The 16 Must-Try Restaurants in Sardinia

In the Costa Smeralda of northeastern Sardinia, known for both its white sandy beaches and its overpriced dining, Somu shines amidst a sea of uninspired tourist traps. Chef Salvatore Camedda utilizes modern culinary techniques to highlight local flavors in dishes like risotto featuring sweet and sour peppers, amaretto butter, and horseradish, as well as roasted turbot paired with spring onions, beer, and bitter greens. Each dining experience is complemented by stunning views of the emerald sea. 

Situated just a short drive from Alghero airport, Sa Mandra is a family-owned working farm originating from the rural Barbagia region, located 75 miles to the southeast. Over the past three decades, owners Rita Pirisi and Mario Murrocu have revitalized a once-dilapidated property into a flourishing 100-hectare farm offering accommodations. The restaurant, welcoming both agriturismo guests and outside visitors, showcases dishes crafted from the farm’s produce and local meats. Enjoy hearty, land-inspired meals such as maharrones de pungiu—textured gnocchetti with tomato, sausage, and pecorino—and porcetto allo spiedo (or porceddu), a delicately spit-roasted suckling pig.

Sardinia boasts the richest dessert culture of any region in Italy, with cookies and confections crafted so intricately they resemble exquisite marble sculptures. The best place to experience this artistry is at Roberto Murgia’s workshop in Alghero. Year-round specialties include tilicas de sapa (decorative cookies filled with spiced wine must) perfect for festive celebrations, candelaus (a labor-intensive sweet made with almond paste) made for weddings and baptisms, and tzipulas (doughnuts made from ricotta, potato, and saffron) fried for Carnevale.

For 35 years, Il Rifugio in Nuoro, the capital of the Barbagia region, has been perfecting traditional cucina Barbaricina recipes. Led by the father-son duo Silverio and Francesco Nanu, this restaurant is more than just a keeper of tradition. Francesco brings fine dining experience from kitchens in Italy, Australia, and Japan, showcasing his skills in whole-animal and fish butchery. Dishes like pecora sarda in cassola (braised mutton) and cordedda (roasted lamb innards) shine here. Don't miss the su filindeu, a pasta made from layered, hand-pulled durum wheat, served velvety in a mutton broth with cheese.

Supramonte di Baunei is a rugged region in eastern Sardinia, attracting nature lovers with its rocky landscapes and steep trails that lead to secluded beaches. This area retains a wild charm, highlighted by cuiles—handcrafted juniper huts where shepherds can rest or gather—scattered across the land. The Bertarelli family has converted some of these structures into a restaurant that specializes in traditional meaty dishes, serving meals on terraced patios overlooking the livestock. The fixed menu begins with a selection of cheeses, cured meats, roasted goat entrails, and vegetable fritters, followed by pasta such as culurgiones (potato and cheese dumplings) with tomato sauce, and concludes with suckling pig that is slow-roasted on a spit until perfectly tender. Make sure to reserve ahead of time and download the restaurant's location to your smartphone before venturing off the main road; it's a few kilometers down a rocky path into the woods.

Sardinia stands as Italy’s leading producer of bottarga di muggine, the salted roe from gray mullet, cured to achieve a delicate savoriness and a perfect texture for grating. Nestled between the sea and the Tortolì Lagoon, where the mullet are caught, Chiosco di Ponente serves bottarga fresh from its source. Operated by the Cooperativa Pescatori Tortolì, this beachside kiosk offers various types of bottarga, including the highly esteemed version made from hand-caught mullet roe. The menu shifts daily and varies between lunch and dinner, typically featuring bottarga in dishes like spaghetti, as well as local oysters farmed in the lagoon. Don’t forget to look out for special events like fish frys and grilled fish nights.

Gergei, a tranquil town with a population of 1,300, is located about an hour's drive north of Cagliari. It gained popularity thanks to the Lai family, who established Domu Antiga, a boutique hotel in the town center that quickly became a favorite for those seeking rural charm away from the beaches. In 2022, the family launched Sinnos, a small cheese-making and tasting venue. Samuel Lai and his team craft sheep’s cheese in a quaint stone storefront next to their home, offering pecorino tastings in a lovely courtyard adorned with a well-kept vegetable garden.

