Restaurants

Whether steak for breakfast or tea time is your fancy, there are some things “Ligurians” just don’t do. Meal times and meal choices are fairly straightforward in Liguria. You’ll find coffee bars a great option for breakfast and a quick snack throughout the day because, apart from coffee, they serve croissants, pastries, focaccia, juice and sodas.  

Focaccia is a speciality to this region and is little more than salted pizza dough. If Italian coffee is a bit too strong, just ask for  “un cafe lungo”,  which more or less means “watered down coffee”.  Best of all, they are open from early morning to late evening.

Lunch is a tricky thing to schedule. Some restaurants are open during the 12-15:00 lunch break while others are not. This means that if you want a full dish for lunch you’ll have to get there early, because after 15:00 most kitchens are already closed in preparation for dinner. Pizza is the most inexpensive and widely found item on the menu, but pastas, risottos, meats, and fish are also popular.  Watch out for those all inclusive lunch/dinners, which serves you from the primo to the dolce. They include more food than most people can handle and consequently tend to be more expensive. The mixed antipasto is a fun way to sample the local cuisine and house specialties while you wait for your entrée.

Dinner starts at 19:00, though restaurants may open as early as 17:00 to serve drinks. Closing time is around 11pm for the kitchen, but most restaurants wait until everyone is gone before they close.