WHERE TO EAT
Prices are per person for a three-course meal, excluding drinks, unless otherwise stated
Antica Friggitoria Carega An old favourite with anybody from the camalli (the dock workers), to iconic Genoese songwriter Fabrizio de Andrè, who used to bring his son here for fried fish. Do the local thing and queue up right in front of its door, under the arcades opposite the Porto Antico, for a delicious take-away option. All of their fried food, frittura, is masterfully done, but make sure in particular that you try a hearty portion of their panissa. Paper cone of frittura from £7.
Via di Sottoripa 113r, 00 39 10 247 0617
Baccicin Acciughe & Pissa One of the two new street-food ventures by Michelin-starred chef Edoardo Ferrera and entrepreneur Raoul Bollani. This is where you can eat the Ligurian focaccia-based speciality made with anchovies and tomatoes. Be sure to sample their melt-in-the-mouth scupply – fried arancini balls but made with scucussun, a kind of large couscous, instead of rice, plus local San Stè cheese from nearby
Aveto Valley and the ubiquitous pesto, of course. Pissa from £5.
Via di Scurreria 42r, 00 39 327 258 3250
Gelateria Romeo Viganotti This is a name famous for its chocolates
– and rightly so, as they’ve been making them it since 1866 – but their gelato is equally impressive. Try one of the cheese-based ones: flavours include ricotta and walnuts, Gorgonzola and walnuts and even buffalo cheese. Ice cream cones from £2.10.
Salita del Prione 12r, 0039 10 251 4061, romeoviganotti.com
Il Genovese Near the covered market, this no-frills placeis possibly your best option in town to try proper
Genoese pesto. Owner Roberto Panizza, aka ‘the pesto king’, also organises a biennial world pesto championship. His own version is an astonishingly vivid, bright green. Try it on gnocchi or trofie – the thin twists are perfect for gripping the sauce. But be warned: you’ll always be disappointed with pesto anywhere else after trying it here.
Mains include tripe, rabbit and dried cod. From £21. Via Galata 35r,
0039 10 869 2937, ilgenovese.com
Il Marin This top-floor fine-dining restaurant delivers both picture-pretty port views and Genoa’s most innovative seafood menu. Chef Marco Visciola’s sustainable approach is reflected in all his signature dishes.
The restaurant also features a small aeroponic vegetable garden, where plants are grown without the use of soil. Water and nutrients are nebulised directly on to the plant roots, thus reducing the use of water by 95 per cent compared with traditional cultivations.
Choose between several degustations, including a six-course menu created to celebrate the restaurant’s tenth anniversary featuring Marco’s famous fish stew, and caviar and Martini spaghetti. Book in advance. From £45. Calata Cattaneo 15,
00 39 10 869 8722, ilmarin.it
L’Ostaia de Zena Located on the first floor of renovated Mercato Orientale, this elegant osteria opened in October 2020 thanks to three key figures of the Genoese food scene: chef Ivano Ricchebono (see The Cook restaurant, below), Barbara Palazzo, owner of restaurant 20 Tre, and butcher Luca Spanedda, who has run his own stall at the market for over 30 years. Try a typical dish such as the delicious cima alla Genovese (stuffed veal flank). From £23. Mercato Orientale, via XX Settembre 75r, 0039 348 108 1541 Ombre Rosse Tucked in a medieval house in the old town, this tiny place has a romantic interior full of books, posters and interesting memorabilia. You can also eat alfresco in a delightful sheltered garden just opposite
– a rare find in Genoa’s intricate maze of alleyways. Chef Michele Pietragalla’s mix of traditional cuisine and creative dishes won’t disappoint – the menu changes on a daily basis, always bringing in foods that are in season. Co-owner Francesca Vallarino chooses her salads personally from the local market. Good vegetarian and vegan options available, too. From £27.
Vico degli Indoratori 20, 00 39 10 275 7608
Sa’ Pesta A salt warehouse in the Middle Ages, this informal eatery has been feeding locals and travellers since 1889. Try one of the large portions of delicious torte di verdure (veggie pies with prescinsêua curd cheese), torta pasqualina, Swiss chard and egg pie, or other specialities such as stuffed anchovies and polpettone alla genovese (green bean and potato bake). And don’t miss their crisp farinata (chickpea pancake). Reservations required for dinner. From £17. Via dei Giustiniani 16r, 0039 10 2468336, sapesta.it Sciûsci Zena This is the second brainchild of Edoardo Ferrera and Raoul Bollani. Japanese sushi meets Genoese flavours thanks to Brazilian chef Ademilton Conceicão Santos, aka Eddie, who uses his creativity and his previous experience as a pastry chef to turn each dish into a delicious experience. His Genoese rolls are all delicious, particularly A Cimma (with veal, Parmigiano Reggiano, onion and peas) and Bajko (with prescinsêua cheese, lime-marinated amberjack and pesto). Genoese rolls from £11.60. Via Tommaso Reggio 6, 00 39 328 080 6886
The Cook Eat under beautifully frescoed vaults dating from the 1600s right in the heart of the centro storico. Michelin-starred chef Ivano Ricchebono is revisiting tradition with a modern approach. Local seafood and regional specialities are the focus, and his dishes are a pleasure for the palate, as well as for the eyes. Tasting menus from £83pp including wine pairing. Vico Falamonica 9r, 0039 10 9752674, thecookrestaurant.com Trattoria da Maria Although legendary Signora Maria is sadly gone, this inexpensive trattoria on a quiet side street still serves all the staple homely food you would expect from an Italian grandmother, including fresh pasta, rabbit, octopus. Don’t miss their acciughe ripiene (stuffed anchovies) and the scorfano in carpione (marinated redfish).
From £19. Vico Testadoro 14r, 0039 10 581080
Zuccotti Fabbrica di Cioccolato Siblings Chiara, Francesca and Giulio still work on the same premises as their grandparent Alessandro, who opened up this chocolate store in 1933 in former stables to become one of Genoa’s most delicious addresses. Everything is still produced in a strictly artisanal way, with top-quality ingredients and according to Alessandro’s original recipes. Their three-layered cremino is a local favourite and a must on your shopping list. 200g box, from £11.60.
Via di Santa Zita 36r, 00 39 10
580504, zuc cot ticioc cola to it
from Il Marin restaurant enjoys the most beautiful view of the ordered lines of boats in the Porto Antico and the visionary architecture of Renzo Piano, who spruced up the once run-down area for the 500th anniversary of Columbus landing in the New World in the Nineties. Making food every day with that kind of backdrop must have had an impact on his philosophy.
‘I am a chef of the sea,’ says Marco, ‘but respectful of biodiversity and sustainability.’ His attention to the environment is a 360-degree one – from the choice of the fishermen he works with (‘their tuna-fishing nets are made of a coconut fibre, which at the end of the season is released in the sea, becoming fish food’), to his fondness for pesce povero, the fish of the least valuable variety. Fish guts are the main ingredient of his fish finanziera,a reinterpretation of an ancient Piedmontese stew with sweet and sour flavours made with offal and entrails. It is a true kaleidoscope of textures, using all the resources of the Ligurian Sea and aiming at a zero-waste policy. ‘Fish bones are the only thing we throw away,’ he chuckles. His cuisine is one of the most innovative in the local panorama, his dishes are not only a pleasure for the palate but also enticing to look at. The secret, he believes, is the horizon he looks at every day: ‘And with a view like this, I would never be able to cook boring food.’