Casual and quick service salad misto good but the trofie with pesto...OMG!!! Please more, more,…read moremore.

Charming little place hidden up a small street in Monterosso. I tried the trofie Al pesto! So…read moreyummy. We also enjoyed anchovies in lemon, caprese salad, and crudités Del Mar. I loved the local pasta with pesto! Everyone enjoyed the meal. We also had filter DI orata (baked sea bream) and that was yummy too! Great service!!

As stated by all, the general attitude here is unwelcoming, and unless you get Nona as your…read morewaitress, your unlikely to see a smile or be made to feel welcome. Food is ok but we had better at many other restaurants and the yelling from the kitchen heard in the indoor dining room was like an out-take from Curb Your Enthusiasm w/o Larry David being nearby to set a fun time!

Antonio took fantastic care of us for our dinner visit in Monterosso. After a long day of touring,…read morewe opted for a local dinner nearby our apartment, and this came highly recommended for fresh seafoods! Strongly suggest you make a reservation if you desire to sit on the patio at peak dinner hour around 20:30p. You can see lots of people walking the area, enjoy the fresh air, central piazza location and delicious food and drinks. The seafood sampler was an amazing way to share a variety of starters, from sardines, anchovies, calamari, shrimp, bacon wrapped mussels, stuffed mussels, swordfish, etc. in small plates "tapas" style presentation - a true feast!! For main dishes, the Swordfish was the best I've ever had, freshly caught that morning and prepared grilled "thinly" sliced - very tender and tasty! This is not the swordfish type steak I'm familiar, but eating it so fresh was perfect! The homemade Gnocchi with Pesto was wonderful; eating flavorful Pesto sauce known in this region was a special treat, but I'd also say a filling and heavy dish as I could only eat a couple pieces - but everyone loved them! Finally the stuffed seafood ravioli was amazing ... homemade tender raviolis created and served in a rich pomodoro type sauce which was fantastic, definitely a shared dish for 2 (plus we took some leftover home for snack next day). And we finished our meal by trying the specialty dessert wine, Sciacchetra with biscotti. It was too sweet for me, but a real "local" treat! What a marvelous and beautiful dining experience, I'd recommend you must try CIAK if in Monterosso, Cinque Terre! Cheers, ENJOY!!!

4.5 stars Located in Monterosso's Centro Storico, the patio…read moreat Emy's Way made for a nice setting to enjoy their handwritten menu of Piatti del Giorno (dishes of the day). In the Cinque Terre, one must-try item is the local anchovies, and this restaurant's Acciughe alle Erbe (anchovies with herbs) were simply cooked, seasoned with olive oil and herbs. We also had the ubiquitous Spaghetti ai Frutti di Mare, spaghetti with calamari, mussels, shrimp, and clams in a light tomato broth. The dish was on the bland side, but the spaghetti had a nice al dente texture, and the sauce was perfect for mopping up with the basket of bread. But the most memorable part about this restaurant was Emiliano, the friendly one-man-show owner and waiter, who served every table enthusiastically and passionately! He even obliged when I asked for a sample of their pesto sauce (a local specialty), which had a nice nuttiness from the whole pine nuts, balanced by the freshness of the basil and olive oil, and the saltiness of the cheese. What a friendly local restaurant, and everything came at reasonable prices too!

Great food & location. Located in old town Monterosso, great pizza, pasta, and fried calamari…read more Definitely recommend.

Excellent Choice For Dinner…read more.. My wife and I arrived in Monterosso al Mare for the first week of our vacation around Cinque Terre. Where to eat? Our hotel - Villa Steno.....a wonderful place - plotted several recommendations on a map. The first place we tried was Oscar. Our impressions were as follows: Pros: - Most of the seating was on the patio out front which was delightful - We shared the Seafood Salad and Pasta with Seafood. Both were great! The second dish was among the best I've ever tried. - Dark bread accompanying dinner was amazing - A bottle of local Sauvignon Blanc went perfectly with the meal - It seemed the owner or one of the owners served all the customers. She was friendly, efficient and how she did it I'll never know. - Prices were very reasonable for everything we ordered Cons: - Only one: Oscar, like most restaurants in town, opened at 7 PM which was a bit late for us Americans. Both my wife and I heartily suggest trying Oscar.

It's good clean food for a fair price don't get me wrong. But this as the same menu and same…read moretasting food as like 75% of restaurants on cinque terre. Pesto pasta, seafood pasta, calamari, mussels... pretty much the only thing a great handful of restaurants around here serve (usually pizza too) Overall it's fine it just won't be a memorable meal. Service is mediocre.

