Portofino restaurants offer travelers the ability to enjoy some of the best cuisine in the Ligurian region of Italy. The standout dishes in Portofino dining call primarily upon Mediterranean influences as well as culinary traditions and techniques from surrounding areas. Seafood is highlighted in many of the best dishes, as fresh catches are brought into harbor every day. The wine in Portofino is world-renowned, coming from places like the Cinque Terre to south of Portofino near La Spezia.

The Portofino dining experience also has as much to do with atmosphere and ambiance as it does fresh ingredients and innovative preparation. Most of the best Portofino restaurants are distributed along the waterfront. There are many restaurants, cafes, and wine bars where you will not only enjoy fantastic cuisine and an overall pleasurable gastronomic experience, but also compelling views of the Mediterranean Sea.

The dishes that have stood the test of time in Portofino have several key ingredients in common. Pure Ligurian olive oil, garlic, mushrooms, pine nuts, and all manner of herbs are just a few of the elements that many of the most popular dishes. No dining experience in Italy would be complete without having a taste of the fresh, locally made pasta.

Portofino Map

In most of the best eateries in Portofino, the pasta is made fresh in-house every day. Trenette, taglierini, as well as ravioli of all kinds are just a few of the kinds of pasta that you may consider along with one of the famous meat sauces or pesto. Ravioli with walnut sauce or pesto, which includes Parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic, basil, and pine nuts is a particularly appealing local favorite. As you might imagine, there is a huge variety of sauces with which to blend the many different kinds of pasta. The freshly baked bread with Ligurian olive oil is a fantastic complement to any salad or soup dish (like the popular mesciua, a soup made from chick peas, a variety of beans, and a number of herbs and spices).

There are also quite a few tasty meat dishes that you can enjoy along with your wine in Portofino. Tomaselle is a beef roulade that incorporates the meat with eggs, herbs, and vegetables. Roasted meat pies and lamb stew are just two more popular dishes that may try on your exploits in the Italian Riviera.

Of course, seafood is ubiquitous in this town that, before the 1950s, was primarily a fishing village. Baked and fried fish are served in countless varieties, accompanied by fresh sauces. Mussels also find their way into a good number of Ligurian dishes. Portofino itself is known as a vacation retreat for the rich and famous, and the best restaurants certainly cater to the most discriminating travelers. Many of them offer extensive wine lists that feature regionally grown selections, including the Cinque Terre DOC (known simply as Cinque Terre), Sciacchetra, Pigato, and Vermentino. You will not have to go far to find an incredible bottle of wine and a satisfying meal in Portofino. Whether you are interested in a seafood feast or a refined meal of the Ligurian region’s most traditional dishes, you will not be disappointed with your experience.