This restaurant had a nice little dining room tucked into the cliffs halfway up the Main Street in riomaggiore. 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. read more

La Grotta - Pesto pasta - Italian Near Me - Riomaggiore, SP

On our first night in Riomaggiore we tried this restaurant on the basis of a recommendation from our 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. read more

One of the very first restaurants after the tunnel. The TROFFIE AL PESTO 14€ is that dish everyone says you have to get here. It was good but honestly, just get any dish you like and enjoy the views. Very al dente and nicely drenched in oily pesto. FRIED COF FILLED, FLAN WITH BASIL 14€. The cod was bad, it was hot and freshly fried but not fresh and mostly dough. This was on their specials. The good part of this was the really light and fluffly flan that was savory with basil inside. Service was good average, they spoke English well and well, it is almost a tourist trap. We only ate here because it was around 10pm and everything was closed. read more

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This is a nicer/higher end dinner option if you're roaming around Riomaggiore. We tried the carpaccio, one of the seafood pasta dishes, and their fish of the day which was a branzino. Everything was tasty and the seafood in particular was quite fresh. The service was attentive and the waiter spoke multiple languages with clients at various tables. I don't think I was necessarily blown away by the food, but it was of good quality. I would recommend going if you want something a bit more refined/sit-downy. Most of the local places will have really great seafood! read more

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It was one of our least favorite meals in Italy. Having been in the country for four days, we had had our fair share of mainly good meals. The meal was strictly ok and def not worth the €€. Eggplant parm was more eggplant in tomato soup. Really no good options for apps either. We also got the Asado which my 10 year old said was flavorless. Gnocchi was the only half decent thing on the menu. There are other places in town worth visiting. Keep this as ur last resort. Staff is good but the food just doesn't do it. read more

Best meal we've had in Italy so far. Everything was great. Prawn fettuccine, awesome version of fish and chips, they're famous for their pesto dish-best I've ever had, and a funky eggplant Parmesan that was a unique presentation but was great! Best tiramisu also! read more

Pardon moi for making this short as I'm in the most blissful food coma I've ever found myself in; if you come to Riomaggiore and not eat La Grottq you're an idiot. Best meal of my life! read more

Friendly and feels like home. Six of us was a bit tired from our travel and wanted to get an early dinner before settling for the night. Arrived to the restaurant the minute it was opened to be the first ones in. The service was fair and food came out promptly. Food was great. My particular favorite was the seafood risotto. It was full of flavor and all the fresh seafood in it was heavenly. We also got the pesto and basil pasta. Wine is very affordable compared to the states. Their red and white wine per bottle was 10€. It was surprisingly good and balanced well with the food. By the time we were near our dinner, the restaurant was packed and full house. Guests were also waiting at the front. Glad that we were able to eat there and didn't have to wait. Would recommend sharing and trying the place out. read more

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We started with drinks which were delicious, especially the lemon citron. The zucchini blossom was great as was the seabass, the linguine, and the eggplant Parmesan. The cheese dessert and tiramisu were great as well! read more

If you happen to be hiking about Cinque Terra and you have built up an appetite, La Grotta is a good dining option. It's pretty cool how they managed to build a restaurant into the rocks of this coastal region. Friendly service. Pretty fantastic house white wine. More importantly, we had one of the most amazing seafood meals in Italy at La Grotta. The grilled prawns were fresh and super sweet. The cioppino was extremely tasty with fresh clams, mussels, shrimps, and crab. The grilled octopus was delectable. You can taste the freshness in all the seafood dishes. read more

La Grotta - Italian Near Me - Riomaggiore, SP

We were looking for a place with an open table in Riomaggiore and La Grotta was one of the few options that looked decent. The dining room was really loud and full but they managed to squeeze us into a small table near the counter. I had the seafood linguine, which is served in a weird tin foil plating that must relate to how it's cooked. The seafood was wonderfully fresh, and the sauce on the pasta was mainly butter and oil. It was lovely and simple. We also tried the cheesecake here, and it was great. The inside had a little bit of a fruit filling, and the cake itself was light and barely sweetened. read more

La Grotta - Cheesecake - Italian Near Me - Riomaggiore, SP

YOU GUYS!!!! You know those moments in life where you take a bit of something and you think, "This is the best thing I've ever tasted in my life." You know what I'm talking about. The seafood spaghetti I had at this restaurant is that moment for me. Words cannot describe how delicious this was. I haven't stopped thinking about it and I haven't stopped talking about it. My husband is probably annoyed of me gushing about this meal 6 months later. BUT I DON'T CARE IT WAS SO GOOD! The waitress brought me a glass of local white wine that paired excellently with the seafood spaghetti. This whole experience was a dream. I hope I can return here one day. read more

Food is great but service is not consider good at all, considering that this is rather high end restaurant. I had (salty) mussel in tomato soup for starter, pesto homemade pasta and white wine. I love the taste of the food here. They always give you a bowl for the mussel shells. All 3 servers saw that the bowl was very full and that I'm struggling with it. Their reaction: ignore. Well well... Maybe this place is best visited by locals read more

