Liguria's cooking might surprise you; it does employ all sorts of seafood—especially anchovies, sea bass, squid, and octopus—but it makes even wider use of vegetables and the aromatic herbs that grow wild on the hillsides, together with liberal amounts of olive oil and garlic.
As in most of Italy, the types of eating establishments in Liguria include cafeteria-like tavole calde, family-run trattorie, chic and formal osterie, and sophisticated ristoranti. Lunch is served between 12:30 and 2:30 and dinner between 7:30 and 10.
Also popular, especially in fast-paced Genoa, are enoteche (wine bars), which have a large number of wines by the glass and serve simply prepared meals and snacks until the early hours of the morning.
