The Italian Riviera Restaurants

We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Italian Riviera - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.

Sort by: 35 Recommendations {{numTotalPoiResults}} {{ (numTotalPoiResults===1)?'Recommendation':'Recommendations' }} 0 Recommendations
CLEAR ALL Area Search CLEAR ALL
Loading...
  • 1. Bacicio

    $

    This enoteca and antipasto bar is popular with locals and tourists looking for typical regional dishes, fresh fish, and a lengthy wine list. The owner designed the entire place, right down to the tables and chairs made from anchors and old boats. They also offer terrific sandwiches to go.

    Via Cappellini 17, Portovenere, Liguria, 19025, Italy
    0187-793031

    Known For

    • Anchovies cooked many ways
    • Fresh fish crostini
    • Generous portions at reasonable prices

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Thurs. in summer, evenings in winter, Reservations not accepted
  • 2. Il Timone

    $$

    Find some of the best food in Portovenere at this airy, affordable, and casual portside restaurant. The menu is typical "Ligure," ranging from meat to pasta with seafood, and also offers farinata, focaccia, and pizza. The turquoise and white decor and benches with pillows for lounging create a playful, relaxing atmosphere.

    Via Olivo 29, Portovenere, Liguria, 19025, Italy
    0187-914595

    Known For

    • Comfortable patio in summer
    • All-inclusive tasting menus
    • Ligurian farinata and pizza

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and mid-Jan.–Feb. No lunch Mon. and Wed.–Fri.
  • 3. Locanda Miranda

    $$$

    Perched amid the clustered old houses in seaside Tellaro, 4 km (2½ miles) southeast of Lerici, this small, unpretentious family-run restaurant with wooden tables and plenty of windows has become a foodie destination. The imaginative seafood-focused menu changes often, and the pretty building also houses a small inn with seven charming and comfortable rooms.

    Via Fiascherino 92, Tellaro, Liguria, 19032, Italy
    0187-964012

    Known For

    • Locally sourced fish
    • Cozy dining room
    • Pasta and risotto paired with seafood

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Nov.
  • 4. U Giancu

    $$ | Località San Massimo

    Although the walls of Fausto Oneto’s restaurant are covered in original cartoons, and a playground is the main feature of the outdoor seating area, this chef-owner is completely serious about his cooking, which follows the seasons. His own garden provides the freshest possible vegetables, the wine list (ask to visit the cantina) is excellent, and there are lively morning Ligurian cooking lessons. The restaurant is in the hills above Rapallo, a 20-minute drive northeast along the coast from Santa Margherita.

    Via San Massimo 78, Rapallo, Liguria, 16035, Italy
    0185-261212

    Known For

    • Lamb dishes
    • Creative and playful setting
    • Vegetables fresh from the restaurant's garden

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Wed. and Nov. No lunch weekdays
  • 5. Agua

    $$

    This lively beachfront restaurant, with views of the sea from its windows, has changed names and owners several times, but it continues to have some of the best and most inventive fish and seafood dishes in town, as well as a fantastic setting. The wine list is extensive and ventures well over the nearby French border, with select bottles.

    Lungomare Argentina 10, Bordighera, Liguria, 18012, Italy
    0184-261393

    Known For

    • Pleasant terrace with ocean views
    • Seasonal set menu featuring local ingredients
    • Creative presentations

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Reservations essential
  • Recommended Fodor’s Video

  • 6. Ai Torchi

    $$$

    You could easily become a homemade-pesto snob at this restored 5th-century olive oil mill-turned-chic restaurant in the historical center of Finalborgo. The high prices are justified by excellent seafood and meat dishes as well as the pampering setting of clean white, arched and vaulted rooms that foster an air of space and tranquility. The five-course tasting menu is a great way to sample the dishes on offer.

    Via dell'Annunziata 12, Finale Ligure, Liguria, 17024, Italy
    019-690531

    Known For

    • Traditional Ligurian cuisine with a contemporary twist
    • Delicious fresh fish and vegetables
    • Airy and modern dining area

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Tues., Wed., and mid-Jan.–mid-Feb. No lunch
  • 7. Bontà Nascoste

    $$$

    In the local dialect, bontà nascoste means "hidden goodness," a reference to its back-alleyway location and consistently delicious dishes, which include fresh pasta, local fish, and a handful of meat choices. There are only six tables (and a couple more outside in summer), so reserve ahead.

