L’erba Gatta

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Gianni and Carla are the owners of this restaurant which since 2008 has been offering tasty and light local cuisine, accompanied in this adventure by a young and passionate staff. In the kitchen, Gianni prepares dishes with typical products of the area, such as oil, wine, bread, beans, cheeses, wild herbs and Triora saffron. Among the appetizers the diced beef on parmesan cream (10€) and the classic brandacujun (10€). Among the main courses the sugeli (local handmade pasta that is made with a very simple dough and has a shape that resembles to orecchiette) in lamb ragout (€ 10) and ricotta and borage ravioli with cherry tomatoes and marjoram (€ 10). Second courses include the great protagonists of the inland cuisine: stewed snails (€ 14), baked Brigasca sheep toma cheese (€ 9), rabbit with olives, wild herbs braised in red wine (€ 11). Exquisite homemade desserts, such as Triora saffron infused creme brulè (€ 4) or panna cotta with coffee caramel (€ 4). The restaurant is located in the historic center, it is worth a visit and on the tablecloth you will find the map that will suggest a route to discover this fascinating village known as the land of witches. Menus from 25 to 30 €. Wine list with local labels and generous Piedmontese wines.

Osteria I Rebbi

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Opened in 2013 by Valerio and Elena in an old farmstead in San Sebastiano, the osteria is surrounded by the beautiful Barolo vineyards in the Langhe countryside, an enchanting view over the hills which even the New York Times says you should definitely visit. The osteria’s name comes from the “rebbi” or prongs of forks, a tongue in cheek way of referring the topic at hand: good cuisine. The atmosphere is simple and inviting and you can enjoy local quality ingredients in traditional Piedmontese dishes: from fried veal brains with amaretti from Monbaruzzo to “Langhe and Monferrato pasta” which are square ravioli and plin ravioli served together for two regional takes on one same dish; the polenta tortelli with snail stew, stewed donkey with spinach and raisins, bonet with coffee ice cream and Fernet caramel, peaches in syrup and kiwi sorbet, hazelnut torte, chocolate mousse and meliga biscotti. Tasting menu priced at € 37 and wide selection of the best wines.

Ristorante Da U Titti

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In a few minutes from the sea you get to Lingueglietta, become a full member of ”The most beautiful villages in Italy”. Riccardo and Chiara’s restaurant is inside a beautiful stone house, outside a large terrace with a beautiful view, which in summer is very appreciated. Inside the dining room is very accurate and cosy, lights and modern furnishings, with candles and special objects, make the location refined and elegant. The service is assigned to Chiara, always smiling and kind, while the kitchen is Riccardo’s reign. Both Lombard native they have taken over the restaurant for about two years and have already received considerable appreciation. There are two tasting menus: one of 5 courses for 40 euro and the other of 7 courses for 55 euro. Among the appetizers a la carte we mention the marinated sturgeon, late-growing radicchio, asparagus, eggs and corn (17 euro). Among the first courses worth to be tasted the stewed goose ravioli, quince mustard, pumpkin consommé, ginger and bay leaves (16 euros). Among the second courses the venison’s loin, Martine pears, red cabbage and American potatoes or the mullets with their sauce, chestnuts, clementines (25 and 18 euro). Refined and exquisite desserts. Homemade bread, breadsticks and focaccia, with particular flours. The presentation of the dishes and the service are very accurate. The wine list has selected labels and fair prices. Reservation is recommended.

