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    Il Gabbiano

    3.7 (30 reviews)
    ModerateLigurian
    Closed 12:00 pm - 2:30 PM, 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM

    Il Gabbiano Photos

    IL GABBIANO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed
    Good for kids

    Recommended Reviews - Il Gabbiano

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    food and drink
    Riley W.

    We didn't have a reservation for the 5 of us but they seated right away! The food was delicious and the drinks were made perfectly and they came out very quickly. We were hungry after a day of traveling and we had a wonderful and relaxing experience here. Most importantly, the server (tall, blue shirt, wearing glasses) was SO friendly! Some of the best service I've had in Italy. He made nice connections with all of us and spoke fluent English, Spanish, and Italian. 10/10 for food, service, and ambiance.

    Tiramisu

    Ristorante il Gabbiano is an authentic (and delicious) Italian restaurant. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and the outside seating offers an amazing view of the Italian coast. We ordered the Spaghetti Bolognese and Gnocchi with Pesto, both were fabulous. The servers were polite and attentive, giving us complimentary bread and refilling our drinks I highly recommend Ristorante il Gabbiano to anyone in the area!

    Noodles with Pesto
    Anh N.

    Even if the place is packed, it does not always mean it will be good or even decent...just takes someone to make the assumption cause 1 group of people decided to dine there. Lol lesson learned. Tonight, we stopped in an hour before they were closing (they close at 9:30pm). We asked to be put on the list for outdoor seating...3 tables outside with no one sitting at it. And a list of people waiting to get a table. We kept asking the lady in charge of the register and she couldn't answer us or help everyone. We noticed she is the server, custodian, host, bartender, cashier, and restaurant manager. She seemed to have a control issue and did not either trust to delegate or doesn't want to. So the staff she had just cleaned, brought food out, and took the orders as long as she gave the authorization to do so. So service was extremely delayed. It took 30 minutes to figure out seating and to order. Once order was placed, food came out quick. Now the food. We got the bread it seemed a little stale. I also had to get up myself to get what I needed since they were all stretched thin and waiting for direction from the owner/manager (?). We ordered the Noodles with Pesto, Penne and Scampi, Mixed Fried Seafood, and a bottle of Lambrusco. Sadly everything but the Pesto (13€) dish was good. The mixed fried seafood (15€) had maybe 8 pieces of a calamari and 2 tiny shelled prawns, it was nothing special and others that ordered received more. So the inconsistency was strange. The Penne scampi (14€) was disgusting and full of shells! Hardly anything edible. Please see pictures. We started talking to this couple from France and they were too disgusted by the scampi dish they ordered and felt the same. The Lambrusco (16€) was hardly chilled and didn't taste great. The service in general was terrible. I felt bad for Joey, I think he could have great if he wasn't always having to check in with the manager. It's like if she wasn't there, the place wouldn't run. The place wasn't exactly clean, food ok the bench I was sitting on and they told me to sit and waited 10 minutes for someone to clear it. Overall a terrible experience...the 1 Star is actually warranted due to the delicious noodles with pesto.

    Front of restaurant.

    This place is amazing. Excellent, excellent food. It was late and we took the only table available. I wasn't expecting much because the restaurants all look the same, but here the service and the food were both great. Started out with lemon spritz, a lemoncelo and club soda combo. Then with the meal we had a white wine of local origin, very good. I had the homemade pasta with nut sauce, a combination of walnut and pine nut. Absolutely fantastic. The sauce is buttery and savory on fluffy, cheese filled pasta. I wish I could have this every day for the rest of my life. Amazing. We also had the sole, which had a nice carmelization and a delicious sauce. Just delicious and we ate every bit of the fish. Little one had the pasta with tomatoes. I sampled it and can confirm that was amazing too. Dessert started with the chocolate cake with fresh whipped cream, which appeared dry but when you eat it, it's anything but. Very good flavor, not too sugary. We also split the cheesecake which was excellent as well. Espressos were handily made as well. Server was very friendly and attentive even though she was handling all the tables apparently. Just great food from people who clearly love what they do. Go here if in Monterosso.

    Swordfish
    Kayla K.

    This place is right next to the beach and served some excellent seafood! I got the swordfish marinara so it came with mussels and clams and was really delicious! They have both indoor and outdoor seating with great views of the ocean.

    Grilled scampi
    Gino B.

    We visited this area after a long trek in Cinque terre. We did not stay at the hotel, but they have a nice set of restaurant tables along the board walk,over looking the ocean. We just wanted something quick and were really surprised that the food was much better than expected. In fact it was outright delicious. We started with a nice appetizer of octopus salad that was just amazing. A nice combination of perfectly prepared octopus with potatoes, lettuce and onions and drizzle of olive oil. Following that my wife had a dish of grilled scampi that tasted just as good as they look. I had a simple plate of meat ravioli in a light bolognese sauce. It was stunning, and exceeded all my expectations. The sauce was just perfect with delicious ground meat. The ravioli was cooked perfectly and the meat stuffing had the right amount of spices that made them delicious. Add a nice glass of red Sangiovese wine and the meal was as good as it gets. The service was top notch, with Joe our waiter who tended to all our needs. So there you have it, you never know what to expect unless you try it. Just look at the pictures and believe me, the food was that good.

