Visiting Italy?
Updated in 2026 with new recommendations, food guide, and experiences.
The most frequent question I receive when I finish a Genoa traditional Genoa cooking class or a Genoa food tour ,just before saying good bye is: “where can we eat traditional Italian Riviera cuisine tonight? Can you suggest us a good traditional restaurant in Genoa?”
I do love these questions. They mean that, someway, my endless chatters and stories on Genoa culinary customs or the traditional dishes we prepared together indeed made them more interested in Ligurian food culture. They get curious enough that they want to taste more, to explore more, to find confirmation of my tales or just to make their own opinion on our traditional cuisine.
I therefore decided write this short list of the best restaurants in Genoa where to taste real Italian Riviera cooking – on my humble opinion, of course. This is a selection of restaurants I personally like and go back to — not because they are “the best” in an absolute sense, but because they represent, in different ways, what eating in Genoa can be.
If you’re visiting the city, this list can be a good place to start.
And if you’d like to go a bit deeper — beyond restaurants — I’ve put together a Genoa Food Guide with many more places I love, including bakeries, focaccerie, gelaterie and small local spots that are part of everyday life here.
I divided them into four main groups according to the area of the city where they are located (if you click on the street the relevant google map will open), as I think this will make it easier for people to choose according to their accommodation in town or to their planned journeys. You will find also the average price and the closing day during the week.
I higly suggest, for all these places, to book the table in advance also for checking if the restaurat is actually open as vacations period are approximate.
And if you are curious not just on where to eat but also on what to taste, have a look at my post What to Eat in Genoa: Traditional dishes, street food and Hidden Gems (Complete food guide).
My selection of traditional restaurants in Genoa
Here are some of my favorite traditional restaurants in Genoa. Think of this as a starting point — a way to begin exploring the city through its food.
Traditional restaurants in Genoa Old Port Area (Porto Antico)
Antica Osteria di Vico Palla
(Vico Palla 15R www.osteriadi bello, mi vedete non ci sonovicopalla.com
Closing day: Monday at lunch.
Vacations: Christmas and New Year
Price: €25/40).
This restaurant backdates at the 17th century when it was used to serve codfish to the seafarers arriving in the port of Genova (originally located where now stands the Porto Antico leisure area). The atmosphere is that of an ancient mariner tavern: vaulted ceilings made of bricks, simple furniture, menu written on a small chalkboardand varying daily according to the available fresh ingredients. Here you can still taste codfish (“stoccafisso”) cooked in different traditional ways (stewed, fried, in salad or baked) as well as the famous cappon magro (the traditional Ligurian seafood and veggie salad).
Trattoria della Raibetta
(Vico Caprettari 10R,
www.trattoriadellaraibetta.it
Closing day: Monday
Vacations: mid January and from mid July to mid August
Price: € 30/40).
In this historic restaurant (opened in the 18th century) I had one of the best pesto ever. It was seasoning “trenette avvantaggiate”, a traditional fresh pasta made with whole-wheat flour. Here all products are fresh: all pasta is home-made as well as pesto. Traditional dishes in the menu are made both with fish (such as codfish and anchovies) and meat (such as stewed rabbit) as well as with veggies (such as the various savory pies or the colorful minestrone soup).
Traditional restaurants in Genoa historic center/down town
Trattoria Ugo
(Via dei Giustiniani 86R
Closing day: Sunday and Monday.
Vacations: August
Price: € 20/25).
This is an example of old stile trattoria. Located at the base of an historical building the single room is big, with a wood ceiling, a square footage and hundreds of old kitchen tools and coppers hung on the walls. The cuisine is for all intents Genoese and some dishes are in the menu since the opening in the sixties: such as pansotti al sugo di noci (traditional ravioli with walnut sauce), minestrone, tripes and buridda (a fish soup).
Sà Pesta
(Via dei Giustiniani 16R,
sapesta.it,
Closing day: Sunday.
Vacations: August
price: €20/25).
