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    Da Adolfo

    4.2 (43 reviews)
    ModerateItalian, Beach Bars, Seafood

    Da Adolfo Photos

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    Mussels in a tomato sauce
    Em K.

    I think a lot of people, myself included, are drawn to this restaurant because of its very exclusive, VIP feel. You'll hear the same story over and over again about how it's impossible to make a reservation by yourself and how you need to find someone who possesses the special phone number to call for you. You then have to take a private boat, which they run to and from Positano, to their remote location, further adding to the uniqueness of the experience. What's more, you get to lounge around at their private beach. It's all a very clever gimmick, and it worked on me. People who tell you this is the freshest fish of their lives are perhaps being biased by what they've heard and read and by the overall very pleasant experience. It must be the freshest seafood if it's impossible to get a reservation, right? Sure, it's fresh, but so is the seafood at literally every decent restaurant on the Amalfi Coast. The food comes from the same sea. Cons included a very salty spaghetti with clams, very small lobsters with practically no meat, very oily food, and mediocre pasta. Oh, and there's also the fact that you are literally stranded until their boat shows up unless you want to pay for a water taxi. My impression was that the lemon was not worth the squeeze. Getting here was a huge ordeal, and our time and money probably could have been better spent elsewhere.

    Brian L.

    Catching a boat ride to this restaurant is a pain in the ass. At the end of the day, it wasn't really that worth it. 1. There is no queue since they pick up in different parts of the dock. Which means you can be in front of the line or the back depending where you stand. 2. If you decide to dine, they will not bring you back before 3:30pm. Anytime before that, you'll likely pay €10 a head to get back from another taxi boat. I think the point is too stay on the beach, which we didn't do. 3. The food isn't THAT great. Fresh seafood. Yes. Cooked well. Yes. Delicious? I mean, it's just fresh seafood with garlic, olive oil and salt. I'm sure we could have found that in many other places. Just a pain in the @ss getting there.

    Pick up boat

    This place is a sleeping gem. It is rsvp only, but it becomes a day experience and not just lunch. Their boat picks you up in Positano (no charge) and takes you to their private beach about 15 minutes away. If you make a reservation you also are reserving beach chair for €15 each, this is a must due to the surf and rocks. Lunch is on their covered deck and the food is fantastic. Very fresh and reasonably priced. Lunch for 3 with a bottle of Prosecco and a shard caprese salad was only €100.

    Jenny B.

    So my first time in Positano and we had Pepe as our waiter. AMAZING. FOOD AMAZING VIEW AMAZING A must in POSITANO the best part. My friend asked the owner What is your secret? She said "Go your own path" Words to live by Thank you from our deepest of hearts And thank you for letting us say the longest goodbye ever! We couldn't bare to leave and you were all so gracious. Ciao

    Asiya N.

    Best food experience in Positano! My advice is to make a trip to Da Adolfo a day day trip. Go there at about 11 am, put your name on the list, get a sun chair and enjoy the beautiful private beach with cleanest water. When your table is ready, try as many dishes as possible :) Everything is good and fresh!!! MY favorites were octopus salad, mussel soup, bream fish,speghetti pesto with green chili peppers. Just FYI they do not have prices on their menu, but everything I reasonably priced and they will tell you if you ask. After your have lunch go back to the beach and enjoy the rest fo the day there, until you are ready for the boat to take you back to Positano's main beach. P.S. I've heard about difficulties getting reservations at this place. I personally called them too and no one ever answers. So you have to be creative and adventirous if you really want to try this place. My advice : boat comes every 30 min or so, get in line, and when the boat comes and they ask you if you have a reservation, confidently say "Yes". Once you get there, go straight to the restaurant, find Sergio ( who is the owner and the tallest guy in there) and put your name on the wait list. Yes it's quite an experience but that's what makes in fun and memorable. Wait is about 1-2 hr, but utilize the beautiful beach while you are waiting.

    Daily specials
    TBone A.

    I heard so much about this place and absolutely can't get a reservation like everybody said. I was fortunate enough to ask my Airbnb local host happen get us a table. The boat leave from the main marina from 10am. I think it runs every hour or half and an hour. They also check if you have a reservation before they let you on board. Once you get there there's a private beach. Lunch all start at 1pm and 3pm. Boat back to the Positano start again around 3.30pm. So, plan to spend the whole day there. The water there is not as nice or clear as some other beaches. There's a lot of debris in the water. Maybe because of the boat traffic. I've seen so many boats dropping off and pick up guests for lunch. This restaurant is definitely busy. There's no price on the menu. But I can assure you it's not as pricey as mainland. Seafood is fresh and delicious. Probably best seafood I had in two weeks while we were there. Highly recommend Grilled prawn and mussel.

