21 Best Restaurants In Cagliari, 100% Authentic

There are many great restaurants in Cagliari. If you are visiting Cagliari and think that tasting local dishes is part of the trip (one of the best, if you ask me), you will be curious to learn about the best restaurants in Cagliari.

I am sure you are looking for authentic restaurants in Cagliari, where locals go. You are in the right place. I am a local and I have a thing for a good meal out! I have tried many restaurants in Cagliari, so the ones mentioned here truly are a local’s recommendation, and 100% authentic!

There are many traditional dishes of Sardinia you can try in Cagliari.

Throughout Italy, the culture of food and eating well and healthy is very widespread: we care about what we are eating, where it comes from, and how it is cooked. Each region has its own peculiarities, local products, and traditional dishes. Sardinia is no different.

We usually eat out to relax after a long working week and to meet friends. I’ve tried all the restaurants in Cagliari that I will mention in this post, and I like each of them for several reasons: good food is obviously the first and most important, but it’s not the only one.

I do pay attention to the service, the location, and good value for money. The restaurants I talk about are not cheap, but, anyway, thanks to the quality and freshness of their products, I think they are worth every cent.

Continue reading to discover the restaurants in Cagliari you really should not miss.

Traveling to Sardinia on a budget? I have a post on The Best Budget Restaurants In Cagliari that is more suitable for budget travelers, and one on the Best Pizza In Cagliari too, perfect for family travelers.  

You should also read my post, 21 Best Restaurants In Sardinia – Recommended By A Local, for more options for your Sardinia trip.

Best Restaurants In Cagliari (7 Top Picks)

No time to read the entire post? Here’s my selection of top restaurants in Cagliari:

• ChiaroScuro — Modern Sardinian tasting menus & refined seafood.
Highly ranked by Michelin and locals alike for creative Sardinian cuisine with excellent wine pairing.
• La Paillote — Sea-view, seasonal Mediterranean dinners.
Beachfront setting near Calamosca; perfect for sunset dinner (summer season only; reservations essential).
• Duanima — Inventive Italian & Sardinian small plates.
Stylish contemporary spot in Villanova with excellent wines, ideal for a special night out.
• Bliss — Stylish modern plates & small sharing dishes. Great ambience in the center; excellent for a casual upscale meal.
• Luigi Pomata — Classic seafood & bottle service. Local favorite for bottarga, raw fish, and fresh catches; strong traditional seafood.
• Cielo at Palazzo Tirso — Views with your meal.
Perfect for lunch with a terrace view or a special occasion dinner overlooking the harbor.
• Dal Corsaro — Fine dining in Cagliari,
Michelin-recognized creative cuisine anchored in Sardinian ingredients (reserve well ahead).

Pro tips:

• Book ahead Friday–Sunday and in the summer months.
• Best areas in Cagliari for food: Marina & Stampace for old-town finds; Poetto / Calamosca for sea views.

Michelin Note (For Foodies): A few Cagliari restaurants on my list are also Michelin-selected (for example, ChiaroScuro, Duanima, and Luigi Pomata are listed by the Micheline Guide). That doesn’t always mean “best meal for you”, so I’ve also included places I personally rate for value, atmosphere, and consistency.

Where To Eat In Cagliari (Quick Guide)

These are the best areas to eat in Cagliari.

• La Marina: lively, easiest for first-timers
• Stampace: more local, great dining spots
• Villanova: quieter, stylish restaurants
• Castello: views + atmosphere (but more touristy)
• Poetto / Calamosca / Sant’Elia: beach / sea-view dining

Cagliari Restaurant Comparison Table

Price range legend

• € = casual / budget (€ < ~25)
• €€ = mid-range (~25–45)
• €€€ = higher-end (~45–80)
• €€€€ = special occasion fine dining (>80)

The Best Restaurants In Cagliari

Top Tip: Opening hours for the restaurants I mention in this post can change seasonally; I recommend checking Google Maps / TheFork before you go.

Chiaroscuro di Marina Ravarotto

This small restaurant right on the quieter part of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, in the district of Stampace, quickly became a favorite of mine – and of customers too.

