Where to eat in Cagliari

Selection of Restaurants and Specialties

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Cagliari is a city where food becomes a direct expression of the territory: crystal-clear sea, biodiversity-rich lagoons, and an inland area that preserves ancient pastoral traditions.

Overview + Restaurants Table

• Sa Domu Sarda
• Trattoria Lillicu
• Sa Schironada
• Antica Hostaria
• Ristorante Luigi Pomata
• Locanda dei Buoni e Cattivi
• Da Marino al St. Remy
• Sa Piola Restaurant

FAQ

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Overview

The gastronomic scene of Cagliari stands out for its variety and character: alongside contemporary cuisine restaurants, historic venues and trattorias specializing in great island classics coexist. The result is a dynamic offering where local catch, artisanal fresh pasta and traditional recipes find different interpretations while remaining deeply rooted in Sardinian culinary culture.

This guide features a selection of particularly representative restaurants (see Restaurant Table), including historic establishments such as Ristorante Luigi Pomata, refined venues like Da Marino al St. Remy, identity-driven proposals such as Sa Domu Sarda, and highly appreciated seafood spots like Trattoria Lillicu, accompanied by an overview of their most requested specialties.

The true protagonists are the iconic dishes of island tradition: the famous culurgiones, fregola sarda often served with clams, the prized mullet bottarga, the refined lorighittas, and traditional maccaronis. Recipes that reflect an intense yet balanced cuisine, based on excellent raw ingredients and a strong connection to the territory, where sea and inland meet in every course.

Important notes:

In the following sections you will find some key references to help you better orient your choice among restaurants and their specialties, in particular:

📌 The number next to each restaurant and dish indicates how many gastronomic guides recognize its quality.

📌 The stars shown next to each dish are an internal Tourplan classification, developed based on reviews from major guides: ★★★ dish worth the trip, ★★ must-try dish, ★ dish to try.

📌 The indicative price is an indicative value calculated on a standard meal consisting of a starter + a first course, drinks excluded. See Legend 🔗

Restaurants Table

In the table below you will find a carefully curated list of selected restaurants, created by cross-referencing data from 10 of the most authoritative Italian and international food and wine guides.
The selection is not based on proprietary scores or rankings, but on the number of guides that recognize the quality of each restaurant, offering a clear, transparent, and comparable criterion to help guide your choice.

🔎 The guides considered in this selection are: Michelin Guide, Gambero Rosso, l’Espresso Guide, Italian Academy of Cuisine, Slow Food Guide, Bibenda, Il Golosario, Identità Golose, Touring Club Italiano, and TripAdvisor.

• Scroll the table down and to the right to view all column data and quickly access the maps Google Maps ➡️
• To see the explanation of each data column, click on the column header itself (e.g. Org, Index, etc.) at the top of the table.

📌 This table is updated every 6–12 months.

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🍽️ Sa Domu Sarda

Type: Sardinian osteria / meat cuisine
Area: Historic center of Cagliari
Indicative price: see Table
Accessibility: Car / bus / walking distance from the center

Sa Domu Sarda (3) is a classic Sardinian osteria with a warm and informal atmosphere, perfect for those seeking an authentic inland culinary experience in Cagliari. The restaurant focuses on local ingredients and several Slow Food Presidia featured on the menu, enhancing traditional dishes with careful attention to quality.

The menu strongly revolves around meat and typical Sardinian dishes, combining tradition and flavor. Among the highlights are culurgiones with walnuts and pine nuts and fregola sarda incasada, symbols of Campidanese cuisine. Wine list based on local labels.

Starters

• Mixed cold cuts and cheeses with pane carasau (2, ★)
• Dried broad beans, wild fennel with guanciale and cabbage
• Casu furriau – grilled fresh sheep cheese with chestnut honey and walnuts

First Courses

• Culurgiones filled with potatoes, cheese and mint, served with tomato sauce and pecorino (2, ★)
• Culurgiones with walnuts and pine nuts (3, ★★)
• Malloreddus alla campidanese (1, ★)
• Fregola sarda incasada cooked in broth with tomato, basil and Fiore Sardo DOP (3, ★★)

Main Courses

• Mixed grilled meats (1, ★★)
• Braised venison scented with Vermentino (1, ★)
• Slow-cooked donkey stew with sun-dried tomatoes and Nuragus (1, ★)
• Pork fillet on rosemary potato cream (2, ★★)

Side Dishes

• Patate a sa schiscionera

Desserts

• Artisanal sebadas with lemon aroma and honey

Summary: Sardinian osteria focused on meat cuisine, warm and informal atmosphere, traditional dishes featuring Slow Food Presidia and local wines.

