The Best Food in La Spezia and its Traditional Dishes

La Spezia is a place to experiment new flavors and awaken your senses. In La Spezia you can try from the traditional pasta and the several Italian breads to the new essence of contemporary cuisine. In this area, the cuisine traditionally uses fresh products like fish and seafood, especially in the fishing villages, although it has always had the classic Italian food base. 

In this article, we are going to cover from culinary treasures and best places to eat in La Spezia, including basics of the Italian cuisine to the importance of seafood and some other specificities of this place.

La Spezia's Culinary: Iconic Dishes and Local Specialties

If you are looking for the best food in La Spezia, this area can presume of its tasty and appetizing specialties, like pesto, focaccia or farinata. However, in Liguria there are also some sweets that can be very good. Let’s see all the details and cultural significance:

Ligurian classics and specialties

Ligurian cuisine has some basic characteristics that are fundamental and a tradition to their cuisine: the pesto sauce or the focaccia dishes. 

The pesto sauce is widely known as the seasoning and decoration usually paired with a dish of pasta. This sauce is originally from the regions of Genoa and Liguria so, even though, is widely extended across the country, it will only be in these areas where you can taste its authentic flavor. La Spezia’s focaccia, characteristic of Liguria, is one of the most popular foods in Italy. You can try the Focaccia Di Recco, which is a specific variety from this region, representing the cultural impact of a recipe cooked in every family of this area for centuries.

Ligurian seafood specialties

La Spezia’s traditional cuisine has always used fresh and local seafood in its food routine, creating three local specialties: stoccafisso, muscoli and acciughe. The first one, is a traditional fish of the area that needs to be soaking for several days. This fish is prepared with the ingredients of the traditional La Spezia’s cuisine like onion, garlic, tomato, olives, pine nuts and olive oil. The second dish is mussels, traditionally sourced from the Gulf of Poets (Golfo dei Poeti), and they are cooked either stuffed or with pasta. The last one is ‘Acciughe’ (anchovies), another local specialty, which can be marinated, stuffed, or served with spaghetti.

Traditional Ligurian sweets and pastries

Among the best food in La Spezia, part of the Ligurian cuisine, there are also some traditional and typical sweets. In La Spezia, you can find the Amaretti di Sassello, (a variety of almond cookies) or the Canestrelli, baskets of pastry with an egg in it. It is tradition to cook these pastries on Easter Eve, a tradition inherited from the 18th Century when they were given to kids instead of a chocolate Easter egg.

Best Places to Eat in La Spezia

La Spezia can offer a vibrant and diverse catering scene to satisfy a wide range of preferences and budgets. In La Spezia you can find different types of restaurants: Trattorias and oyster bars, which are traditional restaurants with homemade local dishes; seafood restaurants, pizza bars and gourmet and Fine Dining restaurants, for a more sophisticated cuisine.

Highly rated and popular restaurants for local cuisine

The highest-rated and most popular restaurants within our recommendations of the best places to eat in La Spezia are: Osteria Della Corte or Il Ristorante di Bayon. The first one, Osteria Della Corte, is known for its cozy environment and its focus on traditional cuisine, where you will find typical dishes like the stoccafisso or farinata with medium to high budget. In the second one, Il Ristorante di Bayon, you will find a great variety of pasta dishes, including trofie with pesto.

Traditional trattorias and family-run eateries

If you are looking for a great Trattoria to have a delicious taste of La Spezia culinary tradition, we recommend Osteria All'Inferno Dal 1905, which is a very popular restaurant among locals located in a colorful street of the historic center. Another option is Antica Osteria dell'Uva, a family restaurant business offering the most traditional dishes of Liguria in the center of the city. The rated budget for these places is medium.

Unique or innovative dining experiences

La Spezia can offer all kinds of experiences for every taste. Therefore, we have some recommendations for the most adventurous food lovers: the restaurant La Posta is designed to entertain its dinner guests with a combination of gastronomy, art and music. Its tasting plates are designed to fully stimulate and awaken all your senses. The Ristorante Al Dattero can give you a personalized experience as it offers you the possibility of selecting yourself the seafood you want for your dish.

Traditional vs. Contemporary Dining Options

Most of the restaurants are centric and preserve the culinary heritage of the city. Another restaurant is the Ristorante All’Inferno, known for its cuisine based on local dishes, especially seafood and fresh fish. Some of the best places to eat in La Spezia that have traditional cuisine with a fusion of the contemporary cooking style are Il Ristorantino di Bayon, Osteria Della Corte or All'Inferno dal 1905.

Seafood Delights: Fresh Catch from the Ligurian Coast

La Spezia is a coastal city, therefore seafood and fish are a fundamental part of its culinary tradition and culture. In the culinary domain, the proximity of La Spezia to an open sea guarantees the constant supply of fresh products in local markets and catering facilities.