Now Michelin-listed, it serves dishes of the local tradition of inner Sardinia – you will find pani frattau and filindeu on the menu, as well as desserts such as sebadas. However, while respecting the tradition, all dishes have a more modern, interesting twist. Marina carefully researches traditional pasta to create unique recipes.

The menu changes seasonally, but if you have a chance, try Marina’s version of the Malloreddus with campidanese sauce – she uses the sauce as the filling for her ravioli, and trust me, they are delicious! There is an extensive wine list with some top Sardinian wines, and the sommelier will help you pair your meal with a fabulous wine.

The atmosphere at this small restaurant is relaxing, sophisticated, yet friendly. Service is attentive but never too formal. Considering the quality of the food, prices are reasonable.

You will find Chiaroscuro in Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 380, in the lively Stampace District. It is open for dinner Monday to Saturday, and for lunch and dinner on Saturdays only. Reservations are recommended and can be done via the app The Fork.

La Paillote

This is by far my favorite summer restaurant in Cagliari. It’s perfect for a special occasion and for a romantic night – plan to be there in time for sunset to grab a drink, and then sit for dinner and expect a fantastic culinary experience.

The menu changes on a regular basis to reflect what’s seasonal and to give way to the chef’s creativity. You will find dishes that combine local ingredients with foreign ones to create the most unique flavors. Ceviche, tartare, pasta, and fish dishes – everything is worth trying.

A sommelier will be there to help you pick your wine from the best Sardinian wineries on the menu, to pair with your food. Service is spot on, though friendly. It’s expensive – expect to pay a minimum of €70 per person for a meal. But the quality of the food, the service, the views, and the atmosphere make it truly worth it.

La Paillote is a strictly seasonal restaurant located in the tiny Cala Fighera cove, off Calamosca Beach (one of the nicest beaches in Cagliari). It usually opens at the end of April until mid-October and serves breakfast, lunch, aperitifs (one of my favorite spots for aperitivo in Cagliari) and drinks, and dinner. You should definitely make reservations, especially for special occasions. The number to call for that is +393403948856.

Bliss Food and Wine

Bliss Food and Wine is in the center of Cagliari, but out of the main tourist track, so it is frequented mostly by locals.

The atmosphere is cozy – nice tables, shelves with bottles of wine, the bar right at the entrance of the dining room, and a small garden that’s a perfect place to dine in the spring and summer months. It’s perfect for a meal with friends and even for a romantic night out.

The menu is fairly contemporary – though you will find an excellent fregola with seafood and a fragrant fritto misto. The modern touches that make the dishes unique. I tried the polpo with artichokes, and it was cooked to perfection, and the homemade linguine with shrimp and truffle, and I am dreaming of going again just for that.

My mom said the fregola was delicious, too. It had just the right touch of cayenne pepper to make it spicy.

Keep in mind that the menu changes on a regular basis to reflect seasonality, so you won’t necessarily find the same dishes when you visit.

Service is impeccable. Prices are on the expensive side – more or less in line with similar restaurants in Cagliari. But given the quality and the service, it’s definitely worth paying.

There’s also an excellent wine list, and the courteous owner will help you pick a bottle that will pair perfectly with your meal.

Bliss is located in Via Paoli 13, close to Piazza Garibaldi (one of Cagliari’s prettiest squares). It’s open for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Saturday and for lunch only on Sundays. Make sure to book a table in advance.

Duanima

Duanima is a small, very stylish restaurant tucked in a quiet corner of the Villanova Historic District, in Cagliari city center. It’s away from the main tourist trail yet in a convenient location. You have to know it’s there in order to find it. But once you do, you will regularly want to visit.

Since the location is out of the main areas frequented by tourists, this has so far remained a local spot. And while it makes an excellent use of local, seasonal ingredients, don’t think of this as a traditional restaurant, as it’s far from it.

Chef Luca Floris creates his masterpieces by mixing and matching the best ingredients on the market. He even bakes his own (absolutely delicious) bread.

You have the option of picking what you want from the regular menu, or opt for a tasting menu (with or without wine pairing). One tasting menu has four courses (plus an hors d’oeuvre), the other has six courses.