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🍽️ Trattoria Lillicu

Type: Sardinian trattoria / seafood cuisine
Area: Historic center of Cagliari
Indicative price: see Table
Accessibility: Car / bus / walking distance from the center

Trattoria Lillicu (3) is a classic Sardinian trattoria with a warm and characteristic atmosphere, featuring a few outdoor tables along the street. The indoor dining room is welcoming and convivial, while the fresh fish counter directly displays the daily catch, highlighting the freshness of the ingredients.

The menu focuses mainly on seafood, offering traditional Cagliari dishes along with a few meat options. Among the must-try specialties are the Risotto alla pescatora, a true house signature, the Burrida alla cagliaritana, and the Spaghetti with mullet bottarga and clams. The wine list features mainly local Sardinian labels.

Seafood Starters

• Whitebait fritters
• Burrida alla cagliaritana (2, ★★)
• Fresh steamed tuna fillets with oil and onions

Seafood First Courses

• Risotto alla pescatora (3, ★★★)
• Fregola with clams
• Trofie with crab meat (1, ★)
• Spaghetti with sea urchins (2, ★★)
• Spaghetti with mullet bottarga and clams (2, ★★)

Seafood Main Courses

• Mixed fried local fish
• Lobster alla cagliaritana (1, ★)
• Catch of the day grilled, with Vernaccia wine sauce or Mediterranean style (3, ★★)
• Sea bass with Vernaccia
• Red mullets a scabeccio

Desserts

• Artisanal seada

Summary: Sardinian trattoria focused mainly on seafood, outdoor seating, fresh fish counter, warm atmosphere and wine list featuring local labels.

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🍽️ Sa Schironada

Type: Sardinian trattoria / seafood cuisine
Area: Historic center
Indicative price: see Table
Accessibility: Car / bus / walking from the city center

Sa Schironada is a classic Sardinian trattoria with a warm, rustic atmosphere. The setting is convivial, typical of Sardinian trattorias, ideal for a relaxed lunch or dinner. The cuisine focuses mainly on seafood, highlighting very fresh ingredients and offering traditional local dishes with attention to seasonality. The wine list features local and Italian labels, carefully selected to pair with seafood dishes.

Seafood starters

• Whitebait fritters
• Smoked seafood cold cuts
• Seafood meatballs
• Whole warm octopus
• Mussels and clams in green sauce or soup

Seafood first courses

• Seafood risotto
• Trofie with lobster
• Spaghetti baked in foil
• Fregola with clams
• Culurgionis with potatoes, tomato and basil

Seafood main courses

• Grilled eel
• Fried squid
• Lobster prepared in various styles
• Sea bass or sea bream with Vernaccia wine

Desserts

• Seadas

Summary: Sardinian trattoria specializing in seafood, rustic and warm atmosphere, wine list featuring local labels.

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🍽️ Antica Hostaria

Type: Trattoria / mixed meat and seafood cuisine
Area: Historic center
Indicative price: see Table
Accessibility: Car / bus / walking from the city center

Antica Hostaria (3) is a classic and elegant restaurant with a welcoming atmosphere, ideal for both business lunches and convivial dinners. It features a fresh fish counter and offers a balanced cuisine between sea and land. The ambiance is refined yet warm, with attentive service and particular care for the quality of ingredients.

The cuisine has no single focus: it offers both meat and seafood dishes, enhancing tradition and creativity. Among the most representative specialties are the black tagliolini with seafood carbonara, fregula with clams, and oven-baked turbot with porcini mushrooms and potatoes in season. The wine list is based on regional labels.

Seafood starters

• Fried octopus with mixed greens
• Smoked seafood cold cuts and sea bream carpaccio with olive sauce
• Mussels and clams to taste
• Baked sea bream with artichokes and potatoes
• Roasted red mullet

Land starters

• Sardinian sausage
• Homemade meatballs

Seafood first courses

• Black tagliolini with seafood carbonara
• Fregula with clams
• Bavette with lobster and fresh tomato
• Spaghetti with sea bass and saffron
• Hostaria pappardelle (pesto, cream, prawns and salmon)

Land first courses

• Malloreddus Campidanese style

Seafood main courses

• Oven-baked turbot with porcini mushrooms and potatoes (in autumn)
• Baked sea bream with artichokes and potatoes
• Roasted red mullet

Land main courses

• Veal escalope with Vernaccia wine
• Chateaubriand with side dishes

Summary: Elegant osteria with mixed sea and land cuisine, fresh fish counter, refined yet welcoming atmosphere, attentive service and regional wine list.

