Restaurants in Sardinia
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Osteria Taverna Paradiso
This unpretentious trattoria is presided over by Pasquale Nocella, the artistic-looking guy with the wild hair. The food here is excellent: hearty plates of grilled steak, mountains of steaming pasta, and lots and lots of cheese. The osteria has even won awards for its cheese. The pasta with aubergines and smoked ricotta packs a flavourful punch.
reviewed
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Dal Corsaro
A classic of Cagliari's fine-dining scene, Dal Corsaro attracts the glad-rag scenesters who want to be seen. Stiff white tablecloths, silver wine buckets and elegant couples murmuring over floral arrangements set the scene for some outrageously good food, while white-smocked waiters provide impeccable service.
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Trattoria Maristella
Visitors and locals flock to this bustling little trattoria for reliable seafood and local specialities such as culurgiones (ravioli stuffed with potato, pecorino cheese and mint) and crema catalana, a delicious creamy dessert. Booking recommended.
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Antico Caffè
Unfortunately located on a busy road junction, this is Cagliari’s most famous cafe. Sip cocktails on the terrace or inside amid the polished wood and brass.
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Hotel Ristorante Gallura
Unlike the hotel, the restaurant of the Gallura is absolutely top-notch. The menu reads like a dictionary of Gallurese dishes, and the waiters dash back and forth carrying intriguing platters of exotic food such as smoked cuttlefish with wild beetroot, fish cooked in a paste of courgette and ricotta, and rabbit in saffron. Go with the recommendations - it's all good.
Lovely Rita Denza, the maestro behind it all, flits from table to table in her apron making sure her customers can navigate the multitude of choices. Reservations are essential.
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Andrieni
This is Alghero's restaurant of the moment. In summer outdoor tables are set beneath the huge fig tree, where you dine on innovative dishes mixing cured meats and fruit, delicately cooked fish with seasonal vegetables and herbs, and some excellent grilled and roasted meats. The wine list is a weighty tome, and you need a menu for the cheese trolley. Unfortunately, the maître d' is a little on the haughty side.
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Villa di Chiesa
Located on the grand Piazza del Municipio, this long-standing local favourite has a tiptop position, and in summer tables are laid out in the piazza. It serves pizza in the evening, but the homemade pasta dishes are the thing to go for - the culurgiones (pasta stuffed with ricotta, spinach and saffron) is delicious, as is the house sebadas (light pastry filled with cheese and covered with honey).
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Monica e Ahmed
If you love seafood you’ll love it here. Start with a mixed antipasto – at the time of research this comprised swordfish carpaccio, fried calamari, tuna with beans, mussels, and lobster in vinaigrette – before moving on to the main event. You could play it safe with spaghetti ai frutti di mare (with mussels and clams) or push the boat out and order grilled giant prawns.
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Trattoria L'Assassino
This trattoria is hidden away in a back alley off Piazza Tola. The more adventurous will step beyond the set meal and try a selection of 10 starters. These can include classics such as funghi arrosto (roasted mushrooms) and lumaconi (big snails). If you get really lucky you may find calf's testicles on the menu as well.
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Antica Posta
A new venture on one of the busiest streets in the old town, this is a wine bar-cum-grill room of the 'industrial architecture' type. Unlike many places in Sassari, it serves modern Sardinian food such as grilled steaks and fillet of fresh fish, as well as some interesting pastas like fregola con funghi (pasta with mushrooms).
reviewed
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Ristorante Italia
Across from the hotel of the same name, the Italia has the same dated atmosphere. It's divided into two parts: the so-called bistro, which serves up cheap meals, and the 1st-floor restaurant, which has pretensions to grandeur. It's well regarded locally, especially for its fish dishes - try the cassita de pisci (fish soup).
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Spinnaker
This is one place at Poetto where you'll be guaranteed a refined dining experience. It operates on two levels: a cheap and cheerful pizzeria downstairs, and a chic 1st-floor terrace restaurant overlooking the boats bobbing in the marina. It serves up all the local favourites alongside specialities like vegetable-and-prawn couscous.