Part glamping site and part aperitivo spot, Sa Mola Experience is nestled among ancient olive trees in the quaint town of Escolca, where the Cadoni family has been producing extra-virgin olive oil for four generations. During the pandemic, the youngest family members sought a creative and outdoor approach to showcase their business, launching a nightly aperitivo in the groves. Guests enjoy local wines at sunset, accompanied by olives, cheeses, breads, and cured meats.

Spanning nearly 90,000 square feet, Cagliari’s central mercato is among the largest in Europe. The ground floor features an array of meat, cheese, legumes, produce, bread, and other grocery items, while the lower level is entirely dedicated to fish so fresh you might get splashed as it flops out of its container. While San Benedetto does offer some imports, like tuna from Carloforte, much of the catch is locally sourced, including eels from the nearby lagoon and dogfish used in burrida, the city’s famous dish of pickled fish with a walnut and fish liver sauce.

Dario Torabia and Luigi Serra founded this restaurant to create an atmosphere that feels like visiting an old friend—one who's youthful, boasts a large street art collection, and has a penchant for Rancid (the band that inspired the restaurant's name). The cuisine is deeply influenced by the tastes of southern Sardinia, while also featuring ingredients from around the world. Highlights include braised legumes paired with casu axedu (a brined cheese), black garlic, and miso; as well as smoked fish accompanied by sour cream, beets, dill, and abbamele (a traditional Sardinian honey). The wine list celebrates lively natural wines from both the island and the mainland.

Maurizia Pala and her children craft and sell traditional cookies such as suspiros (similar to macarons) and amerettes (sweet and bitter almond cookies) from a quaint shop in Cagliari’s Marina district. Their standout treat is sos papassinos, raisin cookies originally made for the Day of the Dead, now enjoyed year-round. These cookies come in various flavors, incorporating different nuts, spices, and sapa (cooked wine must).

Located just off Cagliari’s waterfront, Sabores serves natural wines accompanied by tapas-style snacks like butter on toast with Cantabrian anchovies. Their dinner menu features enticing options such as raw red shrimp paired with peaches and fregula topped with tuna, cuttlefish, and octopus ragu. The quality of the ingredients shines through, thanks to strong connections the owners have established with local producers, who also supply the nearby gourmet food and wine shop, Sapori di Sardegna.

Sa Cardiga e su Schironi’s nautical decor beautifully complements its seafood-rich menu and picturesque seaside location by a lagoon near Cagliari. Ring the bell for entry and stroll past an impressive display of fresh local catches before entering the wood-paneled dining areas, where dishes like burrida (pickled dogfish) and cassola de pisci (fish soup) showcase Cagliari’s vibrant fishing heritage. Don’t miss the seasonal specialty: grilled eels served on iron skewers, known as sa cardiga and su schironi. The restaurant’s wine cellar, one of the finest on the island, boasts over 600 labels, including exquisite old vintages from Sardinia.

Founded in 1975 by the Loddo family, La Terrazza started as a traditional Italian bar near Cagliari. In 2019, Barbara Loddo and her husband, Giuseppe Vizzini, enhanced the family legacy by adding a bistrot next door. This all-day cafe offers a lively atmosphere with wines, cocktails, and cheese plates, emphasizing high-quality ingredients displayed and sold from shelves around the dining area. Heartier options like spaghetti with colatura and bottarga grace both lunch and dinner menus. The wine selection highlights natural and terroir-driven varieties from Sardinia, Sicily, and mainland Italy.

Located just a short distance from Sardinia’s southwestern coast, Isola di San Pietro is home to Carloforte, a village established in the 18th century by Ligurian fishermen who turned the island into a prominent tuna-fishing hub. While tuna remains the island's main export, there’s nothing like savoring it fresh in the port. Chef Andrea Rosso employs various techniques to enhance the texture and flavor of tuna, serving it cured, roasted, braised, and mixed with pasta in a charming powder blue dining area and on the shaded patio.

Situated just southeast of Isola di San Pietro, Sant’Antioco features several coastal villages linked by paved roads, while its interior remains largely untouched, consisting of hilly brush and sparsely populated farmland. In the main village, Achille Pinna’s fine dining menu showcases the island’s land-based delicacies, offering dishes like suckling pig with braised endive and steak accompanied by porcini mushrooms. Seafood lovers will also find delight in options such as amberjack ceviche with white melon and fregula served in a rich seafood broth.