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🍽️ Luigi Pomata Restaurant

Type: Gourmet restaurant / seafood cuisine
Area: City center
Approximate price: see Table
Accessibility: Car / bus / walking from the center

Luigi Pomata Restaurant (7) is an elegant and refined venue with a modern yet welcoming atmosphere. The cuisine is mainly seafood-based, with a variable menu carefully designed according to seasonality and daily catch availability. The restaurant offers a gourmet proposal that delights fish lovers and fans of authentic flavors, with a few selected meat dishes.

The restaurant is known for the quality of its ingredients and the creativity in dish preparation, while maintaining elegant and harmonious presentation. Among the main specialties stand out the oyster selection and several house first and second courses, consistently praised by the most important gastronomic guides.

Seafood Starters

• Oyster selection (4, ★)
• Hand-cut red tuna tartare on mozzarella foam
• Italian-style raw fish selection
• Spiced tuna belly in three cooking styles with Vernaccia-roasted spring onion
• Imperial prawn and Oristano wild rice
• Red mullet with lemon, fregula and wild red chard

Seafood First Courses

• Fresh pasta spaghetti with seafood carbonara, smoked tuna and swordfish, mussels, clams and prawns
• Linguine alla Nicolo (6, ★★)
• Artisanal fregolina with artichoke cream, mussels and lemon (5, ★)
• Vanilla-flavored pumpkin ravioli with local clams and bottarga (5, ★)

Seafood Main Courses

• Red tuna belly in prosciutto bread crust (6, ★★)
• Carloforte red tuna fillet with red onion and Cannonau sauce (5, ★★)
• Stuffed tub gurnard with its sauce, Sadali potatoes and fried basil
• Sadali potato gnocchi with seaweed

Desserts

• Carasau millefeuille with chocolate and wild blackberry ice cream

Summary: Gourmet seafood restaurant with some meat options, variable menu, elegant and refined atmosphere.

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🍽️ Locanda dei Buoni e Cattivi

Type: Inn / mixed seafood and meat cuisine
Area: City center
Approximate price: see Table
Accessibility: Car / bus / walking from the center

Locanda dei Buoni e Cattivi (6) is a venue that combines classic and modern elements, with some outdoor seating. The atmosphere is elegant yet welcoming, and the kitchen offers both seafood and meat dishes without preference, sometimes creatively reinterpreted.

The restaurant is featured in several gastronomic guides and emphasizes local ingredients, including Slow Food presidia. The menu is broad and varied, ranging from appetizers to main courses, with particular attention to seasonality and product quality.

Seafood Starters

• Fresh squid from our seas, steamed and served on citrus-basil pesto
• Carasau bread millefeuille from Irgoli served with seasonal vegetable caponata
• Italian-style raw fish selection
• Puff pastry quiche with seasonal vegetable cream filling

Meat Starters

• Platter of organic cured meats and cheeses including dry sausage from Nule, head cheese, sheep prosciutto, Casizzolu from Santu Lussurgiu, Tuvoi pecorino, blue-veined pecorino, and seasonal fruit compote
• Organic pecorino tart with soft heart on a pecorino fondue

Seafood First Courses

• San Vero Milis Carnaroli rice with basil, tender cuttlefish, and spicy confit tomato
• Libera Terra semolina spaghetti with seafood ragù and mullet bottarga
• Cauliflower and potato velouté from our trusted gardens with Locanda bread croutons

Meat First Courses

• Pani Frattau with carasau bread from Irgoli, free-range eggs, tomato sauce, and organic pecorino
• Two-color fresh pasta ravioli filled with potatoes and Shiitake mushrooms from Nurri, served with Oliena blue-veined pecorino

Seafood Main Courses

San Vero Milis Carnaroli rice with basil, tender cuttlefish, and spicy confit tomato

Libera Terra semolina spaghetti with seafood ragù and mullet bottarga

Cauliflower and potato velouté from our trusted gardens with Locanda bread croutons

Pani Frattau with carasau bread from Irgoli, free-range eggs, tomato sauce, and organic pecorino

• Baked mullet fillet from our seas in a potato crust, served with braised red cabbage with onion

Meat Main Courses

• Sardinian favata with cabbage, sausage, and pork rind
• Free-range chicken cooked sous-vide, glazed with Locanda orange honey, served with candied pumpkin
• Sardinian artichoke in crispy puff pastry with egg yolk filling, served on a slightly spicy sweet-and-sour sauce
• Sardinian lamb ribs with Monica di Argiolas brown sauce, served with shallots and roasted potatoes

Desserts

• Millefeuille with soft Chantilly cream and dark chocolate drops
• Almond blancmange with caramelized lemon zest
• Dark chocolate cake with soft center served on Locanda Chantilly cream

Summary: Inn with mixed seafood and meat cuisine, atmosphere combining classic and modern style, with some outdoor seating.

