Top Restaurants in Porto Venere
Top Things to do in Porto Venere
Italy Food Guide: 10 Ligurian food Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Porto Venere
Find out what Ligurian restaurants to try in Porto Venere. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was a favorite of Byron, Shelley and D.H. Lawrence. (In fact, if you don’t mind a few rocks, you can swim at one of Byron’s favorite spots, now dubbed Byron’s Cove.) Portovenere’s San Pietro Church was built on the remains of a 6th-century church, which was itself built atop an ancient Roman temple to Venus. Relax and enjoy the boats bobbing in lines on the pretty bay, or daytrip to the Cinqueterre.
Things to do in Porto Venere
10. La Tortuga di Claudio
Overall Ratings
4 based on 344 reviews
Reviewed By 513craigm
Nice view over the bay and friendly staff. Good local seafood. We booked through quandoo but they didn't have our reservation and we had to sit inside instead of outside so you need to phone to confirm.
9. Ristorante Elettra
Overall Ratings
4 based on 697 reviews
Reviewed By Dale W
This is a white table cloth restaurant with wonderful view of the bay from the outside seating as well as inside upstairs. Everything we had was quite good; the spaghetti with clams, the grilled seafood, and the caprese salad. I think it's hard to get grilled seafood cooked just right, but these guys did it. I really liked all the seafood on the plate, inclluding calamari strips, shrimp, and tuna. We tried three different desserts, which they said came from a bakery, and they were all very good. The food was a little slow coming out at the beginning, but I attribute that to the fact that we got there right at opening time and they were just getting started. Overall, the service was good and friendly.
8. Trattoria la Marina
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1035 reviews
Reviewed By Jnjam
Fancied some calamari before catching the ferry back to La Spezia. Ended up having a generous colander filled frittura mista which was very tasty. Wife enjoyed her caprese salad. Service was typical Italian in that we were treated as tourists to be served but not fawned over. As long as you donât ask anything stupid youâll be fine.
7. La Medusa
Overall Ratings
4 based on 401 reviews
Reviewed By alecaber
I walked in based on a recommendation I got from the owner of our B&b. We asked for a table and for the following 5 minutes a waiter who didnât even stop a second to talk us kept telling us while walking away, coming back, walking away again, that there was no chance to get a table, that he absolutely couldnât help us, that we were on his way and he was SO busy. There was tables in the veranda and there was one table outside. Al booked in his opinion, but no signs on the table. He was so unhelpful and so rude that I simply walked away telling the rest of the crew how rude he had been. They tried for no longer than 5 seconds to convince us to stay (that demonstrates tables were available). I am in Italian and I live abroad. I love my country and our sense of hospitality. Liguria is well known to be not the best with tourists and this, sadly, confirmed a stereotype.I was really disappointed. This isnât the way you treat customers. Never again dear Medusa, no matters how good your cuisine is. Grow up and get more polite. Personnel at Elettra was so kind on the flip side and they good a good tip from us considering my abroad standards to tip for service and courtesy.Entra nel locale chiedendo un tavolo; gentilmente le si dice che per il momento non è possibile farla accomodare. Insegue il cameriere mentre sta servendo i clienti già seduti insistendo che ci sono dei tavoli liberi . Il cameriere educatamente dice che i tavoli in questione sono già prenotati invitandola a spostarsi da un lato per lasciare libero il passaggio dove il personale transitava per servire la gente. Comincia ad insultare tutto lo staff del ristorante additandolo di essere cafoni , maleducati e che ci dovremmo anche vergognare attirando lâ attenzione dei commensali presenti in sala . Il titolare a questo punto cerca di capire la situazione ma in cambio riceve nuovi insulti . Impettita esce dal locale rifiutando un confronto ed un chiarimento . Sicuramente câè stata un incomprensione e questo si presuppone che possa capitare in qualsiasi ambito lavorativo, ma se si vuole parlare o INSEGNARE educazione bisogna dare il buon esempio cosa che lei non ha fatto. Prima di parlare o scrivere bisogna pensare e soprattutto avere rispetto delle persone che ogni giorno lavorano onestamente e che amano il proprio lavoro . Anche noi amiamo il nostro paese e cerchiamo sempre di essere il più ospitali possibile con tutti anche se a volte non tutti se lo meriterebbero!
