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.

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.

We had a hard time finding a place that was open (Easter). The waiter saw us peering in the window…read moreand invited us in. The food was really quite good. We had meat antipasti which had some interesting and unusual dishes, and the pasta was fantastic (traditional Sardegna ravioli and tubes of macaroni in a wild boar sauce). Service was welcoming (as mentioned above) and cordial. I don't have much to compare to in Nuoro, so not sure if there's something better, but this place was quite decent.

Willing to serve at any hour this restaurant whipped up some wonderful gluten free pasta with…read moremushroom sauce. We arrived at 3:30 pm unsure if they were open (no customers at that hour). They even brought gluten free bread. We were satisfied.