For the four-course men, you have the option of choosing whether you want a meat or fish/seafood-based meal; the 6-course menu will be a mix.

Every dish will be adapted to your dietary requirements, such as lactose intolerance, allergies, etc: Make sure to point them out when you reserve your table, and ask if they have vegetarian and vegan options.

Last time I visited, we opted for the four-course menu with wine pairing, and we wowed at every taste of the food, and at every sip of the wine (a different wine is masterfully paired with every course). We had a selection of white and red wines – most of them local and from Altea, a smaller winery in Serdiana, my mom’s hometown, a short drive from Cagliari.

The service is spot on: personable, rhythmed with just enough waiting time to fully enjoy each course and wine. The chef often pops out of the kitchen so that’s your chance to ask for his secrets!

Given the quality of the food and the service, prices are quite reasonable – just don’t expect to pay €30 for a full meal!

Duanima is located in Via Satta 28. It’s open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday and for lunch on Sundays. Make sure to book a table in advance – you can do that via the app The Fork.

Cielo at Palazzo Tirso

There are two restaurants at Palazzo Tirso, one of the best hotels by the sea in Cagliari. I have been to Cielo, the restaurant located on the rooftop terrace, several times. I love, and even celebrated my birthday there last summer.

First of all, the location can’t be beat. Go there for dinner on a spring or summer day, and you will enjoy incredible sunset views over Cagliari‘s harbor, spanning all the way to the Historic Castello District.

Service is spot on: the maitre will go above and beyond to make sure your expectations are met and that the menu is modified according to any specific dietary requirements you may have.

But finally, let me talk about the food. The menu is quite varied, with options for people who prefer fish and seafood, meat, and even vegetarian dishes.

When I last ate there, I had the magnificent ceviche (the sous chef is from South America, so he knows what he’s doing with that!) and a delicious linguine with a seafood sauce dish.

This is not a cheap restaurant – expect to spend around €80 per person for a full meal (appetizer, main, and dessert) and a glass of wine. It really is fine dining at its best.

Cielo is located in Palazzo Tirso Hotel (one of the best hotels in Cagliari), in Piazza Deffenu 4, and not far from Via Roma. It’s open every day and works as an all-day dining place. If you intend to dine there to celebrate a special occasion, make sure to request a table in advance via the restaurant’s website and ask for a table with a view.

Dal Pittore

Chef Renato Bacchetta owned a Michelin-starred restaurant in Piedmont, in mainland Italy, before deciding to move to Cagliari, where his partner is from. And what a blessing it’s been for us locals!

I have been to this restaurant many times, mostly on special occasions, including my dad’s birthday last Sunday.

Here you will find a small selection of appetizers, pasta dishes, main courses, and desserts. The menu varies seasonally, and it’s based on what the chef finds at the market – so I can’t really recommend a preferred dish. I tried the seafood pasta when I visited, and I know that once autumn kicks in, the chef focuses on ingredients such as mushrooms and pumpkin.

The desserts are fabulous. I tried the homemade gelato with flambé peaches in the summer, which he cooked on the spot at the table. He varies the fruit on offer (again) depending on the season.

Service is spot on, and portions are quite big, so I find that the prices are more than reasonable here!

Dal Pittore is located in Via De Magistris 5, just outside the center of Cagliari (within walking distance). It is open for dinner from Tuesday to Saturday, and for lunch only on Sundays. Reservations are recommended – you can call or WhatsApp
+39 351 358 5831 – the lovely staff speak English as well as other languages.

Josto

Josto is one of the nicest restaurants in Cagliari, mentioned in the Michelin Guide as Bib Gourmand, and located in the historic center, in Via Sassari. Its owner and master chef is Pierluigi Fais: a young and talented man who started his business first in Oristano (one of the main cities on the island) and moved to Cagliari in 2017.

Pierluigi’s cuisine is not traditional but innovative. I recommend trying his spaghetti alla bottarga (bottarga is the Mediterranean caviar, and it consists of mullet’s eggs), and Pecola Bollita 2.0, a revisited dish of sheep meat.