    Julie K.

    When we arrived in Positano looking for a place to chill at the beach, everything was completely FULL! After speaking Englian (English/Italian) someone mentioned if we want a private beach we must go eat at a restaurant. . . the catch?? This restaurant can be accessed by boat only unless you know the mountains of Positano well. Off we go with the Captain in his dingy towards Da Adolfo! The ambiance is very relaxed, servers running around bare foot. I decided to be adventurous and ordered the tuna tartar, when the plate arrived at first I was hesitant, because it was literally raw and flavored with olive oil and seasalt and some cilantro as garnish, but it was DELISH! I think the seafood is literally caught on that beach right before it's served. The seafood tasted so FRESH and Yummers! And if you ordered the Limoncello, be ready becuz that is STRONG! Cheers!

    Lo P.

    If you went to Positano and didn't spend the day at Da Adolfo did you really go? NA. This place is top notch and blows any seafood lovers mind. Here's the download: You need a reservation and getting one takes dedication aka calling every day until they pick up. Put Amex or Chase to work for this one. Getting there is part of the Da Adolfo experience. You wait on the Positano beach dock for your ride an Italian man in a little wooden boat with a red fish on the top. A 5 minutes boat ride later, you arrive to a little rock beach nestled between the cliffs with two restaurants and their beaches. You eat lunch by ordering off a board which consists of the freshest seafood options on the planet. After your meal you lay out on the lounges for the rest of the day and enjoy the sea. Do not miss this place. Bonus points if you can get a T-shirt.

    Spaghetti with clams
    Shawn H.

    One of the easiest five-star reviews I'll ever write. This was one of the best experiences we've had in Italy, both for the food and for the beach. The dish that I can't get out of my mind was the mussels marinara, which were absolutely incredible -- I didn't even like mussels going into this meal, and this was one of my favorite dishes in all of Italy. The spaghetti with clams was great as well, and the mozzarella on the lemon leaf was interesting, but it's the mussels that I'll always remember. The beach is great as well, especially if you can get a chair. Getting to relax like this before and after eating an amazing meal really is a great perk. Can't recommend this place enough.

    King fish pasta
    Amanda W.

    We have heard from numerous people to make sure we grab lunch at Da Adolfo. They definitely don't make it easy! You HAVE to call and make a reservation, but you have to be lucky that they answer their phone. We were staying at a hotel in Positano for our honeymoon, so the hotel ended up calling for us and making the reservation. Then you have to wait on the dock where their boat comes and picks you up. They run every 30 minutes and I believe the last boat out is 4:30 or 5pm. It is a well run machine that restaurant. The service was great! Make sure to order the house white wine, they serve it with peaches. We also got the mozzarella, tuna tartare, and pastas.

    Calamari under our green umbrella
    Rachel S.

    An epic and delicious take on the "hole-in-the-wall" concept. Holy excellent. On our first day in Positano, we wanted something super low-key and laid back, we were pretty damn exhausted. I had heard a smattering of enthusiastic buzz surrounding one little restaurant in particular via the internet and a favorite blogger, so I was determined to try and find it. Turns out, a great deal of luck and timing was involved in our successful venture to this idyllic restaurant/beach. We happened to be on the right pier, at just about the right time (11:30am), as the little Da Adolfo boat, with its signature red fish sign, was making its appearance on the horizon. We scrambled to get two seats on board and were whisked away along the Amalfi Coast to what we were sure would be an epic and delicious meal. We were correct. We got a table right away, although reservations are hiiiiiighly recommended, and wandered over to the chalkboard with that day's specials. With some rough translation, we ordered the fresh calamari, mussels, roasted daily fish, and fresh mozzarella grilled on lemon leaves, with the house white wine & peaches to wash everything down. Holy tasty. Everything was so fresh--some of the best seafood we've ever had--and the tomatoes and mozzarella were out of control delicious. There was something so quintessentially Italian about this little place--with the chalkboard, waiters running around yelling at each other, the little kitchen turning out wondrous meals, and the beautiful Mediterranean Sea lapping at the private beach just a few meters away. Yup, that worked just fine for us. Later in our adventures, companions on our boat told us they had been hunting for Da Adolfo too, so we made a date to escort them there again. We had nearly the same dishes, plus linguini with clams and Caprese. The chorus of happy eating noms was as boisterous and enthusiastic as ever. You can't beat this reasonable and delicious option. Eat your fill, then relax on the beach for a few hours before heading home!

    View from boat
    Greg E.