Locally-caught fish and seafood specialties

This seafood and fish great dependency has developed its own culinary culture and tradition, resulting in dishes like anchovies in a green “bath” (Acciughe al verde). Among the most typical and best food in La Spezia there are seafood products and fishes like sea bass (branzino), usually cooked on the grill or mussels (cozze), cooked in several ways like a sauce of tomato and garlic (alla marinara), octopus (polpo), usually grilled or in salads; prawns (gamberi), served in risottos and salads among others.

Sustainable fishing practices and seasonal availability

La Spezia makes sure to take care and respect the ecosystem to protect the continuation of marine species. Catch limits are established to avoid overfishing, as well as there are some temporary prohibitions to let species regenerate. Moreover, there are some other rules like fishing gear, establishing a minimum fish capture-size or promoting artisanal fishing.

Local Wine and Aperitivo Culture

The Ligurian region is not only known for its seafood or its pasta. Among the most delicious specialties, you’ll be able to find an exquisite selection of wines and appetizers.

If you want to try some local wines, you can go with a Vermentino, a white dry and aromatic wine, with a citric and floral flavor that is very well-known in the Liguria region. The ideal scenario is having a delicious appetizer like a focaccia, a typical Ligurian bread usually served with olive oil and herbs and, sometimes served with pesto as well, or local olives among others. Another recommendation is the famous Sciacchetrà, a wine produced in the Cinque Terre and made of raisins and grapes dried under the sun to get a honey and nuts flavor.

Vegetarian and Vegan-Friendly Options in La Spezia

La Spezia is used to receiving thousands of tourists a year, therefore its restaurants take care of allergies or any other problem with food. Several restaurants have thought about those who choose not to eat meat at all or do not want to eat anything coming from an animal.

The best places to eat in La Spezia with vegan options are La Pia Centenaria, where you will be able to take pleasure in its tasty farinata (similar to a crêpe with chickpeas, completely vegan), or some vegan options for pastries as well in Pasticceria Fiorini.

The best food in la Spezia in the street to take-and-go

We understand that when you visit a place, sometimes the walks end up being so long that you barely stop. Consequently, we have thought about some options of grab-and-go food.

In La Spezia you can find Italian calzones (Calzone), which are similar to tacos but stuffed inside with ingredients like cheese, ham, tomato, etc. You can also find paninos, which are Italian sandwiches made of fresh bread and a variety of ingredients like cheese, salami, ham and vegetables.

Cooking Classes and Food Tours

To have a complete immersive culinary experience, we suggest you go food tasting and participate in Ligurian cuisine cooking classes.

Guided food tours and tastings

You can find guided trip food tours, like “La Spezia Cinque Terre Food Tour- Do Eat Better Experience”, or go wine tasting, to have some drinks, with tours like “Day trip from La Spezia pier: San Gimignano and wine tasting” in a stroll to San Gimignano. This is an ancient village included as a World Heritage by UNESCO IN 1990. Immerse yourself in this medieval, amazing place and enjoy a wine tasting in one of the wineries along with a light lunch.

Hands-on cooking classes for Ligurian cuisine

La Spezia, even though is a small village, can offer a wide selection of activities. Cooking classes are one of the most popular activities where you will learn to cook pasta, tiramisu, or understand the different types of seafood. Cooking classes help you learn the authentic recipe of pasta with pesto.

Seasonal food and Holiday Specialties in La Spezia

As a city of traditions, La Spezia has its own festivities and exclusive dishes to celebrate every special occasion.

Unique dishes and traditions during different seasons or holidays

The cultural tradition of the village with the Festa della Marineria is celebrated every two years as a tribute to the marine tradition of La Spezia and comprises parades, regattas and cultural events. The 19th of March you can also see one of the most important festivities of La Spezia, the St. Giuseppe festivity, where you will find local products, traditional food and craftworks.

Festivals and events celebrating local food and wine

Traditions are very linked to food since people gather together to celebrate while they eat and drink. 

The festivities where gastronomy plays an important role are, for example, the Festa di San Giovanni (24th of June), a festivity where you can go tasting traditional dishes and local products. Moreover, the festival Sagra del Limone in Monterosso celebrates the importance of the lemon in gastronomy. It is not in La Spezia, but you can go that day to visit the area, and then go back to NH La Spezia. It is the perfect opportunity to try the best food in La Spezia with dishes and drinks based on the lemon and see the beauty of the region.

Sustainable and Farm-to-Table Dining

La Spezia has always protected the cultivation and recollection of local products. Therefore, there are some that are very important to the village.

Local, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients

The gastronomy of La Spezia is quite much based on fresh and seasonal products, and most of them are sustainable. In spring, you can find fresh products like zucchini, green beans or artichoke. During summer, you can find some others like cucumbers, pepper or eggplants. During autumn, you will find porcini mushrooms (highly valued in local cuisine) or chestnuts and in winter some others like dried legumes (borlotti beans or red lentils).

