the kitchen takes care of the rest. The sequence is a surprise. The ingredients are seasonal. The wine pairing is optional but, honestly, worth it. You leave two (or perhaps three) hours later having enjoyed dishes that are both delicate and decisive in taste. Some of them you might have never tried before — and that's exactly the point.
Figli Di is a family project: Stefano Esposto runs the "sala", his sister Flavia runs the kitchen. Together they've built one of the most quietly remarkable restaurants in Le Marche, in the heart of Ascoli's historic city.
Flavia e Stefano Esposto. Photo: Il Resto del Carlino
The kitchen: Flavia
The magic of Flavia's cooking is how she treats vegetables. With the same seriousness and craft usually reserved for meat and fish. She transforms them in a way that unites tradition and innovation in one plate. Flavia trained under Niko Romito, one of Italy's most respected three-Michelin-star chefs known for his almost avant-garde approach to vegetable cuisine. But her cooking is uniquely and authentically her own expression.
The result is a menù degustazione a sorpresa — a surprise tasting menu — built around what's best that week. Seasonal ingredients, excellent primary produce, courses that shift with the market and the calendar. It's the opposite of a laminated menu with photographs.
One reviewer put it simply: "Materia prima di altissima qualità abbinata ad un'atmosfera intima e rilassante." Excellent quality ingredients, intimate atmosphere.
Seasonal cooking at Figli Di. Photo: restaurantguru.it
The "Sala": Stefano
Stefano manages the front of house. Well – that's only part of the truth. Stefano is an amphitryon, a real host who makes a lunch or dinner an experience. He explains the courses and the wine with enthusiasm and knowledge without it being a lecture. He feels pride and joy, presenting his sister's creations.
But it's the kind of service where you feel attended to without feeling watched. Stefano refills your glass at the right moment and adapts the rhythm of the service to the pulse of your experience.
It is an art, to make guests feel at home without ever lowering the very high level of the service.
That note comes up, in different words, across more than 500 reviews and a 4.9 out of 5 rating. It's not an accident.
Prices sit between €20–30 per person for the food alone, €40–50 with the wine pairing. For what you get, it's one of the better deals in the region. Go on a Sunday, have a "pranzo della domenica" and treat yourself to an unforgettable experience.
Inside Figli Di. Photo: restaurantguru.it
Ascoli Piceno
The restaurant is on Via Pietro Marucci, 6 — a short walk from the Piazza del Popolo, one of the great Renaissance squares in Italy and the centre of life in Ascoli. If you haven't been to Ascoli Piceno, Figli Di is a reason to go. If you have been, you already know the city deserves more than a day.
From Gelsomoro it's about an hour inland — through Fermo province and into the Tronto valley, where the landscape gets higher and drier and the towns start to feel like their own worlds. It's a half-day trip that becomes a whole day without much effort.
Book in advance. The room is intimate and fills up. Dinner service starts at 19:30.
Figli Di
Via Pietro Marucci, 6 — Ascoli Piceno
+39 320 8149591
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