Josto’s menu is not very long because courses change regularly and everything is fresh and seasonal. You can choose from the à la carte menu or a tasting menu. I usually go for the last one because it is great value for money.

The restaurant has a post-industrial style, and its staff is kind and professional.

Josto is located in Via Sassari 25 in the Stampace District. It is open for dinner only Monday to Saturday. Advanced bookings are a must. For that, you need to call +390703510722.

Osteria Kobuta

Kobuta in Japanese means ‘suckling pig’. The name of the restaurant could not represent its essence any better: in fact, ‘sukling pig’ in the Sardinian language is Porceddu, and Porceddu is also the last name of the owner and main chef of this restaurant, Riccardo Porceddu.

Riccardo is a proactive businessman, and he regularly organizes events in partnership with other restaurants of the Marina District (though he’s right next door in the Stampace District): like the typical Japanese street food to be eaten on the go during happy hour, or a special menu on Sundays for lunch.

Here you will find a fusion between Sardinian traditional cuisine and Japanese. I know it sounds weird, but trust me: it’s delicious. You should definitely try the Pani frattau, Fior di Fregula, and the Matcha-misù as dessert.

The tasting menu will bring you through Riccardo’s concept of food. Every dish is a real taste of heaven. In fact, Kobuta is considered one of the best restaurants in Cagliari.

Vegetarian and lactose-intolerance options are available.

The restaurant is located in Vico Carlo Felice 12, in Stampace, one of my favorite districts in Cagliari. Osteria Kobuta is open for lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday. Make sure to book your table in advance by calling +39070657556 or using this form.

Lo Scoglio

Are you dreaming of a romantic dinner with fresh fish and seafood and amazing views? If so, Lo Scoglio is the right place: a wonderful terrace directly on the water and fabulous sunset views.

Lo Scoglio was opened in 1958 by Giovanni Manconi, and his family is still running the restaurant, which is known to be one of the best seafood restaurants in Cagliari. Fish is so fresh that you can eat seafood crudités with no worries.

My personal advice is to try linguine all’aragosta (linguine pasta noodles with lobster), the house specialty. It’s a bit expensive but worth it.

The restaurant is located in Spiaggietta S.Elia. You can easily get there following the directions to the Lazzaretto of Sant’Elia, and from there follow the signs to the restaurant. Lo Scoglio is open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Saturday. On Sunday, it stays open for lunch only. You should book a table in advance – for that you need to call +39070371927.

Amano

After trying the first bite of the appetizer at this restaurant, I knew it had to make this list of the best restaurants in Cagliari. It is quite simply fabulous.

The restaurant is set in a beautifully restored historic building – what they did with the internal space is outstanding, and they kept some of the original fixtures, such as the massive wooden door. There are only a few tables, which means the atmosphere is nice and cozy.

Chef Vincenzo Sorbillo put together a fantastic menu that changes on a regular basis and varies with the season. Locally sourced ingredients are used to create dishes of contemporary Italian cuisine – don’t walk here thinking you’ll have your typical Sardinian dishes, or you’ll be disappointed.

Instead, you will have fantastic octopus, delicious shrimp, mouthwatering pasta (I had the chef’s version of a cacio e pepe, and it was perfect), and heavenly desserts.

There is an extensive wine selection, and service is spot on.

Amano is located in Via Sidney Sonnino 68 in the lower historic Villanova district, closer to Cagliari’s harbor. It’s open for dinner from Tuesday to Sunday and for lunch and dinner on Saturdays and Sundays. As this is a small restaurant, you really need to book a table in advance. You can do that via the app The Fork.

Da Marino al St. Remy

Not far from Bastione St. Remy, from which its name comes, you can find one of the most famous restaurants in Cagliari, mentioned in the Michelin Guide.

Da Marino al St. Remy is located in an old building that has been recently restored. and the atmosphere is intimate and welcoming.

The staff is extremely kind and helpful: Silavan is the main chef and has a long experience, which she gained in a number of countries such as Switzerland, France, Germany, and Great Britain. Marino, her husband and business partner, will take care of you during your meal.

