traveling with family. hot day. lots of walking. just had a coffee. nice staff. good ambiance. enjoyedd the experience.

This was, by far, the worst meal we had during our entire trip to Italy. We had been absolutely blown away by the food everywhere else, from Venice to Cinque Terre, so this experience was an especially huge disappointment. We ordered the grilled seafood combo and the steak. The grilled seafood smelled extremely fishy, to the point that it honestly seemed like something had gone bad. I could only manage a few bites before feeling extremely unwell and ultimately had to run back to our accommodation to throw up. The steak was also very disappointing. It wasn't cooked well, was extremely oily, and had almost no flavor. I genuinely don't understand why a steak would be that oily. It was supposed to be a filet and it absolutely was not a filet. It was fatty. Overall, the food felt like it was prepared with absolutely no love or soul. It was flavorless and incredibly difficult to stomach. Another thing that was extremely frustrating was that nearly every dish I was actually interested in trying was only available with a minimum of two people. There were multiple dishes, including the ravioli and fish soup, that I would have loved to try, but apparently you have to order them for at least two people. Why can't a restaurant figure out a way to serve something like ravioli or fish soup to one person? It's especially frustrating when you're dining as a couple but want to try different dishes rather than being forced to order two portions of the same thing. We ended up asking for the check after only eating a few bites because I needed to get to a bathroom immediately. We don't like complaining or making a scene while other people are trying to enjoy their meals, so despite how bad the experience was, we simply paid our bill and left. The one positive thing I will say is that the service was good. Our waitress, as well as someone who I believe may have been a manager, checked on us several times to make sure everything was okay. That said, this was still the worst meal we had in all of Italy. I've never left a restaurant feeling that sick and disappointed. If a manager would like to contact me to discuss what happened, I'm open to that conversation. read more

Opened at 1900 on Sunday. They take reservations, and it is recommended. We sat inside. There are 2 indoor sections and a large outdoor seating area. Staff are polite and attentive. They all work well together. They were out of the filet the night I was here so I had spaghetti and hubs had muscles. He was extremely pleased. The presentation for everything is delightful. Initially I thought my spaghetti was more al Dente than I like. But watch the video. It continues cooking and is perfect quickly. I was addicted. read more

Ristorante Ciak - Seafood Near Me - Monterosso al Mare, SP

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The pesto gnocchi were incredible, the pesto was light and perfect . The zuppa de Pesci was incredible, flavorful and insatiable. The best of the best . Highly recommend, can't do better . read more

Ristorante Ciak - Grilled prong - Seafood Near Me - Monterosso al Mare, SP

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Un pesto da non dimenticare. We came here while avoiding all the little tourist traps and seeing there were many local travelers we knew we were in the right spot. The owner for sure is a bit standoff-ish but it's totally ok. The food for sure spoke for itself. Being that we don't eat seafood and are vegetarian we couldn't enjoy all the other amazing dishes everyone was enjoying but they all looked pretty incredible. We ordered some local cheeses for antipasto then enjoyed the incredible gnocchi al pesto. Erano grossi, buonissimi e come una nuvola (like a cloud). These aren't the traditional gnocchi size but they were so incredible and unforgettable. They weren't with pesto, they were COVERED in pesto. I love that all the pesto dishes they toss right in front of you. Please don't expect the gross, garlic, pesto that is over oiled and over seasoned: this is the real pesto coming from Genova, the motherland of pesto. The flavors were delicious, fresh, traditional and absolutely incredible. We couldn't skip dessert and I happened to have one of the best tiramisù I've ever had. We ordered a local Monterosso white with our food and it for sure was amazing and completed our meal. Give some love to this family owned restaurant. Don't be a tourist. Be kind, be patient and adapt to the local culture. Perhaps you too will end up having a meal you won't forget if you just keep an open mind. read more

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The area is known for their pesto, so that's what we had. We had it with both spaghetti and gnocchi. The pasta dishes were big. Each could've fed two, but we ate all of it. The pesto was fresh and so good. This restaurant had a line but the wait wasn't so bad. The tomato and mozzarella caprese was really good as well--fresh and tasty. We doused it with the table side olive oil, and it was delicious. So fresh. read more

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Friendly service very fast. Food was very good. We had eleven people. Pastas, fish, mussels and everything was perfect. All staff were working together for one main goal- customer read more

If you are looking for authentic pasta, look no further. The pesto here is so delicious, lots of garlic, Genoa basil,... So yummy!!!. Great service great location. Also try the Clams linguine, unbelievable!!! read more

Ristorante Ciak - Spaghetti with Pesto - Seafood Near Me - Monterosso al Mare, SP

Unfortunately this was one of the worst restaurants we visited during our recent stay in Cinque Terre. We ordered the pesto gnocchi and fish of the day (swordfish fillet). The gnocchi was the size of dumplings and had a mushy texture. The pesto was also under-salted. It was hard to eat. The swordfish fillet was overcooked, the chewy texture was so disappointing. The saving grace of that dish was the abundance of grilled veggies to mask the chewiness of the fish. In an area with an abundance of great seafood, do yourself a favor and skip this spot. read more