Osteria del Tempo Stretto

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When you walk through the tavern’s door you get into a welcoming and well-kept location, leaving behind the traffic and noise of the Aurelia drive. The chef Cinzia Chiappori has a great professionalism, but she is a simple and honest person. She loves getting involved in trying new dishes with special ingredients, she likes to open her kitchen to other chefs and offers four-handed dinners, even with skit nights. The constant of its cuisine is the highest quality products always fresh and zero-mile. In the last year she renewed the dining room, with a touch of pink, and even her menus by offering for working lunch at noon unique and simple dishes at 15 euro, and in the evening more elaborate menus at 30 euro. Cinzia offers a creative local cuisine, where the local fish is very present, as well as artichokes and violet asparagus, slow food presidia. The delicious rabbit tuna and salmon tartare with raw artichokes and brandacujun are worth to be tasted. Among the first courses we mention the corzetti with artichokes and clams, the noodles with curry and shrimp ragù. Among the second courses, the delicious octopus cooked in red wine. The desserts are very carefully prepared by the chef, with unusual ingredients, such as the panna cotta with asparagus, edible flowers and lavender. In good weather you can have lunch in the garden and stop and rest in the three beautiful rooms on the upper floor.

Le Due Palme

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Restaurant near to the center of Ventimiglia, by now well known and appreciated for its excellent pizzas and always new offers. Pino and Marcella, the owners, have made a choice of quality and research of excellent products to satisfy even the most demanding customers. Since a few months Pino has been offering “pizzas d’autore” on Mondays and Wednesdays, original creations with unusual ingredients, but always of the highest quality, such as pumpkin cream and shrimp, or smoked salmon and DOP cheeses. The pizzas are prepared using 7 doughes, with different flours and leavenings, such as the hemp one or the Roman shovel, which requires a long leavening and a very high hydration that makes it light, crunchy and exquisite. In addition to pizzas (70 in the menu card !!!), a wide choice of pasta dishes, both meat and fish, ravioli, trofie, tagliatelle and a savory risotto of the fisherman, and to follow you can taste an excellent tagliata with arugula served on the soapstone as a grilled fish or grilled prawns. Good offer of vegetarian and vegan dishes too. Classic desserts, with something new like the chef’s pie and the grandmother’s cake. The restaurant is very large, bright, also suitable for events and business dinners, the service is prompt and courteous, organized by Marcella, always smiling and kind. Card of local wines and craft beers.

La Prua

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Situated in an incredible location at the start of the trekking itinerary, and with a porch which allows to eat a stone’s throw from the sea (and in the summer, right on the beach), this restaurant bets it all on local fish and high quality ingredients, only using the finest products, possibly local. The tasting menu, priced 50 Euros excluding wine, envisages, as starter, eledones on a pumpkin and ginger cream; purple yam gnocchi with baby squids and bagna cauda; sea bass escalope with dry pulses and cereals as second course; and dessert of your choice. A la carte, you can find, as starters, an intriguing “crudo di pesce” (fish tartare), a tryptic with sea bass on dry fava beans cream, smoked swordfish on toast with black sesame, and eledones. Among the first courses: squid ink tagliolini with John Dory, baby broccolis and pine nuts, sea bass ravioli with tuna, and a chickpeas zimino (a vegetable sauce) with shrimp tails. We recommend the fritto misto (fried mix), light and crispy, and the fish grilled mix. Meaty and vegetarian dishes are also offered. There is a wide selection of desserts, such as the chocolate “triple mousse” with Grand Marnier and pistachios, and the clementine and chestnuts crème. The wine list is interesting and offers both local wines, and a good selection of important choices from other Italian regions.

La Balena Bianca

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A charming and bright location for the restaurant started by the chef Paola Chiolini and her husband Daniele 5 years ago. A large dining room, modern furnishing, many paintings and artistic objects show the passion of the owners for every artistic expression. You can see it in the very carefully prepared dishes, served in an imaginative and original way, thanks to their experience in the catering that they bought in Milan, where they are present and active. You can start with the appetizers (from 9 to 13 euro), such as the fresh fish tartare with mango or bream cruditè with Sanremo shrimp, flavored with rum and caramelized ginger. The first courses of homemade fresh pasta such as the sea bass ravioli with squid and truffles or the beetroot ravioli with apple slices and shrimp (from 11 to 15 euro). Among the second courses we mention sea bass braid with leek sprouts, cappone and turban umbrine with caramelized chestnuts (from 15 to 20 euro). There is a wide choice for people who love meat and many vegetarian and vegan dishes. The desserts made by the chef are special, such as the caged tiramisù or chocolate mattonella with mint flavored mascarpone. The daily menù is written on the blackboard and offers special dishes, as well as pizzas and focaccias. The warm and friendly atmosphere makes it a nice stop with a really wonderful sea view.