Most importantly, the food is delicious, prepared using fresh ingredients of high quality and very well cooked and presented. The wine selection is wide, with regional, national, and foreign wines, and includes various labels of excellent quality.

My advice is to order the tasting menu so that you can try different things and taste them with a local wine. They also have a fantastic contemporary version of pardule (a traditional Sardinian sweet) for dessert, which you should try.

Da Marino al St. Remy is located in Via San Salvatore da Horta 7, close to Cagliari’s Bastione. It is open every day for lunch and dinner except on Sundays. For reservations, you need to call +39070657377.

Pani e Casu

Pani e Casu is one of the most traditional restaurants in Cagliari. You will find it in the Castello District, and has one of the most beautiful views in town. From the terrace you can admire the harbor, the sea, Largo Carlo Felice and the Sette Fratelli mountain chain.

In this restaurant, you can taste our Sardinian local specialties from the starters to dessert.

You can order a charcuterie board, continue with a main course like culurgiones (a fresh pasta filled with boiled potatoes, fresh mint, and pecorino cheese), malloreddus (Sardinian traditional pasta), maialino arrosto (suckling pig), and finish with an amazing seada (a fried fresh pastry filled with mild cheese and lemon zest and smothered with honey), pardula, and much more.

Everything is served with copious amounts of typical Sardinian bread.

My personal advice is to book in advance and ask for a table with a view. Be there for sunset when the sky turns red, orange, and pink, and Cagliari is even more beautiful.

Pani e Casu is located in Via Santa Croce, in the Castello district. It is open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Sunday. Book your table in advance at +390700985103.

Old Friend

Soon after I visited this restaurant, it got a mention in the Michelin Guide. I must say I was hardly surprised, since both the food and the service are spot on!

Chef Dario Torabi was born and raised in Sardinia, but he’s of Persian origins, so the menu is a real eclectic (and delicious) mix of ingredients. When I visited, my friend and I literally shared every dish on the menu, and they were all delicious. I particularly loved the beef tartare and the risotto, but the duck was perfect too.

The menu here changes regularly, so expect to have a variety of dishes depending on the season and on what’s available at local markets. Desserts are heavenly.

You will find an extensive wine menu and an excellent sommelier who will be able to recommend the perfect wine pairing.

Old Friend is located in Via Giuseppe Abba 51, a small side street of the very central Via Garibaldi. It is open for dinner only from Tuesday to Sunday. It’s a fairly small restaurant so make sure to book a table in advance by calling +390704647988 or using the app The Fork.

Upper House

One of my recent additions to the selection of the best restaurants in Cagliari. After my sister and her husband visited multiple times, I decided to finally try it myself (it’s steps away from where I live), and I don’t think I can recommend it more.

When I asked my sister why she loved Upper House, she said it’s not just about the food, it’s about the experience. I did not understand what she meant until I visited myself.

Upper House has a truly special location. You walk inside, and you feel like you have just landed in someone’s most extravagant living room. There are colorful paintings on the wall, candles, striped couches and chairs, and grass (actual, real grass) on the wall. It’s bizarre. You may think it’s too much – except it works so well.

Obviously, since this is a restaurant, I need to talk about the food. Which is delicious. First of all, while there is a strong focus on local ingredients, food is anything but traditional here. The menu changes regularly, so you may not necessarily be able to have the same dishes I had when you go.

I tried the octopus in a reduction of Cannonau wine, and tortellini pasta stuffed with shrimp. I also had the lemon pie as dessert (though don’t expect a lemon meringue style pie as that’s not what you will be getting).

The wine list is extensive, and you will have options for bottles as well as wine by the glass.

Service is perfect. There’s no other way to describe it! The waiting staff is very professional, polite, but at the same time friendly and helpful beyond your expectations.

This isn’t a cheap restaurant – you may save a bit if you have a tasting menu (which you need to request upon booking). Given the quality of the food and the portions (they are just the right amount), I found the prices to be fair.

Upper House is located in Via Dante 62B, not far from Piazza Repubblica. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday for afternoon tea, aperitifs, and dinner. You can book a table online directly via their website – you will have to input your credit card number for confirmation, but you won’t be charged anything.

