Country menu guides
What is coperto in Italy?
Coperto is a cover charge: a fixed amount per person that Italian restaurants add to the bill for the place setting and, usually, the bread. It typically costs about €2–4, must be printed on the menu or price list before you order, and is not a tip. In Lazio, the region around Rome, restaurants are not allowed to charge it.
- On the menu
- Coperto
- Meaning
- Cover charge — a fixed per-person charge for the place setting and, usually, bread.
- Typical amount
- Typically about €2–4 per person; a little less in some simple trattorias, more in upmarket or very touristy places.
- Is it a tip?
- No
What you get for it
Historically, coperto paid for the tablecloth, cutlery and bread basket; today it's simply part of the price of sitting down. If anything else arrives unrequested, ask è compreso? ("is it included?").
Coperto is not the same as servizio, which is a percentage service charge, and neither of them is a tip.
Rome and Lazio: no coperto allowed
Lazio's regional law on food and drink service (L.R. 21/2006, art. 16, paragraph 3) forbids restaurants from adding a charge for coperto. Some Roman restaurants list bread (pane) as a separate priced item instead; check that it's on the menu with its price, and decline the basket when it arrives if you don't want it. If you see coperto on a bill in Rome, you're entitled to query it.
What to do
- Before ordering: find the coperto line, usually in the small print, or ask Quant'è il coperto? MenuGuide translates the dishes on a photographed menu and converts their prices, but check the footnotes for the coperto yourself.
- On the bill: check it's multiplied by the right number of people.
- If it wasn't on the menu: politely ask for it to be removed — prices must be displayed.
- No guilt tip. Coperto isn't a tip; leaving a few euros for great service is optional.
Frequently asked questions
Is coperto a tip?
No. Coperto is a fixed per-person charge for the place setting and bread, and it goes to the restaurant, not to the waiter. Tipping in Italy is optional: rounding up or leaving a few euros for good service is appreciated but never required, whether or not coperto was charged.
Can I refuse to pay coperto?
Only if it wasn't shown to you. When the coperto is printed on the menu or the price list at the entrance, you agreed to it by ordering, so you pay it. If it appeared only on the bill, you can politely ask for it to be removed. In Lazio, which includes Rome, restaurants may not charge it at all.
How much is coperto in Italy?
It typically costs about €2–4 per person. Simple trattorias and pizzerias tend to sit at the lower end, while upmarket restaurants and places on famous squares charge more. Whatever the amount, it must be stated on the menu, so you can check it before you sit down or before you order.
Do children pay coperto?
Often, yes. Most restaurants charge coperto for every person seated, including children, because the charge is per place setting. Some charge a reduced rate for young children or waive it for babies who don't use a setting. The menu or the waiter can tell you how that restaurant handles it.
Sources
- Regione Lazio, Legge regionale 29 novembre 2006, n. 21, art. 16 (price display; ban on coperto)
- FIPE — Coperto, servizio e supplementi al ristorante (survey, 2023: most coperto charges between €2 and €4, average €2.90)
- Altroconsumo — Coperto al ristorante (no national ban; must be shown before ordering; Lazio ban)