La Grotta - Salty mussels tomato soup - Italian Near Me - Riomaggiore, SP

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We had a lunch at La Grotta in July 2020. We had Tartufi pasta with clams, Octopus with asparagus or parsley cream? & the Pesto Genovese. As we've lived & traveled in Europe for 7 years, I was a bit disappointed. The octopus was overcooked with a flavorless asparagus/ parley cream?, I love octopus, just not this dish. The pasta with pesto Genovese was overcooked & a bit mushy along with the potatoes & green beans, we couldn't finish it. The Tartufi pasta with clams was the best tasting dish overall. The prices were surprisingly higher than I expected for a lunch vs other high quality restaurants. We left a bit hungry afterwards and disappointed as the rest of our restaurant meals in the area were fantastic. I hope the restaurant can step up as it was recommended by our stay who had not steered us wrong with other recommendations in the area. The staff was friendly and it really made us feel terrible to not enjoy our meal and leave a plate of food behind. read more

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Great food, good service. Unfortunately a price discrepancy that lost them one star. On our last day in Cinque Terre we really wanted some really good pesto and seafood after a disappointing lunch. Minimal/poor reviews for other restaurants in Riomaggiore led us to La Grotta, as we were willing to spend more for quality. The food didn't disappoint; the handmade trofie pasta with flavourful pesto sauce was exactly what we were looking for, and the seafood spaghetti had great flavour and tons of squid, mussels, and clams. The house white wine was also tasty. The dessert of the day was raspberry tiramisu, and pretty good although small. Our server was very friendly throughout. However, once the bill came, we noticed they had overcharged for one of the pasta dishes by 2 euros. We mentioned it to our server that they were differently priced in the menu, but she insisted that they were both 14 euros each and that was that. We were sure that wasn't the case, but continuing to argue over 2 euros and insisting on seeing the menu seemed silly. We paid the bill but left with a sour taste. Interestingly enough, another table had a pricing discrepancy while we were there - it seems the menu posted outside was different from menus inside, and the servers weren't aware of this? Perhaps they were changing menus and increasing prices, but there was lost communication somewhere. Overall a good meal, but if you come here be sure to double check your bill while they're in this transition period. read more

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The food here was good, not great. Both of our pasta dishes were salty. Not many options for pasta on the menu. It was kind of expensive for the quality of the food. read more

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Dinner in a cave in Riomaggiore? Sure, why not?! La Grotta is a really cool restaurant that is well lit to showcase all the historic pictures they have on the wall and the windows they have to expose the cave that exists and once was? before they built the restaurant. I'm not too sure on the history of the place but it's a very old, interesting, and casual place to have dinner. Service is as to be expected in Italy. Have patience and enjoy the ambiance as well as savor the food. We arrived late (well after the dinner crowd). The restaurant was pretty empty except for a few tables finishing up. For dinner, we went straight to the main dishes. We had wanted to start with minestrone soup but the kitchen was out. We ordered a grilled fish and the Cartocchio di spaghetti "alla Grotta" in bianco al tocco di crostacei. It would be an understatement to say they were outstanding. The fish, which was simply grilled, and flavored with nothing more than a sprig of rosemary and a lemon wedge was perfection. The pasta was wrapped in foil and lit on fire in front of your eyes. I've only seen that done once before in the Italian section of the Bronx. That's when I realized that this was how it was supposed to be done and how it is done in the "old country". When dessert rolled around, I was excited to get the cake I spied in the dessert case before we sat down for dinner. Since the desserts did not have labels on them in the glass case, we did our best to guess and got the honey walnut cake. We guessed wrong but were nonetheless happy with our selection. There are great restaurants in all of Cinque Terre. This is one that I will recommend to anyone who is stopping by Riomaggiore for a bite. read more

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Had the gnocchi with spicy tomato sauce. It was awesome. Right firmness with gnocchi and spice and rate 5 out of 5. Awesome service! Great ambience. Friends had fettuccini with clams and pesto and said it was a 4.4 out of 5. Friends had meat ravioli which they thought it was 5 out of 5. My friend said, "it blew his wife's pants off!" Another friend had the twisty pasta with pesto and rated the dish 3 out of 5. Another friend had the grouper and rated it a 5 out of 5. Also, the tiramisu and the creme caramel were excellent! read more

Casual restaurant located after the fruit store coming up the street from the train on the main road (Via Colombo). Did not see any busy times to avoid. Had breakfast here on September 24th and 25th around 8:30 am. No wait to be seated. Drinks and food arrived shortly after ordering and were exactly what we ordered. The food was fresh and good. Service was average. Nothing bad, they were available when needed and we were served quickly. Under 20 Euro for a good breakfast for two. They have free WiFi available at breakfast and the password is inside. The focaccia is great. read more

This was our first restaurant experience in Italy during dinner hours. It seems it was a slow night for them as when we walked in there was only 1 table occupied by a couple and 2 more tables added with about 5 diners to serve. There were 2 waitresses working and even tho it wasn't busy the service was a tad sluggish. Overall the food was delicious. read more