Ristorante Ciak - Swordfish fillet - Seafood Near Me - Monterosso al Mare, SP

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My girlfriend was eating her squid ink pasta, then suddenly she bit into something hard and felt like glass! She spit it out immediately, only to her aghast, it was a big piece of glass. The manager Mario did a horrible job managing the situation, denying their responsibility. read more

Ristorante Ciak - Seafood Near Me - Monterosso al Mare, SP

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Food was good; nothing special. Unfortunately as Monterosso has become so crowded, some businesses have given up on providing enthusiastic service and lead with an approach of "you done; who's next?" This is one of those spots. read more

Excellent Lunch! Spaghetti Ciak 100% Spaghetti Bolognase 100% Pesto Pasta 100% Fried Prawns and Calamari 100% Place filled up fast as soon as the church bells ring at noon. One server handling 13 tables! Amazing and did not miss a beat! I will come back for the Spagetti Ciak on my next trip here! read more

I ordered spaghetti and meat sauce and there was a metal wire in my food!!! My family and I mentioned it to a waiter there and he was very rude. He said "so what we clean our plates with metal sponges." He acted like it was no deal that I could've swallowed a metal wire. Food was okay but waiter was rude. Not to mention we waited an hour to even get seated and they forgot about us after we sat down for over thirty minutes. read more

Ristorante Ciak - Metal wire - Seafood Near Me - Monterosso al Mare, SP

Excellent atmosphere and amazing food. The owner was involved in our ordering and the presentation. It was THE best overall meal in our 10 days in Italy. Highly recommended! read more

Ristorante Ciak - The owner and amazing host. - Seafood Near Me - Monterosso al Mare, SP

It was very good and very convenient but not to die for. While we would go there again it was not any where near the best restaurant I have ever been to. Good not great. But when you have just finished a nice boat tour that ended in Monterosso and still had a warm glow from experiencing Cinque Terre, it was delightful none the less. I had the Gnoche Marinara and my wife had the Salmon. We enjoyed a bottle of Altkirch Chardonnay that perfectly paired with them. Both meals were delicious. The service was good but not excellent. That said, there were a lot of people there so all in all it was good. read more

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The owner is a very old woman who does not care about her business as she is extremely rude to her customers. Everyone around us seemed to be disappointed. We did not stay because the service was so horrible. So many other places seem much better. read more

I ate here over five years ago and I still think about the pesto gnocchi. It might have been the best Italian meal I've ever eaten.

I am sad to say I was disappointed. I'd been waiting for pesto made in Cinque Terre, and the pesto here was not good: there was way too much garlic and the sauce was way too oily - and not the good EVOO kind. There is a 3 euro cover charge and all you get is crusty hard plain bread. Compared to what other restaurants in Monterosso are offering, you can easily find something cheaper that's much much better. read more

This was an incredible meal. The Appetizer sampler was terrific and varied assortment of seafood. The spaghetti with mussels and clams were served sizzling table side and was extraordinary.then we shared the baked fish Al forno with potatoes and olives, also phenomenal. Lastly, the lemon basil sorbet. Everything was simply the best. The chef owner has been running this restaurant for nearly 50 years and is a master of the art of Lingurian seafood preparation. Don't miss a chance to have a meal here! read more

Excellent food and service. Definitely make a reservation. Table-side presentation of the pasta dishes was amazing. Generous portion sizes. Prices were very reasonable. Family run business. read more

Delish food, reasonable prices and service was good too! Great little spot in Monterosso :)

Fantástico! We had multiple risottos during the trip and without a doubt their mixed seafood risotto was the best one. Came out fresh in a ceramic pot and was served table side. We got the one grumpy server and although he seemed determined to make it apparent that he hates his job he worked efficiently so all its forgiven, and the rest of the staff was incredibly friendly so it really doesn't speak for the overall team. read more

Wow. We were so looking forward to the pasta and seafood at this highly acclaimed restaurant. Perfectly situated in Monterrey. We had made reservations months in advance. We were greeted as if we were interrupting the employees break. After some loud conversation between employees we were awkwardly seated. It was one of those awkward experiences where you are gifted that the business is willing to serve you. Our service was poor, to be kind. The waiter was inattentive and rude. Food did not live up yo expectations. If you have other food options, take them. read more

I've read the other reviews and without yet having had my main course, I can tell you that the Polpo salad starter is doubtless the best Polpo I've ever had. Incredibly tender; I literally cut the larger pieces with my fork. read more

Visited Monterosso in mid September and went to Ciak over Miky's and I'm so glad that we did. We were seated outside to enjoy the gorgeous weather. We had the seafood risotto and it was phenomenal. Others had fish and pasta dishes that were amazing too. I made reservations well in advance and was asked to confirm a day before; which we did. When we arrived our table was waiting. I believe that there are 2 sittings, 7:30 and 9:30. If you don't have reservations be prepared to have a second option for dinner as we saw tons of people being turned away! read more