We got in line just as they were opening for lunch. Everyone in front of us got a table. We had to…read morewait a long time in the heat to be seated even though we could see many empty tables. They were understaffed and couldn't handle that many people at once. I've heard Portofino is known for its seafood so I ordered the seafood salad. Although they accommodated my request for no octopus, my plate looked emptier than my friend's plate. They didn't replace the octopus with any other seafood or salad. The seafood was fresh but bland. I should have ordered pizza - it looked amazing. Being Italy, we had to pay for flat water. The location is right in the main square but we were seated near the kitchen so there was no view for us. The only toilet in the women's bathroom didn't flush well.

This place has a great view of the beautiful port of Portofino. We were seated right away and the…read moreservice was pretty good. I ordered a margherita pizza and it was nothing remarkable. It was a basic pizza and I think they used the food service shredded cheese instead of the fresh mozzarella. It was a basic experience and nothing of note.

simply the best meal we had over the past two weeks. seafood linguine, trio of anchovies.... so so…read moregood

Casual and quick service salad misto good but the trofie with pesto...OMG!!! Please more, more,…read moremore.

Great little place just past the entrance of Monterosso central. Very cute little quaint…read morerestaurant, with goods music, a decent number of patrons, and good pizza. The price / pizza cost is very good! (10€-15€ roughly) Most of the reviews you'll see a quite old, but still relevant. The pizza is infact unremarkable, but it does tickle your fancy when you're in a bind and need a quick meal, canned mushrooms or not. I'm still gonna eat it! My friend and I arrived on the northern-ish side of Monterosso near the train station walking the 10 minutes to the restaurant. Once inside we were immediately greeted, ushered to whatever table we desired and had menus in seconds, they got our order in, food out, and drinks served in under 15 minutes. The food is good, atmosphere pleasant and clean, the staff were warm and charming, and the restaurant was reasonably busy but not overwhelmed.

Gayle and I "dined" here on the 2nd evening we were in Cinque Terre. We had enjoyed a substantial…read moreLunch in Corniglia (after hiking there), and decided to "go easy" for Dinner. Our Rick Steves' book led the way (and just down from the Church). We were seated outdoors and under a canopy directly across the street from the restaurant proper. The Pizza was tasty, but along with the service was otherwise unremarkable. At the same time, we were happy enough to sit, relax, and take stock of a pretty remarkable day.

4.5 stars Located in Monterosso's Centro Storico, the patio…read moreat Emy's Way made for a nice setting to enjoy their handwritten menu of Piatti del Giorno (dishes of the day). In the Cinque Terre, one must-try item is the local anchovies, and this restaurant's Acciughe alle Erbe (anchovies with herbs) were simply cooked, seasoned with olive oil and herbs. We also had the ubiquitous Spaghetti ai Frutti di Mare, spaghetti with calamari, mussels, shrimp, and clams in a light tomato broth. The dish was on the bland side, but the spaghetti had a nice al dente texture, and the sauce was perfect for mopping up with the basket of bread. But the most memorable part about this restaurant was Emiliano, the friendly one-man-show owner and waiter, who served every table enthusiastically and passionately! He even obliged when I asked for a sample of their pesto sauce (a local specialty), which had a nice nuttiness from the whole pine nuts, balanced by the freshness of the basil and olive oil, and the saltiness of the cheese. What a friendly local restaurant, and everything came at reasonable prices too!

Great food & location. Located in old town Monterosso, great pizza, pasta, and fried calamari…read more Definitely recommend.

Focacceria IlFrantoio is kind of hiding: tucked in a narrow alley off the main drag, but you'll…read moresmell that fresh-baked focaccia the moment you walk nearby. Even if you don't see the sign, follow your nose. Inside the little place, there are only a handful of tables, so most people grab a slice and go. They do those classic Ligurian-style focacce: some round like pizzas (but no sauce) and some square or rectangular slabs. The difference is more than shape, focaccia isn't pizza. It uses dough with more leavening, so it stays thicker, softer, and airier than typical pizza crust, and it gets dimpled and drenched in olive oil before baking. Because of that, the focaccia from Il Frantoio feels pillowy inside but still crispy at the edges -- perfect base for whatever topping they throw on. Go for a classic plain‑olive-oil slice if you want something simple and salty. Or, if you're up for a punchier flavor, try their anchovy version: salty, briny, and made for a beach‑town afternoon. Honestly, it's the perfect snack to grab before hiking to Vernazza -- light, filling, and full of energy for the climb. Bottom line: Focacceria IlFrantoio isn't fancy. It's small, kind of hidden, and not Instagram-flashy. But if you want a genuinely good bite of Ligurian comfort food, warm focaccia, salty anchovies or olive-oil-rich crust, handheld and cheap, this spot hits exactly right.

The focaccia and pizzas were both delicious. The staff was incredibly friendly and shared a special…read morecheese bread with us. The prices were great, and I would stop by every day if I could. There was only indoor seating, but there was plenty of it.

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.

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

Our party of 5 had a reservation which they asked for when we walked in, even tho we were early and…read morethe restaurant was empty. The menu is printed in Italian on one page and English on the other sinus easy to follow We ordered the burrata salad made from heirloom tomatoes and it was delicious with oil and balsamic vinegar. The soup had mixed reviews: one of us loved it while the other didn't. The eggplant Parmesan was flavorful as was the lasagne bolognese. Vermentino wine and house red were very drinkable. Service was excellent.

We had the ravioli for an antipasto. It was creamy and crispy. For mains it was the seafood…read morespaghetti and veal with a panko coating. Both were well prepared and fresh tasting. The team of servers works really hard and seemed to be delivering food hot and ready. They accommodated English speakers who spoke limited Italian. This was helpful. All together it was very good.