13/07/2025: Located on a narrow street parallel to the main street of Cogoleto, this restaurant may not particularly impress you from the outside with its neon signs or advertising, but as soon as you enter, you'll feel a little at home. I can't help but start with Signora Ada, the true story of this place. She welcomes us as if we were regulars, family friends, neighbors. And that's exactly how you feel after spending a few minutes together. The detailed explanation of the menu isn't the usual rigmarole of dishes, ingredients, or a list of raw materials... each dish is described to us along with its history, its anecdotes, the recipe, and the way Signora Ada (or simply Ada, as she prefers to be called) cooks it at home. This welcome, so different from any other place I've frequented in all these years, made me fall in love with this place before even tasting a single dish, and my mouth is already, surprisingly, watering.
There are four of us, and we each choose a different starter. The mussel stew (mussels for non-Ligurians), the Cenonno, a series of small plates with hot and cold seafood and mountain appetizers, octopus, and potatoes, while I chose the dish I'd already seen on their website: shrimp tails wrapped in Arnad lard with burrata stracciatella. Simply out of this world, cooked to perfection, with the highest-quality ingredients, it's now firmly in my personal top 10 of the best dishes I've ever eaten!
Ada, please share the "homemade" recipe for this dish—very simple, very quick, but with ingredients that must be top-quality!
We continue this exceptional culinary experience with burrata ravioli with cherry tomatoes, basil, and Cetara anchovies—delicate, perfectly prepared, and cooked al dente, just the way I like them.
We finish with the "Palette of Desserts," all sourced from Campania and Sicily, each one better than the last. I, however, chose the lemon delight all for myself, and I was right to do so, as it was truly too delicious to share.
One thing I'm now convinced of: Nonno Cuoco is definitely my first choice in Cogoleto.
31/05/2025: Excellent food, fresh ingredients and typical local products. Ada, the owner, is an extraordinary host: welcoming, passionate and always ready to explain the dishes with care. Attentive, smiling and warm service. An authentic experience, you feel like you are part of the family. Highly recommended!