Focacceria IlFrantoio is kind of hiding: tucked in a narrow alley off the main drag, but you'll…read moresmell that fresh-baked focaccia the moment you walk nearby. Even if you don't see the sign, follow your nose. Inside the little place, there are only a handful of tables, so most people grab a slice and go. They do those classic Ligurian-style focacce: some round like pizzas (but no sauce) and some square or rectangular slabs. The difference is more than shape, focaccia isn't pizza. It uses dough with more leavening, so it stays thicker, softer, and airier than typical pizza crust, and it gets dimpled and drenched in olive oil before baking. Because of that, the focaccia from Il Frantoio feels pillowy inside but still crispy at the edges -- perfect base for whatever topping they throw on. Go for a classic plain‑olive-oil slice if you want something simple and salty. Or, if you're up for a punchier flavor, try their anchovy version: salty, briny, and made for a beach‑town afternoon. Honestly, it's the perfect snack to grab before hiking to Vernazza -- light, filling, and full of energy for the climb. Bottom line: Focacceria IlFrantoio isn't fancy. It's small, kind of hidden, and not Instagram-flashy. But if you want a genuinely good bite of Ligurian comfort food, warm focaccia, salty anchovies or olive-oil-rich crust, handheld and cheap, this spot hits exactly right.

We went here three times in 3 days! The owner is one of the most fun and personable people ever and…read morehe doesn't even speak English! Go here when in Cinque Terre! You won't regret it!

Found this tiny place in an alley by accident while on a tour. Great pasta! I had the bolognese…read moresauce - surprisingly light and intensely flavorful. My wife had the pomodoro - same. The place has a welcoming family feeling and warmly greeted several folks like old friends ( as well as us) while we were there. It's just a few steps from the big restaurants near the dock area, so try it. Best meal we had while in Italy, even though it's unassuming and not "high end".

A nice trattoria off the touristy beaten path located in an alleyway. What a refreshing find. Most…read morerestaurants in SML are not reviewed too much as many Yelpers have not been to the area. My bro & I were promptly seated w/o a reservation. Reservations are not stressed too much unless you're dining in exclusivity. We split an octopus salad with softened potatoes and parsley, excellent, 12€. I ordered Bronzino alla Genovese with pine nuts, and olives. Excellent +. 18,50€. Staff was very friendly and spoke English quite well. The nicest restaurant we've been to in three days here in SML.

We're walking into Old Town Monterosso back to our apartment and notice this man sitting alone…read moreenjoying his pasta. I double take and look at his carbonara. It looks amazing at a quick glance. We walk a few more steps and then turn back around to see it again and ask the man working if he can seat the 3 of us. He looks around at his tables (there are only 6-8 tables) and tells us to come back in an hour which seemed a little off putting at first. He tells us to try any of the restaurants next door because they are all his. But my mind is stuck on the carbonara. So we ask if he offers takeaway for his meals and he agrees to our carbonara and pizza order. Later I realize he's the owner and just very busy and focused on taking care of his customers and actually friendly. While we're waiting, the solo Italian man raves about the carbonara. Says he's an advertising salesman who travels often to the area and eats out often and this carbonara is the best. He liked that he focuses on quality, not quantity. Sold! It was one of our best meals on the trip. The bacon was cooked perfectly and crispy. Pasta cooked perfectly and sauce delicious, just clung to the noodles. Pizza devoured and he actually cut the pizza slices so we could share easily. I'm sad it was our last night, otherwise I would've gone for a second time. I'll be thinking about that carbonara for a while. Definitely worth a stop in Old Town Monterosso.

Probably one of the best meals this trip…read more Tiny place with maybe 8-9 tables Owner is wonderful high energy person Really good bruschetta...that rustic bread Excellent ravioli in meat sauce Solid pizzas Nice simple wine selection Great rock n roll music playing

We stayed in town 3 nights and came here all of them. The ravioli is wonderful. The pasta was…read morestuffed to the max. We had it 2 nights. The desserts are to die for. The owners wife is the awesome maker. And he is just the kindest man. We had the chocolate pistachio cake twice ! Definitely a must taste experience.

Best Clams with zucchini I've had since being in Italy for the past week…read moreHusband had meat ravioli, he said the meat sauce has been his favorite in Cinque Terre