Where to eat in Cagliari?

Updated on Sep 05, 2018 by Kathryn Burrington

From Michelin-star fine dining to pizza by the slice, there is a great range of fabulous eateries to discover in Cagliari to suit every budget.

Whether you are staying in a hotel or on a self-catering holiday in Cagliari, or you’re simply visiting for the day, we highly recommend you check out Cagliari’s food scene. Fish is popular but you will also find plenty of meat-based dishes on most menus. Traditional Sardinian dishes to look out for include Malloreddus, the island’s signature pasta, Su Porcheddu, roast suckling pig, and the popular dessert, Seadas – pastries stuffed with cheese and drizzled in honey.

With tasty Sardinian cuisine in mind, here are just a few of our favourite places to eat in the island’s capital, Cagliari.

Corso Dodici

Address: Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 12, 09124, Cagliari
Phone: +39 070 665696
Website: CorsoDodici
Opening times: All day from 11am
Budget: ££

Serving classical Italian and Sardinian dishes, Corso Dodici is known for its seafood dishes and meatballs. They also offer a vegetarian version of the latter. It’s popular with locals, especially twenty-somethings, reasonably priced with an excellent range of wines and a relaxed cosy atmosphere. The fixed menu of the day is particularly good value. Look out for their live music evenings if you’d like a concert thrown in for free. Booking in advance recommended.

Dulcis Pasticceria

Address: Via Baylle, Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Phone: 39 070 674043
Email: cagliari@dulcispasticceria.it
Website: Dulcispasticceria.it
Opening times: All day, from 8.30am to 10pm
Budget: ££

This fabulous pastry shop-come café-come wine bar is the perfect place for a morning or afternoon cuppa and a slice of cake. They also serve mini burgers, pizza by the slice and sandwiches for a light lunch. The teas and coffees are excellent, as are their cakes, and the service is friendly and welcoming. They also run pastry cookery courses in Elmas. More details can be found on their website.

Antica Cagliari

Address: Via Sardegna, 49, 09124 Cagliari
Phone: +39 070 734 0198
Website: AnticaCagliari.it
Opening times: Lunch and evening from 7.30pm
Budget: ££

In the historic Marina district, Antica Cagliari serves traditional cuisine in the cosy atmosphere of a 19^th-century vaulted stone building. Although it serves mainly seafood, their menu does also feature meat as well as vegetarian dishes. The food and service are excellent, with friendly and welcoming staff. Booking in advance highly recommended for this popular restaurant.

Principi di Dan

Address: Via Napoli 77, 09124, Cagliari,
Phone: +39 070 204 7031
Opening times: Evening only from 8pm
Budget: ££

An excellent traditional Sardinian restaurant with rustic décor and terracotta crockery in the historic centre of Cagliari. The local cold cuts and cheeses served on wooden talleri (cutting boards) are particularly popular, washed down with Cannonnau red wine. Service is sometimes slow but worth the wait. Booking in advance recommended.

above: Sardinian cheeses and sausage, image credit: Marmo81 | Shutterstock

Ristorante Martinelli's

Address: Via Principe Amedeo, 18, 09124, Cagliari
Phone: +39 070 654220
Website: Martinellis.it
Opening times: Evening only, closed Sundays and Mondays
Budget: ££

Another fabulous and welcoming restaurant near the marina, specialising in fish dishes. The food is simple and thoroughly delicious. The portions are generous so you may want to share a first course unless you have a particularly big appetite, in fact you may not need a second course at all! It’s a small restaurant with tables packed close together. Booking in advance is essential.

Da Marino al Saint Remy

Address: Via San Salvatore da Horta, 7 and Via Torino 16, 09124
Phone: +39 070 657377
Email: info@stremy.it
Website: StRemy.it
Opening times: Lunch and evenings, closed Sundays
Budget: £££

Serving Mediterranean inspired cuisine, Chef Marino draws on his experience from working in prestigious hotels around Europe, to combine traditional cuisine with modern innovations. This elegant restaurant, in a restored historic building, has an intimate and refined atmosphere and each dish is beautifully presented. It’s perfect for a special occasion. Leave room for their excellent desserts. Booking in advance recommended.

Dal Corsaro

Address: Viale Regina Margherita, 28, 09124, Cagliari
Phone: +39070664318
Email: dalcorsaro@tiscali.it
Website: StefanoDeidda.it
Opening times: Lunch and evening
Budget: £££

This elegant restaurant by the harbour has been in the Deidda family since it opened in 1967. Using organic, seasonal and mainly local ingredients, Stefano Deidda cleverly combines traditional cooking with a modern twist. Their excellent wine list features nearly 400 different wines over seen by Deidda’s mother, sommelier Giuseppina Pilloni. One of only a few Michelin-starred restaurants on the island the food is excellent, although service can be slow and portions sizes are on the small side. Booking in advance recommended.

Fork

Address: Viale Regina Margherita, 28, 09124, Cagliari
Phone: +39070664318
Email: dalcorsaro@tiscali.it
Website: StefanoDeidda.it
Opening times: Lunch and evening
Budget: ££

If you prefer something more casual, try Dal Corsaro’s sister bistro, Fork, just next door.

Ristorante Luigi Pomata

Address: Viale Regina Margherita 14, Cagliari (CA)
Phone: +39 070 672 058
Email: info@luigipomata.com
Website: Luigipomata.com
Opening times: Lunch and evenings
Budget: ££££

In a minimalist, modern setting, this is award-wining chef Luigi Pomata’s seafood restaurant, serving super-fresh sushi and, in particular, fresh tuna. The portions are smaller than in some restaurants, but this will leave room for the outstanding desserts such as the beer-flavoured Biramisu. Booking in advance is recommended, although some tables are kept aside for walk-ins so you may be lucky.

Il Pomata di Bistrot

Address: Viale Regina Margherita 14, Cagliari (CA)
Phone: +39 070 672 058
Email: info@luigipomata.com
Website: Luigipomata.com
Opening times: Lunch and evenings
Budget: ££

Head downstairs from Luigi’s for a more casual (and cheaper) dining experience, of no thrills, simple traditional and tasty fare. This is a good option if you are not looking for seafood. Booking in advance recommended.

above: A Sardinian speciality to look out for, Su Porcheddu, roast suckling pig,

Tips

In Sardinia, people tend to eat their evening meal later than we do here in the UK, so most restaurants don’t open until 8pm.
It’s also worth noting that some restaurants feature horse meat on the menu. Keep an eye out for the words cavallo or equino, and in Sardinia the dialect word for horse is cuaddu.