    So this is a great day trip: the boat w the red fish on the mast picks you up at the Positano dock for free, drives you a few coves over to the restaurant, where you enjoy a spectacular long lunch, with apps, salad, pasta and fish or seafood, ending with lemon cello and macchiato. All very reasonably priced. Afterwards, you go lay in the sun in their nice chairs, and swim on the beach, until the boat takes you back. It takes an entire afternoon, which is fabulous. Call for a rezzie, and plan to enjoy a long slow afternoon. No need to be in a hurry.

    Omg! The best squid i've ever tasted! Tender and juicy!

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    Review Highlights - Da Adolfo

    Look for the little red fish boat coming from Positano and sail away to the perfect day on the Amalfi Coast.

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    Il Pirata - Mint Calamari

    Il Pirata

    4.1(79 reviews)
    2.9 km
    €€€

    Il pirata is an incredible restaurant for the views. We were sat at a table at the end of the row…read morethat seemed like the best table in the house. We had burrata with prosciutto that was amazing, zucchini flowers, pasta ragu and the seafood pasta. While it was all decent, it was overpriced, guess for the ocean view.

    We actually ended up staying in Praiano and including Amalfi Coast in r itinerary b/c I really…read morewanted to eat at this restaurant built into a cave and sitting on the cliffs of the water. Well, it wasn't worth building a trip around it, but we did really love Amalfi Coast so in the end it worked out. As for this restaurant, I wouldn't go for dinner. Food just isn't very good. If ur in the area already (not spending crazy $ to take a water taxi or drive a distance), stop by for a cocktail. Having a drink here is worth it if you're nearby so would definitely recommend that. The bar is the only portion that's part of the cave and truly, many places along Praiano and neighboring areas r built into the cliff so it's not all that special. Unless you're arriving via water taxi, the walk to this place is a lot so wear shoes that u love to hike in-lol. We paid an additional 15Euro/pp to have VIP seating right along the water. Not worth it. U could easily sit on the patio and have equal views and experience. One of the nice things about Europe is often that they don't rush u as much as US restaurants. Not here. They were ready to grab r order immediately and when we asked to start with a drink and appetizer then order in a bit, they told us they had to put in r complete order at 1 time. Seems odd since they were able to add drinks as needed, but whatevs. The linguini with anchovy (it was more of an essence) was amazing! Would totally recommend it and we don't even like anchovies. However, everything else was meh to bad. The lamb ribs were a pile of fat and not good. The filet was really overcooked so rough to eat. The tagliatelle with ragu had almost no meat in it. Probably spent $100usd pp without alcohol and would definitely not recommend for dinner. *Tip - if you're walking back up that huge hill after drinks/dinner, stop off at the hotel just above Il Pirate and have a cocktail or dessert there. They have an elevator that will take u up to the top street that u can use if you're either a guest or dining there. I promise u it's worth the $ for the ride.

    Photos
    Il Pirata - Inside area

    Inside area

    Il Pirata - Tortino Ricotta e Pere (~€9)

    Tortino Ricotta e Pere (~€9)

    Il Pirata - Bar tables

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    Bar tables

    Bar Mare Petit - L'ingresso

    Bar Mare Petit

    4.6(15 reviews)
    2.9 km
    €€€

    Hidden Gem, Sea To Table - When you've grown tired of the posh over-the-top touristy Positano,…read moreafter a short 20 drive or a 5 minute water taxi will arrive in Praiano. A small fishing cove just south of Positano, nearly untouched by time. The absolute freshest seafood with a beautiful presentation. Most likely you'll be greeted and served by the owner, Salvatore who has lived in the house upstairs his whole life with his family since the 1930's. Serving traditional Italian seafood recipes from his grandmother who was a fisherman herself. Bar Mare Petit, also known by Donna Clelia feels like you're at a friend of the family house, with a amazing table on the beach! I was treated so kindly, got a tour of the back kitchen where he showed me the razor clams that were caught that day. After diner gave us shots of their house made Limoncello & Cremamelone (Amazing) & some of their amazing cake made only around Easter time. And living up to true Italian hospitality both bottles were left on our table for us to pour freely. As you might expect, we had a amazing time here! Make sure to take home a few bottles of his homemade lemoncello, I've sampled a lot & this is my favorite.

    Absolutely fantastic restaurant and a must stop when in the area. The difference was all in the…read morefamily running the restaurant as they really made you feel welcome. You have to try the friend pizza as it is not like any other pizza in Italy. Or America for that matter.

    Photos
    Bar Mare Petit
    Bar Mare Petit
    Bar Mare Petit

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    Da Adolfo - italian - Updated August 2026

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