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Ristorante Canne al Vento
A classic restaurant with a bamboo-covered terrace, the Canne al Vento has been serving Gallurese food here since 1957. It's still the best restaurant in town. Try the unusual local specialities, such as suppa cuata (cheese and bread broth) or pasta with bottarga (mullet roe). The management also has 22 rooms.
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Da Lillicu
A Cagliari institution, this historic trattoria has an excellent local reputation and is nearly always packed. Diners come for the noisy, convivial atmosphere and excellent seafood – signature dishes include fritto misto (mixed fry) and burrida (catfish marinated in white-wine vinegar and served with nuts).
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Nettuno
In a great location with a 3rd-floor terrace overlooking the port, Nettuno's atmosphere is positively boisterous and the boating décor jollies the whole thing along. The pasta with clams is the thing to eat here - the delicious aroma pervades the restaurant. Follow it with a plate of barbequed king prawns.
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La Vecchia Trattoria
Ignore the gaudy sea-themed décor - think hanging nets and fishing paraphernalia - and enjoy an excellent meal at this local favourite. It's located in a pretty spot in the shadow of the Chiesa di San Michele and specialises in Cagliaritani cuisine, combining the flavours of terra e mare (land and sea).
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Cocco e Dessì
Smart, but not oppressively so, this is a popular modern restaurant. Well-dressed diners sit down to whopping pizzas and tasty, stylishly presented local food. Menu staples include polpi con patate (octopus with potato), served cold as an antipasto, and orata al vapore (steamed sea bream).
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Ristorante Royal
Tuck into a succulent Florentine steak or choose from a range of other meat and vegetable dishes from this window on Tuscany. There's not much fishy fare available, but there are plenty of lip-smacking desserts, including an exemplary seadas (light pastry filled with cheese and covered with honey).
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Osteria Macchiavello
This is a restaurant for those who want full-on meaty flavours. Grilled meats include horse, beef and (sorry about this) - donkey. Alternatively, there's a tasty wild-boar ragù and a few fishy dishes, including zuppa di polpi e patate (octopus and potato soup) as a whet-your-appetite starter.
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Vineria Sant'Efisio
This tiny, traditional vineria (wine bar, but not as you know it!) is tucked into the steep alleys of Stampace. It has a daily fish-only menu and on Wednesday it even offers sushi. The cosy cavelike interior provides an intimate setting and, as to be expected, there's a good selection of wine.
reviewed
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Posada del Mar
A formal little place, Posada del Mar has tables covered in flowery tablecloths intimately arranged beneath its big barrel vaults. In summer the French doors are opened to the piazzetta outside. The house speciality is the ricci (sea urchins), although pizza is also served in the evenings.
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Trattoria Gino
An old-school neighbourhood trattoria, Gino has been serving tasty, no-nonsense food since the 1930s. The menu covers most bases, but it’s the seafood that really stands out. Start with risotto alla marinara (seafood risotto) before diving into chargrilled seppia (cuttlefish).
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La Lepanto
This has long been Alghero's top fish restaurant: check out the grand tank of fish as you enter, the packed tables and the waiters run off their feet. But it has to be said that service and food are not what they used to be - the increase in tourist trade has dulled Lepanto's innovative edge.
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Su Nugoresu
This upmarket trattoria with outdoor seating is on the attractive Piazza San Giovanni. The clientele is young and modish, and the surroundings are subtly rustic. Pizzas come hot out of the oven, while other more refined dishes (including some very nice fish) are served with a flourish.
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Il Pavone
A classic of the Alghero dining scene, Il Pavone isn't as grand as other restaurants like the Andrieni or La Lepanto, but the service is a lot more palatable. Tables overlook the lively Piazza Sulis and the food is seasonal, a mixture of Mediterranean and innovative Sardinian dishes.
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