Originally this palce was a reseller of mashed salt, a very precious ingredients in the Medieval Ages and of which Genoa had the monopoly all over Europe and the Mediterranean. At the beginning of the 19th century the place converted into one of the most fascinating trattorias of the city. The place has a vaulted ceiling, the typical Genoese flooring, two big wood ovens, marble counters and wood tables. Here you can taste the real traditional Genoese street food: one of the best farinata (caked chickpea tart) in town as well as focaccia al formaggio (cheese pie),various torte di verdure (veggie savory pies made as tradition rules and slowly cooked in the wood oven) and verdure ripene (stuffed vegetables).
Trattoria da Maria
(Vico Testadoro 14R,
closing day: Sunday
vacations: August, Christmas and New Year
price €10/22).
In Genoa Maria is a reference for the traditional cuisine. It celebrates this year its first century. This was and still is an honest, low cost, popular local restaurant. From this restaurant passed many VIPS and its fame spread beyond the Italian borders. Le Monde and the New York Times mentioned this place. It’s a very easy place. At its table, wrapped with red and white checkered paper tablecloth, you can eat only plates of the traditions, cooked in a familiar way and 100% homemade. From ravioli al tocco (ravioli with meat souse) to soups, from stewed tripes to savory pies.
Traditional restaurants outside Genoa historic center
Il Genovese
(Via Galata 35R,
www.ilgenovese.com,
closing day: Sunday
Vacantions: never
€20/30).
The co-owner of this restaurant, Roberto Panizza, is well known as the best sponsor of Genoa pesto in the world as he is the organizer of the World Pesto Championship and one of the biggest local producers of pesto marked “Rossi”. Pesto here is a guarantee. But not only that. Minestrone, for example, is excellent, as well as zimino di ceci (chard and chickpea soup) and homemade ravioli. As main course you can taste codfish, tripes or meatballs made with Cabannina, a Liguria slow food presidia cow meat. They also offer a good selection of local wines.
Montallegro
(Via Mura delle Chiappe 30R,
www.ristorantemontallegro.it,
closing day: Monday from October to May
Vacantions: never
price: €25/35).
The breathtaking view of the entire city from the terrace of this informal but stylish restaurant is worth the trip. Even better if you get to this historic place (opened in 1913) located on the green and peaceful hills clinging on the city by the old red funicular way, one of the first built in Italy (it is called funicolare Zecca-Righi and you can take it just at the border of historic center, in Piazza della Zecca). Here you can taste traditional Italian Riviera cuisine as well as pizza (more that 20 different seasoning) and farinata (baked chickpea flour tart).
Traditional restaurants in Boccadasse
Trattoria da Osvaldo
(Via della Casa 2,
closing day: Sunday during winter time
Vacantions: 3 weeks in November and 1 week in February
price: € 45/60).
This restaurant is located in the small ancient fisherman village of Boccadasse, just 4 km far from the city center and popular leisure destination both for tourists and for Genoa people. Neat and cozy, with a familiar atmosphere, Osvaldo offers a selection of the most popular Italian Riviera dishes. During summer time tables are placed in the tiny square in front of the door, which is very romantic.
Looking for more places?
These are just a few places to start.
If you want to explore Genoa more deeply through its food, in my Genoa Food Guide you’ll find a much broader and carefully curated selection — over 30 places across the city, including restaurants, focaccerie, gelaterie, bakeries, and local favorites.
Experience Genoa through its food
If you’d like to go beyond choosing a restaurant and really understand how food works in Genoa, the best way is to experience it. Here’s a glimpse of what I mean.
Walking through Genoa, one taste at a time:
A slower way to experience the city:
These experiences are designed to help you see the city differently — through its markets, its small shops, and the people behind the food.
You can join one of my food experiences:
→ Join a Genoa Food Tour
→ Discover my Market day Cooking Classes
Ah! There are also Private experiences available for a more personalized approach!
Eating in Genoa is not just about finding the right restaurant. It’s about learning how to move through the city, how to read a menu, how to recognize quality, and how to connect with a food culture that is still deeply rooted in everyday life.
This is what I try to share — through this blog, my guide, and my experiences.