Farm-to-table restaurants and initiatives

To promote the green initiatives, the best places to eat in La Spezia are some agriturismi that can offer you a restaurant service with products cultivated by themselves. It is the case of the agriturismo Locanda del Papa, in the hills of La Spezia, with meals prepared with fresh products like fresh vegetables, meat and dairy products. Another example is the agriturismo of Cerrolungo, offering its own wine and olive oil.

Highlighting the region's agricultural and fishing communities

La Spezia counts on its own communities to preserve fishing traditions. There are the Mussels Farmers’ Cooperative (Cooperativa Mitilicoltori Spezzini) formed by several fishermen and mussel producers to recollect, cultivate and commercialize seafood promoting sustainable practices. About fishing, there is also the Gulf’s Fishermen Cooperative (Cooperativa Pescatori del Golfo) which is dedicated to the fishing of different marine species and its objective is to promote sustainable fishing practices.

Summary and Concluding Remarks

La Spezia is a great place to enjoy food. Anywhere you go, you will find restaurants whose dishes are made with fresh products, like osterie or trattorias. Moreover, this amazing place can provide vegan and vegetarian options with restaurants like La Pia Centenaria or Il Ristorante di Bayon. If you want to fully enjoy the best food in La Spezia and take advantage of this place, you should come on the 19th of March for the St. Giuseppe festivity or on the 24th of June (Festa di San Giovanni) to try all the traditional foods.

FAQs about the Best Food in La Spezia

What are the must-try dishes and specialties in La Spezia?

Acciughe are a very typical product of La Spezia and they are prepared in many ways. One of the dishes with this product is the succulent “Acciughe sotto sale”. Another option is the “Trofie al pesto”, a kind of pasta that is served with a sauce made of basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese and olive oil.

Which restaurants are best for authentic Ligurian cuisine?

Many of the restaurants of La Spezia have a vast majority of traditional dishes, so you will be able to try Ligurian cuisine anywhere you go. You have different options like Osteria della Corte, Il Ristorante di Bayon, La Taverna del Metallo or the Trattoria La Nuova Spezia among others. All of them use fresh products and have seafood.

Are there good vegetarian or vegan options in La Spezia?

In La Spezia you can find vegan and vegetarian options either for food, or for pastries. You can go to La Pia Centenaria or Il Ristorante di Bayon, whereas for a sweet craving you can buy a pastry in Pasticceria Fiorini or an ice-cream in Il Pinguino Gelateria.

Where can I find the freshest seafood in La Spezia?

To buy the best food in La Spezia in the freshest conditions you should go to the Piazza Cavour’s Market (Mercato Coperto di Piazza Cavour), which is one of the main sales points of seafood in the city, where seafood and fish are sold directly by the local fishermen. Fresh vegetables, fruits and other local products can also be found in this market.

What local wines and aperitivo traditions should I experience?

Some of the traditional wines you should try are Sciacchetrà, Vermentino, Pigato, Rossese di Dolceacqua or the Cinque Terre DOC. Of course, you should have a glass of wine with some appetizers, like the Ligurian appetizer, which is a selected wine with little portions of different kinds of food. You can go with just one appetizer like the focaccia, acciughe marinate, olive taggiasche, or panissa.

Are there any food tours or cooking classes available?

There are many offers of cooking classes and food tours available in La Spezia. The most recommendable ones are the tours where you can try homemade traditional wine (with a selection of cheeses) or the ones that take you to several food spots in La Spezia to try traditional food. You can also learn to cook Italian pasta in a memorable cooking class.

What are the best spots for street food or casual dining?

The best way to find a quick take-and-go meal is to go to little local businesses, where they may even have some traditional food to go. You also have supermarkets, bakeries, pizza bars or coffee shops.

Are there any seasonal or holiday specialties to look out for?

Between April and May, you can probably taste the “Frittelle di Baccalà“ dish, popular during Lent and Holy Easter. The best time to try “Pesto alla Genovese” is summer as it is the best season for the basil (the main ingredient). Then, risottos or pasta dishes made with Porcini mushrooms are best to try during autumn, leading towards winter.

Are there any farm-to-table or sustainable dining options in La Spezia?

The best places to eat in La Spezia with sustainable dining options are agro-tourism places that can offer you catering service with fresh products, as well as cooperatives that protect the preservation of marine species while promoting good fishing practices. Many of the restaurants in La Spezia have started to create a vegetable garden to provide natural and fresh products.

What are the top-rated restaurants in La Spezia according to locals and tourists?

Eating in La Spezia isn’t hard at all. Every restaurant can provide dishes with fresh products, and possibly anywhere with seafood. The best rated ones are Osteria della Corte, Il Ristorante di Bayon, La Taverna del Metallo and Ristorante La Posta.