15 Best Restaurants in The Italian Riviera, Italy

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

A mix of great charm and great food make this small, bustling osteria in the historic center an absolute dining delight. Dishes are Ligurian with a focus on local fish, and the list of local wines, including organic selections, is excellent.

Vintage wooden furniture and peach-colored walls evoke the homey charm of this small family-run trattoria in a pedestrians-only alley. A faithful clientele keeps the kitchen busy, so get here early to grab a table and order Ligurian specialties—fresh pasta, pesto, and vegetable and seafood dishes.

In a departure from the local norm, meat dishes, not seafood, are the specialty on the menu at Oca Bianca. Choices include tasty pastas as well as mouthwatering preparations of beef, lamb, pork, and octopus. There's also an extensive wine list from its next-door cantina, and attentive service adds to the experience. The decor is a bit dated, with wood columns and upholstered chairs, but the food makes up for it.

With its slightly quirky but quality cuisine, attentive staff, moderate prices, and central position near Via Roma, this place ticks all the boxes for a satisfying lunchtime or evening meal-stop. The accent is firmly on seafood, often with an unusual twist, evident in such dishes as lobster salad, fish soup, prawns with almond flakes, and roast octopus with rosemary on a bed of lentils. Non-seafood choices are available, too. The restaurant is accessed through the Best Western City Hotel, though it has no other connection to it. You can eat alfresco in summer.

Dishes are created specifically to complement wines at this casually elegant enoteca with dark wood tables and bottle-lined walls in the heart of the modern town. The Ligurian menu varies daily, but the real draws are the excellent antipasti and the vast wine list, which includes many organic selections.

This friendly restaurant serves some of the best seafood in town on the covered terrace or the indoor patio with wicker chairs, where you can watch the bustling activity in the old port. Only the freshest catches are presented; try the "Bagnun" anchovy soup or any of the pastas.