I Grani is a local bistro in the heart of Nuoro, serving contemporary dishes based on local,…read moretraditional ingredients. My favorite dish was the appetizer of Prosciutto di Cinghiale, cured wild boar wrapped around a filling of smoked ricotta, served with almonds and chopped seasonal fruits (pears and plums). This went especially nicely with their homemade brown seeded bread, a nice change of pace from typical plain Italian loaves. A whole section of the menu was dedicated to stuffed baked potatoes--the Boscaiola was made with cardoncelli mushrooms, smoked ricotta, pecorino, and Grana sardo; and the Chili Purpuza was stuffed with a slightly spicy combination of purpuza sausage, tomatoes, and Grana sardo. The Maxi salad was a crunchy combination of lettuce, carrots, radicchio, fennel, caramelized onions, boiled egg, goat cheese, apple, and mixed seeds. Finally, we had two of their main dishes--the Torreta di Polenta Fritta was a "tower" made of a fried carrot/pea pancake, topped with a layer of polenta, served with a sauce made of vegetables; and the Stracotto di Manzo was cubes of stewed beef served over zucchini cream. Everything we had was flavorful and delicious, and the presentation and service were definite highlights of this restaurant!

We had a really good lunch with fresh and seasonal ingredients, good selection of dishes…read more (including vegan) with great flavors and tastes. Service was amazing and very friendly and the restaurant itself is also historical with an ambience that is characteristic of the historical center.

This was the best restaurant I ate in Sardinia. I went during the Summer of 2021 and because of…read morecovid restrictions, might have been the only American Tourist in all of Sardinia! Haha! I asked my hotel to call and make reservations which they did. When I showed up, that was the first thing they asked me-if I had a reservation though the restaurant never filled up more than 50%. So I'll be honest, I'm not sure why they even asked me but make a reservation! It's also a bit of a drive, being in the middle of near no where. I ordered a ravioli with fennel, the su filindeu soup, the sliced tomato vegetable dish, the porchetto, and finally for my dolce the ice cream. The ravioli might have been the best ravioli I have ever had in my life! It was was of those moments where I stopped as I didn't think ravioli could taste this good. Seriously, it was amazing and all it had was fennel inside! The su filindeu was one my top things to eat coming to Sardinia! I actually tried somewhere else but failed and didn't know they serve it here! I asked them about it and they told me currently only 2 women know how to make it. They were so happy that I had known so much about it, that they even gave me some su filindeu! How cool is that?! And of course, it's really good! The tomato dish I had with my porchetto and they both go really well together. The porchetto meat by itself is tasty, but with the skin! Heaven! Seriously, don't leave Sardinia w/o eating some porchetto. Finally, the ice cream. It was also amazing! I was so blown away at how good it was. I think among my top 10 ice creams and I've eaten a ton of ice cream! Sheesh, this restaurant really nails it. I drove all the way from Alghero (a 2hr drive) but totally worth it! Absolutely make time to eat here.

Perfect location and service. We stopped for lunch and felt like we wished we could stay longer…read more Some dishes wee good, the meat not so much. Wish they served fish also for lunch h( they only do for their guests at dinner).

One of the best meals we have had in sardinia. Menu is beyond the common fare here. Preparation is…read moremore sophisticated than what we have found in sardinia. Staff is courteous and alert, so more American style. Excellent and highly recommended!!

Il Rifugio is a Nuoro institution--one of the few places serving Filindeu (threads of God), a rare…read moretype of pasta still made by only a handful of individuals who laboriously knead and fold semolina dough into needle-thin strands. The soft pasta was served in a salty sheep broth with pecorino cheese--such a unique dish that's at risk of dying out! The restaurant also offers an ever-changing daily menu of other Sardinian specialties, and we started with Polpettine di Pecora, salty fried sheep meatballs served with garlic mayonnaise; Prosciutto di Pecora, cured sheep prosciutto served with mini toasts topped with ricotta and honey; and Insalata di Mare del Mediterraneo, a marinated salad of squid, mussels, shrimp, and octopus. For our mains, the Grigliata di Carne Mista came with grilled suckling pig, beef, veal, sausage, and sheep; and Calamari e Seppie, grilled calamari and cuttlefish. My favorite single item was the fried sheep meatballs, but everything we had was decent (though on the salty side). The prices were rather high for the portion sizes, but nothing unusual for a local slow food restaurant in Italy.

This was probably the best place we've been to during our 5-day trip in Sardinia…read more Perfect spot to have lunch (come early enough or you'll have to wait in line), located by the beach and in the shade of a beautiful olive tree. The staff is helpful and fast, and the pizzas are very tasty with a thin crust. I'd recommend the one with salsiccia, which went great with my negroni sbagliato.

Right on the beach. Great pizza. Cracker thin crust. Lovely service under a 100+ year old olive…read moretree. Beautiful setting.

Walking around town we passed this gem and decided to stop for a light bite…read more Who were we kidding... The hostess is amazing and the service exceptional! We started with the misto appetizer and of those items the oysters were the star... so knowing that order the oysters!!! Bypass the misto... The pasta OMG order whatever you want you CAN NOT GO wrong! The food is EXCECPTIONAL!!! We couldn't stop ordering there were only 2 of us and we tried as much as we could ... too much (3 pastas, tons of sides...) we couldn't stop eating!! Dessert .... seriously best Tiramisu Limoncello homemade and the best I've ever tasted You will very much enjoy your evening!! Just GO order and eat to your hearts content!!

Amazing. The people, the atmosphere, the food. I loved it all and will almost certainly eat here…read moreevery night of my time in Sardinia. The food was among the best I have EVER eaten, the staff were helpful and generous and sincere, the vibe was classy but not pretentious. I had the special- fusilli and tuna ragu and wild fennel. It was artful and incredibly delicious. I ate so slow because I wanted to savor every single bite. Anyone who ends up in a 20 mile radius needs to eat here. Don't miss it.

There seems to be a common theme throughout Cala Gonone in that all of the restaurants are also…read morehotels. The quality of the food seems to be interchangeable throughout all of these restaurants as well. We had a pasta dish that was quite good, I don't recall the name of it and the menu isn't online but it said it was "typical Sardegnan". For our second dish we tried the grilled cuttlefish, small fish, and crustaceans plate which was good but overall not worth it. The portion size was fairly small and removing all the shells and bones was not worth the 28euro entree price. The restaurant also charged a 3euro service/cover fee per person, something I think you will probably find at most of these sea side restaurants. With all that said, the view was spectacular at sunset. You are paying a premium for it but you also get a pretty decent meal. The service was also fantastic and the staff was quite friendly. I don't regret dining here but I don't think the food was good enough to merit the price. I doubt you'll do better in the immediate area though.

Very nice place with beautiful view and super seafood…read more Professional service. Just love it.

Beautiful seating outside right on the beach. The view of the Bay is just as wonderful as the…read morefood. I had the special pizza named after the restuarant itself - my first seafood pizza on the journey to find the best in Sardinia. At first I didn't like all the shells still on the shellfish - but afterward I realized it was nothing more than a delight you had to work a little harder for - making you truly appreciate it. Delicious