Gli Uffici

This is one of the most recent additions to the culinary landscape of Cagliari, and what a great one it is. Puglia Chef Tommaso Sanguedolce spent years working in the best restaurants in Europe before finally moving to Cagliari to create the incredible dishes on offer at Gli Uffici.

The menu changes every month, so I can’t really tell you what you should expect to have. Just rest assured you’ll have the best local and seasonal ingredients, and there’s a fantastic wine list too.

For reference, when I visited in July, I had an appetizer of shrimp with lightly roasted tomatoes and jus, a delicious pasta that was a fusion of a French bouillabaisse and Puglia-style pasta.

The views from the restaurant are stunning. If you visit in the spring and summer months, book a table on the terrace for wonderful sunset views.

Gli Uffici is located in Palazzo Boyl Hotel in Via de Candia 5, in the Castello District. It is open daily for dinner. Book a table in advance directly on the website.

Dal Corsaro

Dal Corsaro used to be one of the few Michelin-starred restaurants in Sardinia (there are more now, including one in Pula, a small coastal town near Cagliari). As you can imagine, everything here is meticulously organized and prepared from the very first step till the moment you walk out the door after your meal.

The restaurant is in a beautiful street with fashion stores, boutiques, some of the best hotels in Cagliari, and lots of places of historical relevance. The location itself is beautiful and nicely decorated: it looks like a dining room in a beautiful house rather than a restaurant.

The main chef, Stefano Deidda, is young and talented. His family restaurant has been appreciated for years, but only when Stefano became the main chef, it was awarded the Michelin Star.

There are two tasting ‘surprise’ menus. The first one consists of 7 courses and the second one of 11. You don’t know what you are going to eat till the dish comes to the table. When booking or when you arrive, the staff will ask about any food allergies, intolerances, or dislikes in order to create the perfect meal for you.

But this is more than a meal – this is a real experience: particular ingredients with different types of cooking and textures create unique combinations. You can choose to match each dish with a wine to highlight the flavors.

If you are looking for a place for a special occasion or if you want to try something different and unique, then this is the right place.

Dal Corsaro is located in Viale Regina Margherita 28, in the Marina District. It is open for dinner only from Tuesday to Sunday. Make sure to book a table in advance by calling +39070664318.

Luigi Pomata

Mr Pomata is a talented chef with a family history in the restaurant business. Both his grandfather Luigi and his father Nicolo were chefs. Luigi started his career in Carloforte, a lovely coastal town on the San Pietro Island, working in his father’s restaurant ‘Da Nicolo’ (one of my favorite restaurants in Sardinia) and learning from him his family’s secrets and recipes.

But Luigi developed his own way of cooking while working abroad, in New York and London.

Starting from bluefin tuna, a traditional element of Carloforte cuisine, Luigi experiments and enhances the raw materials, reinterpreting traditional dishes in a contemporary way.

I recommend trying his cous cous and his tasting menu in order to have a full experience of his cooking style. Here you can find options for vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-intolerant. Portions are not big – you can’t really share a dish.

Luigi Pomata is located in Viale Regina Margheria 18. It opens from Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner, and for dinner only on Mondays. It’s one of the few restaurants in Cagliari that also offers cooking classes – you can find more about that on its website.

Jope

Not too far from Poetto Beach, Jope is a lovely restaurant in Quartu S.Elena (a town that is right next to Cagliari and part of the metropolitan area). The area is such that you can pretty much only find locals eating here.

This steakhouse is known for the delicious meat, cut in different ways and perfectly cooked or even raw in a fantastic tartare. You can choose among pork, beef, and horse – a local specialty. The quality and the freshness of the meat are guaranteed, and this is the reason locals love it.

I love to eat their T-bone steak with a glass of red wine, better if it is a Cannonau, and with some freshly fried potato chips.

The staff is very friendly, professional, and helpful, and will guide you through the different types of meat to help you choose the right one for your taste.