    Via Cavour 52, Lerici, Liguria, 19032, Italy
    347-0703249-mobile

    Known For

    • Inventive seafood dishes
    • Cozy atmosphere
    • Crudo

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Reservations essential in high season and at weekends, Closed Tues. No lunch Mon. and Wed.
  • 8. Buga Buga Bar

    $$

    There's usually a crowd of locals congregated at this lively bar and restaurant, often accompanied by their dogs and children. In the morning, tasty brioches start off the festivities and segue neatly into lunch. Alongside the usual range of beers and wines, the bar serves panini made to order and some toothsome pastries, while the restaurant menu has meat and seafood options as well as salads and pizzas.

    Corso Italia 13, Bordighera, Liguria, 18012, Italy
    0184-998001

    Known For

    • Good wines by the glass accompanied by lovely snacks
    • Opens early, closes late
    • Pavement seating
  • 9. Burger e Stars

    $$

    As the name implies, this place is largely a burger joint. The toppings, however, are not (cheese in this case often means Gorgonzola and burrata). The exceptional antipasti—fried meatballs with cheddar, anyone?—nicely kick off the proceedings. Delicious salads can also be found, as can a fine eggplant parmigiana. Do not miss the desserts—they’re stellar.

    Corso Italia 76, Bordighera, Liguria, Italy
    0184-1910664

    Known For

    • Creative culinary combinations
    • Burgers
    • Killer desserts

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
  • 10. Canale

    $

    If the staggering prices at virtually all of Portofino's cafés and restaurants are enough to ruin your appetite, join the long line outside this family-run bakery where you will find affordable and delicious eats worth waiting for. At this takeaway spot, the focaccia is baked on-site and served fresh, along with all kinds of sandwiches and other refreshments.

    Via Roma 30, Portofino, Liguria, 16034, Italy
    0185-269248

    Known For

    • Cash-only takeout
    • Friendly staff
    • Delicious pastries

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Wed. and Nov.
  • 11. Cantina del Polpo

    $$

    The Ballerini family runs a handful of eateries in Sestri Levante, and this cozy former cantina with wood paneling, a fireplace, local maritime memorabilia, and red-checkered tablecloths serves some of the best dishes in town. Using the bounty of the two bays that frame the village, they create inventive tasting menus and standout mains, which, in addition to expertly seasoned fish, include homemade pastas and gnocchi. The wine list is primarily Ligurian.

    Via Camillo Benso Cavour 2, Sestri Levante, Liguria, 16039, Italy
    0185-485296

    Known For

    • Friendly staff
    • Creative seafood-focused tasting menus at affordable prices
    • Hard-to-find regional wines

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Wed. and mid-Feb.--mid-Mar.
  • 12. Da Gaia

    $ | Maddalena

    For a truly Genovese experience, this unassuming restaurant, located in the basement of an old palazzo in the heart of the centro storico between Strada Nuova and the port, is just the place. You'll find some of the best, most authentic food in the city, with a focus on fish, meat dishes (including rabbit), and, of course, pesto.

    Vico dell'Argento, Genoa, Liguria, 16124, Italy
    010-2461629

    Known For

    • Cozy, old-world atmosphere
    • Stuffed anchovies
    • Genovese dishes

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and early Feb.–early Mar.
  • 13. Da Gibbi ai Rolli

    $

    It bills itself as a pizzeria, focacceria (endemic in these parts), and an insalateria. The pizzas are magnificent, as are their first cousins the focaccia. But if you tire of this, their salads are worth a trip in themselves. Portions are copious here. Enter hungry, exit rejoicing while perhaps believing that you ate in what once was a medieval bank (it probably was).

    Salita Santa Caterina 4/r, Genoa, Liguria, Italy
    010-2363947

    Known For

    • Superb rectangular pizzas
    • Fine wine list (even by the glass)
    • Gracious staff

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
  • 14. Farmer’s Cooking Concept

    $

    Imagine having a swell glass of wine (their list is beyond foolproof) in a narrow, highly vaulted hall. The space may date to the 16th century, but some experts would argue it’s earlier. No matter. Their plates of affettati misti (mixed cold cuts with trimmings) are divine. As are their lunches.