6. Ristorante Il Gambero
Overall Ratings
4 based on 577 reviews
Reviewed By ladyl81
Il Gambero has some great combinations of pasta and seafood, as well as delicious seafood platters and an extensive beer and wine list. Itâs located on the Main Street and has an outdoor seating area with a great atmosphere and view. We found it to be great food at a good price-our meal was served quickly. As it got busier in the night, there was a wait to pay the bill as there was one waitress and she was run off her feet so could do with a little more help to earn an excellent rating. Overall, a great meal and atmosphere and wished weâd eaten there a second time during our stay!
5. La Chiglia
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1370 reviews
Reviewed By Asive
I have travelled Italy many times but this is the most shocking experience I had. The owner insulted us because we didnt speak english. It took 30mns for the owner to provide the bill. I wouldnt recommend the place to anybody. Portovenere is wonderful but this restaurant is the worst in Italy. No kidding
4. Anciua
Overall Ratings
4 based on 599 reviews
Reviewed By mmechelsea
On the recommendation of our tour guide, he knew Anciua had gluten-free options. As pesto was invented in this region, I knew I wanted to try it! The shop employee didnât speak much English but was very friendly and welcoming as we tried to communicate with each other. I got a corn-based GF focaccia with pesto and cheese. It was heated up in a microwave which felt a little weird to me, but it was good nonetheless. The pesto was AH-mazing and had an entirely deeper flavor than what we have in the States. It has lots of garlic, but it was a lot greener than Iâve had before. Good little snack spot in Portovenere!
3. Palmaria Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 387 reviews
Sitting on the sublime terrace of the ancient convent that overlooks the sea, Palmaria Restaurant offers a romantic veranda with a candlelight ambiance. The Executive Chef and his team will provide you with a unique culinary experience. Palmaria Restauran
Reviewed By ina504
We went w our grandsons, 7 and 10.5. Not exactly a family restaurant but we were seated a bit out of the way. Kids were very well behaved and quiet but service not at all attentive. I think it was an anomaly b/c restaurant is quite good. Everything else about the hotel is wonderful so I'm guessing it was an off night or they prefer no children?Dear ina504 ,Thank you for taking the time to post your review on TripAdvisor.Please accept my apologies if you encountered some shortfalls on your recent visit and I have taken good note of your comments and discussed with the team accordingly. I just wanted to ensure you that we would never turn away guests based on the fact children or not or anything else beside the fact of being full - I'm really sorry you felt that way at our Palmaria.We hope to welcoming back to Palmaria and hopefully review your opinion on our service.Kind Regards,F&B teamPalmaria Restaurant
2. Ristorante Portivene
Overall Ratings
4 based on 2017 reviews
Reviewed By KaroGr
We visited this restaurant as a family of 3. When we booket the table we informed that 2 of the visitors was allergic to gluten. They told us that this was no problem. The waitresses was well informed about the gluten free food And we felt safe that this would be taken cared of during the meal. We also got served gluten free bread at the beginning. In the primi piatti/pasta-section they could only switch the regular pasta with gnocchi, wich was not a very good combination for us. The pasta courses var not made to go with the gnocchi. I would have prefered «regular» gluten free pasta instead.The athmosphere was really good, the service was exellent. And of course the bar made out of a boat was Very nice. They also served me the best panna cotta i have ever tasted with strawberries.Come prima cosa dovresti ringraziare che facciamo la roba senza glutine compreso il pane come secondo se non vi piacciono gnocchi questo câè la prossima volta si porti la sua pasta per celiaci noi facendo pagare il solito prezzo diamo da mangiare a celiaci da 7 anni e sono tt contenti altrimenti sta a ca tra spastico der casso
1. Antica Osteria del Carugio
Overall Ratings
3 based on 251 reviews
Antica Osteria del Cargo is a old tavern in the old and main carugio of Portovenere that leads to the Church of San Pietro, recently masterfully restored with exposed stones and vaulted ceilings in bricks, offers typical Ligurian cuisine in a magical sett
Reviewed By ashleyshepherd50
This restaurant has a great atmosphere, v authentic cozy and intimate feel to it.The staff are excellent and v helpful, the head waiter/manager spoke good English and explained the menu to us.The food was excellent with great flavours and cooked to perfection. We had a local white wine which we were v impressed with.We will definitely return before leaving......oh and I would suggest that you book as we went on a quieter Monday night and they were turning people away.Enjoy.
Where to eat Italian food in Porto Venere: The Best Restaurants and Bars
