Acqua Pazza In Santa margherita ligure

Highly recommend the tasting menu! Each course was incredible. I was going to post photos but they truly do not do each course justice. Thank you for the wonderful experience!

We just had dinner and it was a great experience ! If you are in S. Margherita or Portofino ( both filled with tourist traps) and want to have something with originality and character you should come to Zi’ Ninella.. it will not be your traditional destination restaurant, this place will give you pure ingredients and flavors, a refreshing take on local items and an incredible wine list. The chefs are talented and knowledgeable, spreading wholesomeness and genuine food. Service is friendly and professional. The restaurant is immaculately clean and well maintained. We only have good things to say about our night. Definitely recommend.

My wife and I had one of the most, if not the most, incredible meals at Zi’ Ninella we have ever experienced. We both selected the tasting menu as other reviewers have suggested. Chef Procida has created the most flavorful tasting menu we have ever experienced. The food was beyond flavorful! I could go on and on, but I will just say GO! You would be doing a disservice to your culinary self if you do not experience Chef Procida. Dada, his wife, does a wonderful job on the restaurant service side also. We immediately felt like friends. Grazie Mille! BTW…..the wine selection is awesome! PLUS, if looking at the website, DO NOT use the “Book Now” button. We received a message back stating we couldn’t get a reservation because the restaurant was full. Our hotel called for us and we were able to get a reservation. To think we would have missed this.

We had such a great experience with the folks at Zi Ninella. I had the testing menu and my husband sampled a few things from the the a la carte menu. You can tell a lot of time and passion is in every single dish. We were extremely pleased with the ravioli dish with the scampi topping. The staff treated us like family and we can’t to get back to try more!

High quality fish restaurant. It's a guarantee of great food.

This was quite an interesting blend of Ligurian cuisine with raw fish and elements of oriental flavors. The place offers a tasting menu. A very good selection of wines. You can see food perpetration through a window in the kitchen, where the chef (owner) does his magic. Overall, it was a pleasant visit to this family owned restaurant in the heart of Santa Margherita.

Few well-prepared dishes with selected ingredients. Friendly atmosphere, reasonable prices

Inebriating culinary experience in Santa Margherita Ligure. Recommended for the excellent skill of chef Pasquale who expresses quality and refined taste in his dishes. The environment is relaxing and welcoming, with impeccable service completing the experience. Absolutely recommended to spend a unique and memorable evening! Here to follow the delights

After years, I returned to Santa Margherita Ligure for work reasons and I took the opportunity to visit the Genoa Nautical Fair. I tried to stay and eat in the places dear to me, but I found some surprises. The hotel where I usually stayed was under renovation, while my favorite restaurant, famous above all for its scampi, had moved to the upper part of the city. Another restaurant on the waterfront, which I was fond of, had changed management. I had called ahead to book and the new manager, Mr Pasquale Procida, had informed me of the change. Intrigued, I tried to understand if the new kitchen could be similar to the previous one, which my wife and I loved, above all for the quality of the service and the hospitality of the old owners. Pasquale reassured me, guaranteeing me that we would not be disappointed. I decided to trust his words without checking the reviews, letting myself be guided by instinct. We had booked for 8.30pm, but due to an unexpected event I called to postpone the arrival to 9.00pm. The phone was answered by a lady with an oriental accent who spoke broken Italian, which made me fear I had the wrong number. However, once we arrived, all my doubts disappeared. The lady, certainly of oriental origins, welcomed us with grace and kindness. The environment has changed compared to the past: the furnishings are now modern and minimalist, with bottles of wine on display, including prestigious labels such as Gaja and Antinori. We sat near the window overlooking the kitchen, where three people were at work, including Mr. Pasquale, who greeted us with a wave. A small oddity immediately struck me: the menu had the words "Bistrot" on the cover. The term clearly derives from French and originally indicated a tavern or a small café, but what was proposed on the menu had nothing to do with that definition. After a quick look at the dishes available – 4 starters, 3 first courses and 3 second courses – we decided to rely on the five-course tasting menu, trusting once again in Mr. Pasquale's reassurances. We started with a yellow fin tuna sashimi accompanied by ricotta from Campania, broad bean cream and teriyaki sauce. I never imagined pairing sashimi with ricotta, but it was a very pleasant surprise. Followed by a real Moroccan squid "Tako", served rolled up, crunchy and tender at the same time, with a very particular lemon sauce. As a first course, I chose handmade Ligurian pansoti, stuffed with sea bass, red prawn and scampi, on a bed of potatoes and provola cheese from Agerola. At that moment, it was clear to me that Pasquale had Campania origins, given the skilful use of ingredients typical of his land, which he combines with skill even if the combinations might seem risky. For my wife, who doesn't like sea bass, a pacchero alla "Zi Ninnella" was served: Saracen pacchero creamed with lobster, with bisque, sea glasswort and red Gragnano datterino cream, another reminder of Campania. As a second course, I enjoyed crunchy gulf sea bream on Mantuan pumpkin hummus, toasted almonds and seasonal legumes. Finally, for dessert, a citrus and cardamom tiramisu, and a raspberry and strawberry cheesecake, accompanied by a delicious homemade frozen limoncello. Mr. Pasquale's reassurances turned out to be well-founded: his cuisine shows the experience acquired around the world, without ever forgetting the connection with his homeland, to which he has returned - luckily for us. When you leave completely satisfied, the cost takes second place. Now I have one more reason to willingly return to Santa Margherita Ligure.

Excellent food with quirky French vibe. Friendly staff.