Best food we had during our weeklong stay in Cinque Terre.
We did our research (all the best places to eat in the area), set our expectations (likely overpriced, touristy, not that good...), and thus tried most of the "highly rated" (ie Michelin guide, Google, Yelp) or recommended (by our airbnb local hosts) places. Some good dishes and some that were immediately forgettable. I actually could barely remember most of the places and dishes we are after a day or two. That means they were not that great AND they didn't poison my body our souls as to leave a lasting mark. So yeah, glass half full or empty, your call.... Most were about 100-150 euros for two people (not counting wine).
Anyway, long story short, Cinque Terre generally deserves its rep for expensive but just ok food. Most people seem content walking around munching focaccia and/or a cone of fried seafood, it's a little off since both are not too far from munching olive oil drenched cardboard and lightly battered sod rubber but hey, it's all good.
So, that leads us to Cappun Magru: Nice people, good vibe, fair prices, and extremely (dare I say some of the best sandwiches I've ever had in my life...hmmnn..yes, I dare say that). The shrimp and octopus sandwiches are so good that when my wife dropped half of hers by accident, it negatively impacted our relationship for the rest of the day. The Tiramisu and lemon yogurt cake were also excellent. So yeah, hike (it's an easy hike up the hill to get there) to the only place we truly recommend eating at in Cinque Terre. read more