I'Il Grotto isn't really an "overlook" restaurant in the traditional sense-- you wont find the…read moredramatic, panoramic sea views that some of Riomaggiore's restaurants are known for. Instead, its charm comes from being right in the heart of the village, with a cozy, intimate atmosphere that lets you soak in the energy of Riomaggiore and indulge in a little people watching. And honestly the food was a very pleasant surprise. I was craving steamed mussels, and theirs were absolutely delicious-- fresh, flavorful, and cooked just right. For my main, I went for something simple: a sea bream fillet with garlic and olive oil. It was beautifully prepared and delicious. My husband had the seafood spaghetti, which was equally satisfying packed with the flavors of the sea without feeling fishy or overly heavy. It's the kind of place that reminds you that restaurant doesn't necessarily need a spectacular view or a complicated menu to leave an impression. The cozy setting, quality of ingredients, and straightforward, well executed cooking were more than enough. A very pleasant-- and unexpected-- surprise in Riomaggiore.

I am obsessed with this place! My sister and I were looking for nice dinner close to where we were…read morestaying in Riomagiorre, and I'm so glad we stumbled upon this spot. First off, everyone working there was genuinely kind. My sister and I were set on trying the octopus however this was an appetizer item, and we knew we wouldn't be able to finish an appetizer and two entrees. A lot of places sometimes get mad if you order just an appetizer and an entree to share, however they were very understanding and even brought out extra plates for us. We also got the mussel ravioli, which was to die for! Of course we had wine as well, which was also delicious! Love this place and would give 10 stars if I could!

Good quality food and excellent service. Came to eat here twice during our visit in Manarola and…read moreenjoyed both times. Would recommend to others looking for a quick meal.

Our visit to Cinque Terre was short, just one afternoon and night, that's all it took to walk…read morethrough the five towns... we didn't do extensive hikes. We stayed in Manarola. Our dinner that evening was at La Scogliera and was wonderful! We ordered Seafood Salad, Fish Ravioli, Pesto Ravioli and a lot of wine. The flavors in each dish were wonderful... even excellent. The menu was large, choosing was difficult but our choices made us very happy. The staff was friendly and accommodating seating us without a reservation. The restaurant seats indoor or out, it was drizzling so we opted to dine 'in'.

Deliciousness - 4/5 Happiness - 3.5/5…read more At the end of the main street of Riomaggiore lies an overlooked gem. It's well worth visiting at the top of the hill for flavorful classic Italian food in Cinque Terre (for those in need of a break from the fish dishes offered by most restaurants). Their pizza list is quite extensive and ranges from Italian specialties to American favorites like chicken and peppers. I got the tuna pizza (never knew that was a thing) and it was really good. The cheese was the perfect consistency and very flavorful (ditto with the buffalo mozzerella appetizer we ordered). The tuna added a unique flavor to the pizza, though I wish there had been more of it added to the pizza. My wife got fresh made pasta and pesto that was also mixed with roasted potatoes (carbo load!). Although the pesto was delicious, the dish was too one-note. Without tomatoes or some other acidic side, the singular pesto flavor simply overwhelmed the pallet. Again, it was a good flavor, but it just needed something to break through the basil. I know this sounds crazy, but make sure you order the seltzer (or in Italy, fizzy) water. They make it in-house and it is hands down the best sparkling water I've ever had. It never lost its effervescence throughout the meal and really energized me. The service was just OK. They never served us the bread that went to other tables (not that we needed more bread, but it was still a somewhat strange oversight) and they rarely came by to see how we were doing. Not unfriendly, but definitely not the most hospitable either. All together, this meal left me smiling and satisfied!

Everything we ordered tasted amazing and the service was great! The owner really made us feel at…read morehome and welcomed.

Antonio took fantastic care of us for our dinner visit in Monterosso. After a long day of touring,…read morewe opted for a local dinner nearby our apartment, and this came highly recommended for fresh seafoods! Strongly suggest you make a reservation if you desire to sit on the patio at peak dinner hour around 20:30p. You can see lots of people walking the area, enjoy the fresh air, central piazza location and delicious food and drinks. The seafood sampler was an amazing way to share a variety of starters, from sardines, anchovies, calamari, shrimp, bacon wrapped mussels, stuffed mussels, swordfish, etc. in small plates "tapas" style presentation - a true feast!! For main dishes, the Swordfish was the best I've ever had, freshly caught that morning and prepared grilled "thinly" sliced - very tender and tasty! This is not the swordfish type steak I'm familiar, but eating it so fresh was perfect! The homemade Gnocchi with Pesto was wonderful; eating flavorful Pesto sauce known in this region was a special treat, but I'd also say a filling and heavy dish as I could only eat a couple pieces - but everyone loved them! Finally the stuffed seafood ravioli was amazing ... homemade tender raviolis created and served in a rich pomodoro type sauce which was fantastic, definitely a shared dish for 2 (plus we took some leftover home for snack next day). And we finished our meal by trying the specialty dessert wine, Sciacchetra with biscotti. It was too sweet for me, but a real "local" treat! What a marvelous and beautiful dining experience, I'd recommend you must try CIAK if in Monterosso, Cinque Terre! Cheers, ENJOY!!!

