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Ligurian cuisine is something out of dreams. Some words that come to mind to describe the food from my favorite region on the planet: bright green and flavorful pesto made with local Genovese basil; out of this world focaccia bread; and fresh seafood!
If you’ve never heard of the region of Liguria, it’s an amazing destination in Northern Italy also known as the Italian Riviera. Picture beautiful seaside villages, blue waters lapping at an incredible coastline, and of course, wonderful food!
But as much as I love the visual beauty of a new destination, I’ve said many times over that I feel one of the best ways to experience local culture is through food. It brings people together and tells a story of the region. Food should bring you happiness, satisfaction, and comfort, and in Liguria, we found all of the above.
Because Liguria is a coastal region with fresh seafood, we only found it fitting that we embrace it in full force, indulging in dishes with fish, prawns, mussels, and even lobster! We also snuck in a sampling of the pesto, though I wish so badly that we would have had more days to spend in Liguria just so I could sample all the different pesto dishes.
Alas, we could only fit in so much in a few days’ time in the region. Here is a sampling of some of the wonderful dishes of Ligurian cuisine we were able to try at various local restaurants.
Nettuno (Rapallo)
Lungomare Vittorio Veneto, 28, 16035 Rapallo GE, Italy
https://www.nettunorapallo.it/
Nettuno was a place we happened upon when we first arrived in Rapallo. We were waiting for our hotel room to be ready, so we went out looking for some lunch. Our hotel (the Astoria Rapallo) was located right on the promenade, where there are many restaurants to choose from within walking distance.
Pizza for Lunch
Our introduction to Italian cuisine was nothing short of delicious and comforting. We were amazed by the quality of the food, and the prices are hard to beat! For lunch at Nettuno (our very first meal in Italy), we each ordered our own pizza. Shouldn’t everyone order their own giant pizzas? “When in Rome…” or in this case, “When in Rapallo…” Indulgence when traveling is perfectly acceptable.
Since I was a non-meat eater at the time, it was easier for us to do our own thing. I went simple and had the carciofi (artichoke hearts) and cheese pizza and my husband had his with ham, artichoke hearts, olives, mushrooms, and capers. Let me tell you about Italian capers – they are enormous, like little grapes that give you a salty burst of flavor with each bite!
The pizza crust was almost indescribable. We were in pizza heaven with their perfectly thin and flavorful crust. Just check out these beauties yourself!
We also shared a tasty and refreshing half liter of vino bianco (white wine). It was pretty much three glasses of wine for less than what I usually pay for one in the U.S. God, I love Italy!
Husband also had his first taste of Italian beer, which paired perfectly with his pizza.
Though we were quite full from lunch, we HAD to try a piece of their tiramisu (one of my all-time favorite desserts), and we ordered two small glasses of limoncello for us to enjoy with our dessert. It was bliss. And then, we took a nap.
Round Two: A Seafood Extravaganza!
We loved Nettuno so much, that we went back for dinner the next evening where we shared the seafood spaghetti, a mixed seafood plate, and the ahi carpaccio. We topped it off with the most amazing panna cotta covered in caramel sauce and another round of limoncello (this time, it was complimentary – on the house)!
Hostaria Vecchia Rapallo
Via Fratelli Cairoli, 20, 16035 Rapallo GE, Italy
https://www.vecchiarapallo.com/en/
If you want to feel ultimate Italian ambiance, this is the place to go. Probably one of the most memorable moments in my life was enjoying dinner next to a large table of older Italian ladies celebrating a birthday together. They were so happy and so adorable, all dressed up for a night out. They giggled and gestured towards my husband, trying to speak to him in Italian (apparently recognizing his Italian features). They drank wine and sang and it was probably the most perfect moment I could ever ask to witness.
I’m making myself tear up with happiness just reminiscing. I love you Italy.
Okay, okay – let’s get to the food shall we?! We started off with an amberjack tartare with capers and grapefruit. It was so light and refreshing, and that grapefruit added a special tangy quality that I would never think of pairing with a fish tartare.