La Grotta - Italian Near Me - Riomaggiore, SP

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Good food. Accept Credit Cards. Reasonably priced bottles of wine. Delicious Wines that I couldn't get enough of. Friendly servers. Sometimes they food wasn't exactly the best though-- but for Riomaggiore, this ristorante is a MUST. read more

If their service and food were as good as their interior, then this would be a 4 or 5 star. Otherwise, with us having to beg for everything from taking our order, to a small Container for mussel shells, this place is not worth your time. The waitress has an " do as you're told" attitude. What a rip off !! read more

Nice, fairly casual restaurant, that I imagine you don't need a reservation for if you get there early (7-ish) like we did. Definitely a good option for the day of your arrival. The pasta with anchovies was good, and the wife liked her stuffed mussels quite a bit. The only downside was the service, which, while passable, certainly couldn't be categorized as "friendly". "Brusque" is probably a better word for it, which I think bumps it down a star. If that's not a big deal to you, consider this a four-star review! read more

The visit to this restaurant was a true pleasure. Friendly service, several languages spoken and the seafood risotto was perfect. The amount of mussles, clams, squid and crayfish, all cooked to perfection together with tasty rice, was more than satisfactory. So the price of the dish was a bit high but the quality was much better than the average risotto. Why is it not a five? The starter sallad was a bit simple. read more

Recommended by our air bnb host to come here as it is still a family run establishment with real home cooked pasta and well done regional dishes (apparently Cinque Terre is so overloaded with tourists during the day many restaurants/cafes use frozen food). The food was spectacular, the pesto dish was unbelievable - one of my favorite meals in Italy . We also had a linguine clam dish and the fried anchovies - delicious. Staff speaks minimal English and very friendly. Would definitely recommend. read more

This place was so good, we came here twice. The first night I had the anchovies and capers (eh), but my husband had the foil wrapped pasta with seafood. Ah-mah-zing. It was so good that I wanted my own, so we came back the second day. BTW, if you order the foil, have your camera ready- they light it on fire at your time. There was just something so simple, yet so delicious about that meal- I wish I could have it again. It was around 50 euro for two pasta dishes, salad, bread and 1 bottle of wine. Slightly high, but totally worth it. read more

La Grotta's seafood pasta comes wrapped in aluminum... It may be an initial throwoff, but it's only to ensure that all the amazing juices are contained within the warm spaghetti... And every bite will remain with you, fresh and enticing, long after you've left Riomaggiore. I came back to this restaurant three times, and ordered the same food- it was that good! read more

Nice interior and awful service. The dishes are alright tasting but take absolutely forever to arrive. The restaurant is located on the busy main street. read more

We agree with the other reviewer, had a simple spaghetti with anchovies, capers, oregano and I couldn't help wiping the plate clean with a piece of their bread. The other great thing we had was the stuffed anchovy antipasti, stuffing consisted of egg, cheese, a green of some kind. The restaurant has been around since at least 1900, that's at least 60 years before the first tourist arrived by train! And they've got a picture to prove it, showing the place back when the streets of Riomaggiore was much different than it is today. While you're there, take a look at other historical pictures of Cinque Terre, specifically Riomaggiore and some family pictures. read more

Yummm. We came here one night while staying in Riomaggiore. We weren't super hungry due to munching on pizza, seafood cones, and gelato all day, but I'm certainly glad we stopped in. I ordered the pesto pasta, and let me tell you this was the place to do it. It was some of the best pasta I had throughout Italy. The pesto was fresh, and tasted delicious. My girlfriend had stuffed muscles. She said they were fantastic, but I didn't want to risk anaphylaxis and a firsthand view of the Italian medical process to find out how tasty they were. I wish we were hungrier that day, because I would have loved to try more of their dishes. We finished off the meal with some of Polenza's Sciacchetrà which was of course great, because Sciacchetrà is fantastic, and it's tragic you can only find it in this small corner of the world. Oh they also own the restaurant next door, and we saw the owner seat a couple of people up there as well once La Grotta was full. read more

Anchovies , octopus appetizer was delicious. Coating around fish was flavourful. Ordered the risotto for 5 people and it was dairy free and delicious. They adjusted for the number of people in our group and one person in our group was having this as their main course. Fresh catch of the day was great too. We didn't have anything that was not good. Service was pleasant and smiling. Call for a reservation early if the area is busy to avoid disappointment - we had and we're glad as it was the last stop for us after the full day of hiking. It was great to sit down and relax without worrying about where and when we would eat. It's close to train station too. Much better pricing and meal compared to the one we had in Siena. I am giving it a 5 star as I think for the area this is appropriate but might give it a 4 star if I had to compare apples to apples in another larger Center in Italy. read more

Had the stuffed mussels! Best dish of my life. And that's saying something. I am fifty and fat. Had a lot of meals in my life!!!

GREAT food....service was less than good. Waitress was actually very rude.