Ristorante Monti

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It will be love at first sight with this venue close to Piazza Adriano, which offers a genuine Piedmontese cuisine. The tasting menu, priced at 38 Euros, starts with a vitello tonnato whose meat and capers sauce both convey the soul of this region’s gastronomic tradition, and its typical flavors. Next, agnolotti with roast sauce and a meat and vegetables filling – once common in the countryside. Follows a light fritto misto (fried mix): its salted component boasts chicken and loin Milanese, veal meatballs, brains, testicles and liver; the sweet kick is given by bran, plums, bananas, and amaretto biscuit, among others. With a glass of wine, the price reaches 45 Euros. The a la carte menu offers traditional Piedmontese options, such as tartare, batsoa (pig’s foot), Torino fillet (battered with bread sticks called Grissini, so that it is also known as “Grissinopoli”), Finanziera (a dish loved by Cavour, with offal and giblets). Among the desserts the zabajone is recommended, but the bonet and the crepe suzette also won’t disappoint. The selection of wines is wide, with renowned labels from the whole region, but also bottles by smaller producers. The restaurant joined the Buta Stupa initiative, so you have the option to take the bottle home, if you don’t finish it.

Trattoria Belvedere Roero

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This trattoria overlooks the Roero, and offers a breath-taking view any time of the year. We strongly recommend the dishes proposed by the Sperone family, who has been managing this restaurant for over twenty years. The chef, Andrea, skillfully cooks traditional Piedmontese meals, and most of the ingredients come from the family garden, together with meats of the best quality, such as the grey Carmagnola rabbit (Slow food certified), and game meat. Fresh, handmade pasta such as tajarin and plin ravioli, a symbol of Piedmontese cuisine, are also on the menu. As starters, we recommend the meat tartare, vitello tonnato, and tongue in green sauce. The homemade desserts, such as bonet and hazelnut pie with zabajone, are also exquisite. From June to October, you can also savor mushrooms, while from November onwards you will find different qualities of truffles on the menu, from the finest, to the black ones (found in good quantity in this area): they are offered in different versions, all delicious. The selection of DOP cheeses – a pride of Piedmont – is equally impressive, and includes Raschera, Castelmagno, Toma di Murazzano, and Robiola di Roccaverano, among others. In autumn, we strongly suggest you try the “Putage”, a meat and vegetable stew cooked on a wood-stove and served with polenta. The wine list is interesting, and offers a good selection of local wines. The service is polite and professional, and the venue comfortable. Average price, including drinks: 30 Euros.

La Rosa dei Venti

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The right address to taste excellent fresh fish. In a particularly charming corner of Albisola Superiore, in a small square, facing the sea, Rosa, considered a “shaman”, intends to surprise us with her never banal and always tasty dishes. You get into the rooms inspired by the sea colours with maritime objects hanging on the walls, paintings and artwork, here the association “Rosa dei Venti-Arte e Cucina” is based. When we are seated Rosa serves her dishes, which depend on the whims of the sea and the local fishermen, and without having to choose you are accompanied in a path of taste that involves our senses. We start with the appetizers: honey shrimps, chickpea and octopus salad, marinated anchovies, salmon carpaccio, if you are lucky the freshest oysters and much more. Among the first courses, that are prepared with fresh homemade pasta, we mention the ravioli of sea bream and sea bass, the gnocchi with prawns or lobster, all to taste. Even among the second courses, the choice is based on local fish, from light and tasty fried fish to the baked fish with local vegetables. The desserts are another specialty of Rosa, from the delicious semifreddo with pistachio to the ice creams and the always new sorbets. The service is accurate and kind. Prices in relation to quality, from 40 euro upwards.