Restaurants In Genoa

Genoa is famous for pesto (basil, pine nuts, garlic and parmigiano cheese blended into a sauce), which is usually served over trenette or trofia pasta that is cooked with potatoes and green beans. Being a port city, Genoa also has some good seafood dishes such as the fish stew, buridda. Restaurants in Genoa are extensive and the variety of international cuisine is also very good, with everything from German to Japanese being well represented.

Local cuisine

Traces of Genoa’s links with the Far East can be seen in the use of pistachios, sultanas, candied fruit and orange flower water in pandolce, the traditional cake. Between the traditional dishes: focaccia (a bread-like product, tasty, soft and crisp at the same time, with olive oil and salt sprinkled over the surface), farinata (chickpea fritters), stuffed vegetables, savoury pies, stockfish fritters, several types of filled pasta with different kind of sauces (walnut sauce and of course, pesto).

Where to eat

The maze of alleyways in the historic centre, such as via di Sottoripa, is the place where Genoese will stop for a chat amid the cries of street vendors and the smells of coffee, fried food, perfumes and the unmistakeable aroma of pesto, which is a typically Ligurian sauce.

Located at Corso Italian 1R, Da Giacomo is described as the best restaurant in Genoa. Da Giacomo’s atmosphere is friendly and the service is considered excellent, with the menu focused on traditional Lingurian cooking and dominated by seafood. To experience the delights of pesto first-hand, Zeffirino may be the place to try. Here, you can try the specialties of Liguria, but be prepared to spend a little bit more than you had budgeted for. Before going to bed, satisfy those late night hunger pangs with a warm focaccia.