    Camellia C.

    Nothing terrible, but really nothing to rave about, either. Husband had the seafood spaghetti, and I had a side salad and the grilled fish. The salad was quite bland, the seafood spaghetti decent in flavor but lacking in actual seafood, and my fish, while nice and large, wasn't very fresh or tasty. However, for the sheer number of tourists they have to feed each day, kudos to them for the attentive service and the speedy churning out of food.

    Dessert
    Sophie L.

    I had the best Italian food on my trip while I was at this restaurant. Everything was mind blowing. I think the risotto was life changing. The four of us girls were delighted at how amazing the risotto was- it was packed to the brim with large pieces of crabs, mussels, shrimp, etc. The appetizers were awesome- octopus salad and calamari both were excellent. I loved the panna cotta we had for dessert, silky soft sort of like tofu but I don't really have the right words to describe it. A heavenly experience, I think I regret coming here so early because it made all my other culinary experiences seem sub par. This restaurant is right next to the train station, you can smell it right when you get off the train station in monterroso. This is the second must do in the cinque terre after the hiking!

    Seafood salad. SO YUMMY!
    Kathryn A.

    Great location, decent service, good food. It was perfect for what we needed but a little pricey as compared to some restaurants off the main drag of Fegina. We sat inside. I had the seafood salad (very good) and the cantaloupe with prosciutto. My fiancé had the house salad and the gnocchi bolognase. To note: the paper napkins are blue and will turn your hands blue (and anything else such as a light pink Fitbit band...I may or may not know this from experience). Quite a few flies but good for a quick bite.

    Amazing insalata al mare... Tastes as good as it looks!
    Alicia Y.

    Beautiful setting on the beach. Fresh seafood and the insalata al mare was to die for! Enjoy!

    Amazing dinner and service!
    Nicole S.

    Slipped in at the last minute for dinner. After being turned down at several other restaurants because of the late hour, they were kind enough to seat us. The 3 of us ordered different entrées. Everyone enjoyed a great meal. You couldn't order a bad meal here. Our server was great, he was very funny and we definitely enjoyed ourselves. We ordered a carafe of the house red wine, and it completed everything perfectly. I would return to this place in a heartbeat!

    Mussels and anchovies

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    10 years ago

    Very bad food and lots of bugs flying around our table. Asked waiter to move inside and he said no.

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    Review Highlights - Il Gabbiano

    The group that I was in was a group size of 12 people and as we are eating everything in our path, we stop at this organization and order seafood risotto that was life changing.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Da Eraldo - Seafood soup

    Da Eraldo

    4.5(159 reviews)
    0.6 km
    €€

    Our Airbnb was just around the corner from Da Eraldo and I had discovered them based on their high…read morereviews. As we walked by, we noticed some of their employees inside so we asked if we could make a reservation for dinner for 6pm or 6;30pm. They recommended 6pm and took my name. We arrived promptly at 6pm and were the 2nd table seated. I'm so glad we came early. Over the next few nights we noticed so many people waiting outside all night long. I will tell you that my branzino was amazing. Fresh and cooked perfectly. I really enjoyed my healthy meal and I don't mind deboning a whole fish myself. My daughter had the linguine with clams which was also very delicious. My son had the pesto lasagna which was so-so. We were expecting red sauce bolognese so it could just be that we just had different expectations. He also ordered the steak and enjoyed it. My husband had the fruitti de mare and thought it was just okay. Something to know is that because they are so busy with so many people waiting, they like you to order everything together. We noticed a server who got frustrated with another table who tried to order apps, and then tried to order the main meals after they finished them, then dessert. These employees are hustling and trying to turn tables, as you see the queue outside waiting. It's a tiny cozy restaurant with a lot of demand. I would recommend this place for certain dishes, especially the fresh fish.

    Nice setting, great service, and the dinner was yummy. The first night, we couldn't get in we got a…read morereservation for the next night. The price is reasonable and the menu varied. The bread served at the table was unique and quite good.

    Photos
    Da Eraldo - Clams in white wine and spaghetti

    Clams in white wine and spaghetti

    Da Eraldo - Steak

    Steak

    Da Eraldo - Prawns and vegetables are amazing!

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    Prawns and vegetables are amazing!

    Emy’s Way - Delicious bruschetta with pesto and flavorful tomatoes

    Emy’s Way

    4.8(13 reviews)
    0.6 km

    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

    Photos
    Emy’s Way - Tiny patio seating

    Tiny patio seating

    Emy’s Way - Pansotti al pesto

    Pansotti al pesto

    Emy’s Way - Bruschette

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    Bruschette

    Trattoria da Oscar - Mussels

    Trattoria da Oscar

    4.3(18 reviews)
    0.6 km
    €€€

    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.

    Photos
    Trattoria da Oscar - Spaghetti, olive oil, a little white wine, butter, parsley, and clams. Simple and delicious!

    Spaghetti, olive oil, a little white wine, butter, parsley, and clams. Simple and delicious!

    Trattoria da Oscar - Octopus salad

    Octopus salad

    Trattoria da Oscar - Gnocchi pesto

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    Gnocchi pesto

    Il Gabbiano - ligurian - Updated June 2026

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