We enjoyed a local bottle of wine, and feasted on pesto lasagne and umbrine (fish) prepared Ligurian style with tomatoes and potatoes. I ordered the pesto lasagne thinking it would be what I’m used to back home in the U.S. (layers of pasta, cheese and sauce), but it was just the pesto with lasagne noodles. A great reminder to do your research before ordering! The pesto was really good though. I had to try it, being in Liguria and all.
For dessert, we had a lemon sorbet with vodka and a lemon pudding with raspberry sauce. A nice, light touch to end our meal.
Il Porticciolo (Manarola)
Via Renato Birolli, 98, 19017 Manarola SP, Italy
I previously covered our meal experience at Il Porticciolo in my Manarola post, but I’m more than happy to cover it again here!
You can’t miss Il Porticciolo when walking through Manarola as it’s right in the middle of town. Restaurant options were limited at the time we arrived (we were there in the fall), and we found the prices seemed really reasonable to us so we settled on this spot for lunch.
I went with the lobster pasta because I’m fancy, and it was only €10 for the whole plate! We also ordered the stuffed calamari (Ligurian style), and the seafood spaghetti. Everything was so tasty and extremely filling! It was hard to finish our meals. This is exactly what you envision when you think of Italy – large plates full of pasta. Bellisimo!
Rocco e i Suoi Fratelli (K2 Rocco – Rapallo)
Address: Via Vico Saline, 5, 16035 Rapallo GE, Italy
http://www.roccoeisuoifratelli.it/
This restaurant was very highly rated, although I would have to say that was probably my least favorite of the meals we had in Liguria. However, just because it was my least favorite, doesn’t mean it wasn’t good.
What makes this restaurant great is ambiance, as well as a lovely and friendly staff. My husband was on a mission to get the best Negroni in Italy, so he had a cocktail while I had some wine (what else?!).
Starters
I will say their eggplant caponata is probably one of the best things I have ever eaten…in my life. Seriously, I would go back to this restaurant and have their caponata and foccacia bread as my meal! It was amazing. I savored every last bit of that. It was SO flavorful.
We shared the seafood ensalata as an appetizer, and it was really fresh, although too much calamari for my liking, so my husband ate most of it. He really liked it.
Entrees
For my entrée, I had the raviolo with burrata and zucchini, topped with a cream sauce and a giant shrimp! It was good, but it definitely lacked a little bit in the flavor department. They do, however, have many other amazing-sounding menu items (like the aged cheese pumpkin risotto) which I would definitely go back and try.
My husband was in the mood for meat this night, so he ordered the fillet. Unfortunately, it was a bit overcooked even though he ordered it rare. The flavor was good though, as were the sauce and mashed potatoes. I think ordering red meat in a seaside locale is probably not the greatest of ideas. Stick with the seafood and pesto dishes here! Central Italy is a better region for meat dishes.
And, for the finale, we had a nice little palate cleanser of a sorbet duo at the end of our meal, aka “free dessert.”
Rocco e i Suoi Fratelli (K2 Rocco)
Pizzeria Ristorante da Emilio (Santa Margherita Ligure)
Piazza Martiri della Libertà, 20, 16038 Santa Margherita Ligure GE, Italy
On our second full day in Liguria, we took a nice long walk from Rapallo to Santa Margherita Ligure. As usual, food was the star of the agenda for the day. Santa Margherita was pretty sleepy this time of year (November), so there wasn’t much to choose from in terms of open restaurants. We fortunately found a cute little spot that we could settle into for a nice lunch called Pizzeria Ristorante da Emilio.
We ordered delicious steamed mussels and the seafood risotto, with bottle of local pinot grigio to wash it all down. I’m pretty sure wine with every meal is mandatory in Italy, at least in my opinion.
Go to Ligura now!
If you have never thought about putting Liguria on your agenda when visiting Italy – do it now! The food is amazing, the villages are beautiful (Cinque Terre – hello!!!!), and the people are wonderful. I seriously want to retire here…like right now. I don’t know how you could visit this region and not fall in love. Until we meet again, Italian Riviera. Ciao!
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