    Salita Santa Caterina 34/r, Genoa, Liguria, Italy
    010-2925426

    Known For

    • The room
    • Superb cocktails
    • Top quality locally sourced ingredients

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed weekends
  • 15. I Canovacci

    $ | Maddalena

    There's a steady crowd of regulars at this modern and homey lunch spot and dry goods store on a typical vicolo. The reasonably priced, good-value daily menu follows the seasons, with generous portions of fish and pasta, sandwiches, vegetables, and homemade desserts.

    Via dei Macelli di Soziglia 60, Genoa, Liguria, 16123, Italy
    010-0985417

    Known For

    • Efficient and friendly staff
    • Seasonal ingredients, some of which are also sold in its grocery store
    • Vegetarian options

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner
  • 16. I Cuochi

    $$ | Maddalena

    This cozy bistro-style restaurant is popular with locals and visitors alike for its refined, almost elegant menu of primarily seafood dishes, with a few pastas and meats. The decor is Art Nouveau with exposed brick walls and small, square tables.

    Vico del Fieno 18r, Genoa, Liguria, 16123, Italy
    010-2476170

    Known For

    • Artistically presented seafood and desserts
    • Romantic setting
    • Contemporary Ligurian dishes

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch Tues.
  • 17. Il Frantoio

    $$

    Located in a former olive-oil mill (the enormous wood grinder still sits in the middle of the dining room), this is a no-frills but fine-food restaurant serving excellent antipasti al mare and homemade pasta dishes. You can eat very well for a bit less than at most of the touristy spots in town.

    Via Cavour 21, Lerici, Liguria, 19032, Italy
    0187-964174

    Known For

    • Generous portions of fish soup
    • Elegant yet rustic setting
    • Variety of fresh seafood

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Reservations essential
  • 18. Il Genovese

    $ | Brignole

    At this bright and friendly trattoria with a maritime theme, you can dine on some of the city's best pesto and Ligurian dishes in a casual, comfortable setting. The staff are knowledgeable about the region's specialties and the wines on the always interesting menu, and even if you don't order a pesto dish, they'll bring you some to sample before your meal. Fried sardines, a local catch of the day, and seasonal torte (savory Ligurian pies) are menu staples.

    Via Galata 35r, Genoa, Liguria, Italy
    010-8692937

    Known For

    • Award-winning pesto
    • Local atmosphere near Brignole station
    • Good value for the price

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
  • 19. La Locanda in Centro

    $$ | Brignole

    There's a warm and welcoming atmosphere at this osteria near Brignole station. Despite the young, enthusiastic staff, it has a reassuringly old-fashioned character, with a setting of chandeliers, bare brick walls, and shelves of wine bottles. The meat-favoring menu features some novelties among the genovese favorites, including pansotti (fresh pasta) with a walnut sauce, reindeer stew, and prawns with cognac and orange. You can sample these and other dishes on the four-course tasting menu (€38), and check out the board of daily specials. 

    Via Domenico Fiasella 70r, Genoa, Liguria, 16121, Italy
    010-8693922

    Known For

    • Great service
    • Quality meat dishes
    • Traditional setting

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch Sat.
  • 20. La Moucca

    $ | Molo | Coffee

    Just a few steps from Porta Soprana and the Childhood Home of Christopher Columbus, this place makes a handy stop for a snack and a sightseeing pause. On street-level is a straightforward café (with some seating upstairs, too) offering sandwiches, pastries, and ice creams, while in the basement (accessed by a separate door) you'll find a cavernous hall where succulent hamburgers and other hot snacks are the main draw. Only the best local beef is used in the burgers, and there's a great selection of craft beers, too. It's always busy, and you may have to wait to put your order in, but the results make it time well spent. There's a second branch at Piazza della Vittoria 36r.

    Piazza Dante 31r, Genoa, Liguria, 16121, Italy
    010-0017695

    Known For

    • Delicious burgers
    • Great beers
    • Lively atmosphere

No Restaurants Results

Please try a broader search, or expore these popular suggestions:

There are no results for {{ strDestName}} Restaurants in the searched map area with the above filters. Please try a different area on the map, or broaden your search with these popular suggestions:

Recommended Fodor’s Video