Jope is located in Via Polonia 123 in Quartu Sant’Elena. It is open for dinner only from Monday to Saturday. While it’s a bit out of the way, it is an extremely popular place among locals, so make sure to book a table in advance. Call +39070861497

Cucina.eat

Cucina.eat is more than a restaurant: of course, you can go there for a lovely meal (from a late breakfast or a brunch till dinner), but you can also purchase kitchen equipment, cookbooks, and a selection of homemade products coming from farms that pay great attention to nature, environment, and genuineness.

Not far from the main shopping area, this ‘more than a restaurant’ serves daily dishes that are prepared with ingredients bought at the nearby San Benedetto market.

There is no fixed menu – it literally changes every day! You won’t find a long menu because everything is fresh and seasonal, and this is something I appreciate – I hope you do too.

The restaurant is beautiful and modern, with a big counter in the middle and shelves with wines and food all around. The staff is helpful, so I’m sure they will give you all the explanations you need to make the right choice and to match the right wine to what you order.

Cucina.eat is located in Piazza Galilei, in the heart of Cagliari, near San Benedetto Market. It is open for lunch and dinner from Wednesday to Saturday and for lunch only on Tuesdays. Walk-ins are welcome, but on busier days you may want to call ahead. The number is +390700991098.

I Sarti del Gusto

I’ve already mentioned I Sarti del Gusto in my list of best cafés in Cagliari, and I think it deserves to stay in this list too. It was added to the Michelin Guide for Cagliari in 2025.

I love this restaurant for many reasons: perfect location in one of the nicest streets of Cagliari, via Sulis; two dining areas, one indoor and one outdoor; a few tables so the staff really takes care of their guests; and, above all, the delicious food.

The owners, Gianluca Fanni and Riccardo Massaiu, after having had separate careers, decided to be more than friends and started their adventure as business partners. Gianluca will welcome you and guide you through the courses, while Chef Massaiu, backstage in the kitchen, will prepare a perfect meal for you.

You can start with a lovely breakfast/brunch with scrambled eggs, pancakes, crispy bacon, croissant, and marmalade, or have a tasty business lunch. But honestly, I believe that you need to go to I Sarti del Gusto for dinner – and make sure to book in advance.

I Sarti del Gusto is located in Vico II Vincenzo Sulis, 1/A, in the lovely Villanova District. It is open for lunch and dinner from Wednesday to Saturday and for dinner only on Tuesdays and Sundays. You can book a table by calling +390706848548.

La Locanda dei Buoni e dei Cattivi

This restaurant is part of a social project that wants to give a second chance in life to people who have committed minor crimes, in order to train them for a good job and keep them out of trouble.

Even raw materials, such as oil, are purchased from nearby communities such as La Collina, in Serdiana, and grown on land confiscated to organized crime.

The cuisine is a modern reinterpretation of Sardinia’s most traditional dishes, prepared using local and seasonal products. Bread, pasta, and desserts: everything is homemade. You dine indoor, or in the beautiful garden of the villa.

La Locanda dei Buoni e dei Cattivi is located in Via Vittorio Veneto, near Teatro Massimo (a popular local theater) and not far from the city center. It is open for lunch and dinner from Monday to Saturday and for lunch only on Sundays. For reservations, call +390706848548.

FAQs on Restaurants In Cagliari

Final Considerations

Food is an important part of life here in Cagliari. We love meeting over coffee, or for gelato (here are my top gelaterie in the capital of Sardinia).

Getting to know a place through its food is one of the most fun things to do when traveling, and certainly one of the top things to do in Cagliari. Here, I have shared my favorite restaurants in the city, but there are many more you need to try – for example, there are vegan restaurants in Cagliari if you follow that kind of lifestyle.

I don’t mention any local agriturismo in this post, because they are always outside of town.

Other than the restaurants, you may wish to try a food tour or a cooking class in Cagliari – they are a great way to learn more about local culture!

Further Readings

Curious to learn more about Cagliari and its delicious food? Check out these posts:

• The Best Vegan Restaurants In Cagliari
• Cagliari Nightlife: A Guide To Cagliari Best Bars
• 11 Best Wine Bars In Cagliari
• The Best Day Trips From Cagliari
• The Nicest Hotels In Cagliari

This post was written by Strictly Sardinia contributor Elisabetta Tavani.