Zefferino has the best pesto sauce. They've expanded with three new locations in 2024. Genoa is the first and in my opinion most authentic. It's the longest running one! The service is superb and the staff is so friendly. Marco, the owner is so kind and welcoming. I recommend Zefferino's to anyone passing through Genoa or staying in Milan. It's about an hour and a half from Milan ans so worth the drive! You'll be pleasantly surprised with the charming atmosphere and wonderful pasta (Frank's pasta) and pesto lasagana style pasta split. It's the most popular way to try the two best dishes in the house. Enjoy and remember to order the tiramisu for dessert! read more

Zeffirino - Frank's pasta - Italian Near Me - Genova, GE

I always love a good pesto sauce with my pasta and this place really delivers. After a short boat ride from Portofino Italy, I heard this place was known for their pesto, so, I decided to give it a try. After a brief history on how the restaurant prepares its pesto and a table side demonstration, I ordered the Troffie pasta with pesto. The pesto was buttery, light, creamy and had a hint of cheese that truly took it to another level. This family owned second generation restaurant is probably one of the best if not the best Italian eatery in Genoa Italy. The mushroom ravioli, which, accompanied the pasta was equally delicious. I'm told they just opened another restaurant in Monaco with locations now in Paris and Genoa. With that said, the fish dish was a bit disappointing. It was dry and lacked both flavor and seasoning. However, the vegetables were tasty, but couldn't save the overall flavor of the dish. I would definitely come back for the pesto and the customer service experience should I return to Genoa. read more

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IF YOU DON'T VISIT HERE, YOU MISSED OUT!! Probably the best pasta I've had in my life. The restaurant is tucked away off the main path so you can miss it easily while shopping. From the start the service was 5 stars. The staff helped us with our stroller, circumventing the stairs into the entrance. Once sat, they offer wine/drinks and bring out an assortment of delicious breads including to die for focaccia! We had the pesto and vegetales ravioli covered in Meat sauce. Omg splendid. Ill make sure this is my 1st visit next time I return read more

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This place is delightful and delicious. We sat outside as we did not have reservations but the staff luckily was very kind and accommodating. The pesto is delicious you cannot go wrong with the pesto ravioli or lasagna which is just the noodle size. The black spaghetti vongole was also delightful. The place is very intimate and romantic, perfect for a date but also welcoming for a nice size party. A mist visit! read more

Zeffirino - Italian Near Me - Genova, GE

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Service was over the top pushy, very pushy. When we didn't choose the $80. wine suddenly the staff treated us differently. It was a Friday night and after our underwhelming meal we understood why the restaurant was never full, only 7 tables ate while we were there. Such a tourist trap, I would not recommend! The seafood dish was so bad, rubbery fish. The piece of meat was so tough, nothing was edible The veal okay, too much thick panko type batter and it wasn't hot when served. Never offered a complimentary aperitif after dinner like every other restaurant in Italy. Food may have been years ago, it's not anymore. Do yourself a favor and skip this restaurant! read more

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One of the most memorable lunches we've had. Nothing was too much trouble. My wife asked about 2 different vegetarian dishes she was contemplating and the waiter kindly offered to make half & half so she could experience both! That is not something that happens typically. Beautiful decor and the owner Marco and his family run an incredible operation and worth a visit next time you are in Genova read more

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Great food, service and vibe. Genova gem. Wonderful pasta and pesto. Big on squid. Try the puff pastry with Chantilly cream

Absolutely amazing food, wine, wait staff and service was top notch. It is pricey but worth every cent!!

So if you know it's history it's even better. Very nice place on every level. It's not pretentious, actually the opposite, the staff is great as is the service. Pesto recipes I understand originally came from here, and they have fed popes and movie stars. Great wine list, fair and plenty to choose from. We had a lot at our table, everything was remarkably very good. Parking around there isn't easy. Park at the parking garage around the corner. Don't miss it. read more

A very, very classy restaurant, not in the middle of the city but you can reach it easily. They accept if you walk in just wearing shorts, shirt and sandals but be aware that the other guest might give you strange looks :) Starting with the service, as the previous reviews say, the service is good, even if they take their time when the restaurant is crowded. After we entered they offered us a welcome drink and a started as "Greetings from the kitchen" which already was delicious. Okay, one have to admit it is quite pricey. We spent ~200€ for a 4 person dinner, but keeping in mind what we ate and drunk, not to mention the quality of the food and that it was realy amazing, I think the price is okay. Not cheap at all but not too expensive, meaning the food/service value is okay. Btw. You can have a bottle of wine for round about 800€, just saying .. read more

Zeffirino - Black Seafood Risotto - Italian Near Me - Genova, GE

Fabulous lunch. We were welcomed with free Prosecco and great friendly service. Owner was gracious and welcoming. Ambience first class. We had pesto lasagna wide noodle..out of this world. Much better than anything in California. Tablesude preparation was amazing and impressive. Had espresso and free cookies after meal. I wish this fine restaurant was in Los Angeles where I live. It blows everything else away. I highly recommend read more