The rudest staff I have ever experienced. They won't bring you drinks until you order your food and…read morethey demanded everyone order something. After they came to our table 4 times in 5 minutes we were so uncomfortable we left and when we left the diners next to us said they wished they left as the food was below average. We left something behind and they threw it in the street !! I would give zero stars if that was an option

We stayed in town 3 nights and came here all of them. The ravioli is wonderful. The pasta was…read morestuffed to the max. We had it 2 nights. The desserts are to die for. The owners wife is the awesome maker. And he is just the kindest man. We had the chocolate pistachio cake twice ! Definitely a must taste experience.

Best Clams with zucchini I've had since being in Italy for the past week…read moreHusband had meat ravioli, he said the meat sauce has been his favorite in Cinque Terre

Incredible pizza! Maybe the best pizza I have ever had. Quaint space both in and out.read more

This felt like an oasis on an incredibly hot day in Monterosso. My family and I were looking for a…read morequick lunch while we were out exploring for the day. Not gonna lie, the air conditioning drew us in but we stayed for the food and atmosphere! We split some salads, a regular pizza, and the special pizza of the day. The special had mini burrata, prosciutto, and tomato's. Everything was excellent. The pizza came straight out of the oven to our table, it was so hot you could barely touch it. This meal certainly hit the spot paired with some ice cold beer. Perfect light bite to fuel us for the rest of the afternoon.

Service was really awful (I don't love Italy's "whichever waiter decides to ask takes part of your…read moreorder") We had three waiters take our order drinks/appetizers/dinner and they seemed really annoyed at us when they forgot stuff... the octopus salad was the best thing we got- tender and interesting- the walnut cream pasta was good- pizza was alright but very Italian with spotty cheese and runny tomato sauce. Aperol & lemon cello spritzes we're heavy handed with liqueurs, so very bitter and thick. Don't think I'd come back- Luca was better across the way. Okay if you can't go elsewhere.

Visiting Cinque Terre in mid-November when the weather is cold and most shops and restaurants seem…read moreto be closed means limited options overall. On a Thursday evening in Vernazza, where we were staying, we really only had four open restaurants to choose from for dinner: Vulnetia, Gianni Franzi, Taverna Del Capitano, and Il Baretto. Il Baretto had the best reviews on TripAdvisor, its average 4-star rating exceeding the mediocre 3-3.5 ratings of the other three. However, I really wanted to try Tegame Vernazza, a local specialty of baked anchovy with potatoes, as well as a pasta I hadn't tried before. Vulnetia had the best combination of menu diversity and reasonable prices. Under other circumstances during the regular season, we probably would have avoided all four restaurants. Alas, we made do. My husband and I were delighted to discover that at the least the ambience was beautifully decorated and warm inside. The cover charge of 2 euros per person included bread--stale white bread without any condiment of EVO, butter, or balsamic vinegar. We ordered the tegame Vernazza (15 euros) and the pansotti with walnut sauce (14 euros). Both were good, not amazing, and both portions were on the smaller end. The walnut sauce, plopped on top of the stuffed pasta, was not terribly flavorful and was stingy in amount, not enough to fully mix the pansotti, much less to sop the bread with. The dishes came out suspiciously quickly, but did satiate the curiosity if not the appetite. Service was extraordinary slow, even though we were one of a handful of parties there. In the evening, it was nice that the waiters weren't rushing us to leave, allowing us to take our time.

This restaurant had a nice little dining room tucked into the cliffs halfway up the Main Street in…read moreriomaggiore. The staff were all so helpful and friendly. For my meal I had the pesto pasta. It was just ok, probably my least favorite of my meals in Italy. I did taste my wife's shrimp risotto and that was pretty tasty though so I might have liked it a little better if I got that.

On our first night in Riomaggiore we tried this restaurant on the basis of a recommendation from…read moreour B&B. I believe the rabbit Ligurian-style was the best meal I had in Italy. So flavorful and tender! I only wish rabbits were bigger, so I could have eaten more. My wife had the house lasagna, which was good, but nothing great. We sat in the outside seating area, which was very nice. The servers and wait staff were friendly and very attentive.