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🍽️ Da Marino al St. Remy

Type: Gourmet restaurant / meat and fish
Area: Historic center
Approximate price: see Table
Accessibility: Car / bus / on foot from the center

Da Marino al St. Remy (5) is a restaurant with a classic rustic charm, carefully detailed and able to create a warm, elegant, and romantic atmosphere. The spaces are beautiful and welcoming, perfect for an intimate dinner or a special occasion.

The cuisine offers both meat and fish dishes without preference, with a gourmet approach that alternates tradition and creativity. The wine cellar is excellent, based on local, Italian, and international labels, well structured to accompany the entire gastronomic journey.

Sea appetizers

• Shrimp tartare with strawberries
• Sea carpaccio
• Sardinian cured meats and cheeses
• Foie gras terrine with red onion chutney (2, ★)

Land appetizers

• Beef carpaccio with summer truffle

First courses – sea

• Laganelle with lemon, zucchini, clams, and bottarga
• Lobster tagliolini with cherry tomatoes (3, ★)
• Fregula with clams
• Tonnarelli with sea urchin and zucchini flower (5, ★★)

First courses – land

• Durum wheat gnocchi with vegetable ratatouille and stracciatella

Main courses – sea

• Steamed squid with apple vinegar emulsion, avocado and ginger sauce
• Black fig, smoked ricotta, bottarga, and balsamic reduction
• Snapper poached in Vermentino, with capers, olives, sun-dried tomato, leek, and lemon (5, ★★)

Main courses – land

• Beef tagliata with juniper berries and Carignano reduction (4, ★★)
• Grilled picanha, fine herb butter, and black truffle

Desserts

• Ricotta mousse with pine nuts and sapa
• Napoleon with light cream Chantilly

Summary: Gourmet restaurant, elegant with classic rustic style, romantic atmosphere, meat and fish cuisine, excellent wine cellar with local, Italian, and international labels.

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🍽️ Sa Piola Restaurant

Type: Sardinian tavern / meat and fish cuisine
Area: Historic center of Cagliari
Approximate price: see Table
Accessibility: Car / bus / on foot from the center

Sa Piola Restaurant (3) is a cozy Sardinian tavern, with warm and characteristic decor, and a small, very pleasant outdoor area, also ideal for a romantic dinner. The environment is informal but carefully curated, with an authentic atmosphere that highlights the conviviality typical of Sardinian taverns.

The restaurant stands out for its use of high-quality ingredients and for featuring numerous Slow Food presidia. It offers both meat and fish dishes, allowing guests to discover the richness of Sardinian culinary tradition. Must-try specialties include Cheese Selection, lorighittas, Cordula, and Stracotto di Bue Rosso. The wine cellar is based on local labels.

Sea appetizers

• Raw shrimp and scampi
• Mixed fish carpaccios
• Octopus and mussel salad (1, ★)

Meat appetizers

• Pork meatballs with San Gavino saffron (1, ★)
• Mixed cured meats and cheeses
• Cheese Selection – Su Casizzoru di Santu Lussurgio, roasted pecorino with honey sapa (3, ★★)

First courses – sea

• Ciccioneddas with sea pesto (2, ★)
• Lorighittas with scampi, shrimp, fresh tomato, and basil (3, ★★)
• Toasted Sardinian fregula with seafood ragù (3, ★)
• Minestr’e cocciula (1, ★)

First courses – land

• Maccaronis a ximiru with “Bue Rosso” ragù (1, ★)
• Su Mazzamurru (1, ★★)

Main courses – sea

• Fondale soup
• Bosana lobster
• Fillet of the day catch – CV – with potatoes, Vernaccia style, artichokes, Mediterranean style (3, ★★)

Main courses – meat

• Bortigali cordula with peas (3, ★★)
• Stracotto of Bue Rosso or horse with Cannonau (3, ★★)
• “A succhittu” lamb with Capichera

Desserts

• Tiramisu with Dorgali savoiardi (1, ★)
• Timball’e latti

Summary: Sardinian tavern with meat and fish cuisine, warm and characteristic atmosphere with outdoor seating, signature dishes of Sardinian tradition, local wine cellar.

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FAQ