Beautiful decor and very classy restaurant. The food didn't quite live up to expectations. Service like much of Europe can be slow but it was very friendly and hospitable - the night we went there was just one person working front of the house. They were nice about adjusting the complimentary appetizer based on food allergies. The pesto pasta (4/5) - was good but had much of a cheese kick than elsewhere I've had in Genoa. The marinated anchovy appetizer (3.5/5) was above average but nothing to go out of the way for. The seafood squid ink pasta (3.5/5) had good noodles but the rest sort of fell flat. Overall it was a very upscale experience at a reasonable price. Beyond the decor the food just wasn't very memorable. read more

Wow, what can I say. The food, atmosphere and the service was all outstanding. The server even helped to customize our pasta dishes so we could try smaller portions of more items. read more

Zeffirino - Dessert sampler a MUST!!! - Italian Near Me - Genova, GE

This restaurant is the favorite of many including the Vatican, Popes, famous singers (ie Sinatra) and movie stars. The food was excellent and the service even better... Probably the best service i have experienced so far. Menu "degustazione" was a very good choice. Pictures posted :) Strongly recommended ! read more

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Simply amazing. Wonderful food. Terrific owner. Nice space. Treat yourself when in Genova. Zeffirino.

Very special restaurant in Genoa! Set back off a main Avenue with an almost hidden entrance but don't let that deter you. When you walk in the sweet old Italian ladies are hand rolling pastas and you're welcomed as a friend. Zeffirino has the pesto is the best I've ever had - hands down, it was so good we went 3 times in 2 days! Enjoy! read more

Amazing service & food. This was the best meal on our trip to Italy recently. Contrary to other reviews, I think the price is very reasonable for the food & service you get. You're likely to pay way more for mediocre food in other cities like Venice & Milan so just because Genoa is smaller doesn't mean that the food/service value is not worth the price. ~ pesto (what Zeffirino is famous for) - ahhhmazing! so light yet flavorful & delicious ~ risotto al nero - cuttlefish ink risotto w/ seafood - this has to be the best dish we had on our trip. It was so good that I couldn't stop thinking about it.. I ended up ordering a jar of cuttlefish ink online to try to recreate this at home. ~ sea bass - served table-side in a copper pan - fresh fish & great flavors! ~ mille feuille - make sure you save room for this dessert!! so yummy & the presentation's great as well Complimentary prosecco & grappa - I really don't like grappa or maybe I just cannot take shots anymore As of early April, there's some construction work going on that pretty much blocks the restaurant view from the main street. Look for signs to take you to the restaurant. read more

Excellent food, service and desserts!! The staff was absolutely fantastic. Best restaurant in Genoa.

My first time in Genoa and our taxi driver recommended this restaurant. Omg.... the appetizer was great, our main course was excellent and the desert was super great. The service was superb and our waiter was quite fluent in English. My husband and I had a great experience and we will not hesitate to recommend this restaurant. read more

Genoa is home of Pesto and this place had the BEST pesto ever. It was flavorful yest light and creamy. We had it with pasta and ate all of it. The chef is the same one that makes pesto for the Pope. We saw pics of him serving the Pope. Shipping receipts of pesto being delivered to the Vatican. So this is pretty holy stuff. The wine pairing along with the preseco was fabulous. Great history in this place. We could not leave without our chef Pope getting our picture. Great service and atmosphere. We will Always go to Zeffirino's when ever we are in Genoa again. read more

The waite staff has been here for over 25 years and has every detail down to a science. Excellent wine list and the prawn appetizer was very fresh. My husband had a pesto noodle dish with seafood and I had a tagliatelle ragu that was delicious. Wonderful relaxing evening in a beautiful atmosphere. read more

Amazing restaurant! Everything was delicious, we had the ravioli tartufo e funghi porcini, the salt crusted fish, the carpaccio di manzo, everything so fresh and tasty it was the best meal I've had in Italy so far. I am glad we ended up here, the owner even came to our table to meet us, he explained to us this restaurant has been in te family for five generations, and it shows! read more

Best restaurant in downtown Genoa. We went here twice during our stay in Genoa. Service was attentive and wonderful. Favorite restaurant of Sinatra when we was there. They make/serve many dishes table side so you get a true experience. The food was delicious. Highly recommend this place if you go to Genoa! read more

My girlfriend and I walked in on a Sunday night after reading that this was Frank Sinatras favorite restaurant from wikitravel. Amazing food (their ravioli is the best I have ever tasted). Amazing atmosphere. Amazing service. I asked about Frank Sinatra and the waiter told me a nice story about his visit and then gave us to photo albums of when Pope Benedict visited. It is very pricey but this restaurant is now the scale I judge other restaurants. read more

Great meal for family in Genova. Great service, very nice Italian ambiance and the food was tremendous. We called Zeffrino at 5:00 PM and they stayed open for me and my family to have an early dinner. We had the Parma ham appetizer and the Sea Bass both recommendations of the staff. The children had pasta and steak. All of the food was expertly prepared and delicious. Highly recommend Zeffrino for dinner when in Genova!! read more

Zeffirino - Zeffrino! - Italian Near Me - Genova, GE

Excellent service, food is very good, but quite pricey. Dining room is larger than most in Genoa's city center.

we been there last friday, we ordered 3 taste of the famuos past with pesto ,than we ordered other 2 tris of trofie and spaghetti , ( total 5 taste of pasta) one bottel of the most economic withe wine ,une dessert 2 sorbetti total of the bill 210 EURO !!! 70 euro for person ! it's realy exagerte read more