The best restaurants on Giglio Island? If you plan to plan your vacation here, perhaps considering renting one of our apartments, you should definitely look for some helpful suggestions!
You should not miss the opportunity to try traditional local dishes, prepared with zero-mile products, from land to sea recipes, thanks to the excellent catch that is always fresh daily. Traditional Gigliese dishes are very simple, still being cooked following the recipes of our grandparents.
If you are not particularly experienced in cooking, below we will give you some useful advice on where to eat on Giglio Island and which restaurants on Giglio Island we personally recommend.
To reach them easily, don't miss our directions on how to get around Giglio Island. If you want you can buy some typical products, directly in the many small stores in our villages, a good way to discover the true flavors of this land so generous.
Giglio Island restaurants: the flavors of the territory at the table
After spending the day on one of Giglio's beaches, you can take the opportunity to taste local delicacies and discover in the best way possible the true flavors this area has to offer. It is not difficult, in fact, to find a good restaurant on Giglio Island where you can stop to enjoy a good meal.
Depending on the area you are in, you can find the right place for your every need:
- Restaurants with courses for vegetarians;
- gluten-free options;
- Let's also not forget the restaurants that give free access to our four-legged friends.
All of Giglio Island's restaurants are accessible to wheelchair users, with the exception of those located in Giglio Castello due to the poor accessibility of the resort itself, which retains the appearance of an ancient medieval village.
All you have to do is choose the place that suits you best and make a reservation!
Restaurants in Giglio Porto: our recommendations
Most of the restaurants in Giglio Porto, the resort that welcomes all tourists as it houses the only port on Giglio Island (here's how to get there by ferry).
There is no better welcome than a good restaurant that overlooks the picturesque harbor allowing newcomers to enjoy great food while breathing in the salty air right away. To live within walking distance, we recommend checking out one of our many apartments for rent in the Giglio Porto area.
Among the various restaurants on Giglio Island, here is our selection at the Port.
- Restaurant The Old Pergola
One of the best restaurants for fabulous dining on a veranda overlooking the harbor. Offers delicious dishes for vegetarians as well, and several gluten-free options for customers with celiac disease.
- Pizzeria Restaurant L'Angolo di Napoli - da Mimì
If hunger grips you this is the perfect restaurant, offering super large portions in addition to quality, especially the tasty fish entrees. It also offers dishes for vegetarians.
- Restaurant Windward - Wine & Food
In addition to good food and incredible cocktails, it is a delightful location, with an indoor garden and a romantic atmosphere that will make your stay enchanting.
- Restaurant Pizzeria Bar Le Cannelle
It overlooks Cannelle beach and is ideal for any time of day: you can have breakfast, enjoy a light lunch, have an aperitif, have dinner with a pizza cooked in a wood-burning oven or a nice seafood dish, all of course with a beautiful sea view. They also organize parties and events with musical entertainment.
More restaurants in Giglio Porto
- Doria
- The Daisy
- Pizzeria The Headband
- Roger's
- Meino's
- Pizzeria PortaVia
If you find yourself on Umberto I Street, here are some cafes where you can make a pleasant stop:
- Bar Pierina, ideal for an aperitif after a nice walk along the harbor, excellent cocktails served with appetizers.
- Pastry Bar Da Fausto, a dream for dessert lovers; there is nothing better than a good ice cream on a hot summer day.
- Ferraro Coffee, great for both a coffee on the fly and a hearty, tasty breakfast.
Giglio Campese: recommended restaurants
Restaurants in Giglio Campese are mostly beachside, offering not only delicious food but also enchanting views. They are excellent both for a relaxing lunch overlooking the sea and for a romantic dinner illuminated by a scenic sunset.
The whole Campese area is really lovely, you can also see this by looking at our selection of apartments for rent in Campese.
- Pizzeria Restaurant Tony's
Precious food enjoyed a stone's throw from the beach.
Among the various restaurants in Giglio Campese, this one also offers dishes for vegetarians and even gluten-free variations. In addition, if you have your four-legged friend with you, the restaurant allows dogs.
- Restaurant Uncle Meino
Appetizing dishes, even for vegetarians, and really cozy place, where you can also spend the after-dinner with a drink among friends.
Other restaurants in Giglio Campese
- Trattoria del Golfo - by Amerigo
- Pizzeria Captain Beppino
- The Fork
- Hotels Campese
- Pizzeria Bar The Mine
- The Rock on the Beach
Our recommendations on Giglio Castello
Restaurants on Giglio Island at the Castle offer a different atmosphere. The location is splendid for its historical and natural attractions; the narrow alleys, mighty walls and large towers will take you back in time.
All this is of course surrounded by the wonderful view due to the height.
Don't forget to visit our selection of rentals in Giglio Castello.
- Pizzeria Restaurant The Trion of Meino
This Giglio Castello restaurant offers succulent seafood dishes in a quaint location, both inside and out. It also offers variations for vegetarians and gluten-free dishes for customers with celiac disease.
More restaurants in Giglio Castello
- The Womb
- Santi's
- Mary's
- Pizzeria Lily
- The Islander
- Bar The Door
Typical lily dishes
The sea is not the only thing you live by on Giglio Island.
The identity of an area is also measured by its culinary traditions, which are passed down from generation to generation.
This is also why we recommend that during your vacation you try some of the recipes of the Gigliese culinary tradition.
Fish in Scaveccio
A Gigliese specialty that consists of flouring and frying so-called poor fish, which are then seasoned with a special sauce prepared with hot vinegar, rosemary, chili peppers and garlic.
Tonnina
Fine tuna preserved in oil, usually served with tomato salad "alla gigliese" (in which celery and spring onions are added to the tomatoes). Alternatively, tuna can be cooked in a pan, accompanied by tomatoes, chili peppers and diced potatoes.
Olives under pesto
Similar to marinated olives, olives under pesto are prepared with olive oil, minced garlic, salt, fennel seeds, chili pepper and strips of orange peel. They can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days in a tightly sealed jar.
Palamita a la gigliese
Among the typical dishes of Giglio Island is perhaps one of the most distinctive. It consists of palamita cut into slices, boiled in water with an orange, lemon and celery, marinated in vinegar and later seasoned with olive oil, bay leaves, garlic and rosemary.
Bean Soup
Egg pasta with cannellini beans and a sauté of onion, wild fennel, celery and thinly sliced savoy cabbage.
Stuffed squid
Squid sautéed over low heat with a filling consisting of eggs, milk, breadcrumbs, garlic, olive oil, parsley and optional mortadella.
Pasta with fish
Pasta topped with fish sauce, especially pasta with mendole sauce or lupacante sauce (a variety of lobster) and spaghetti with lamp sauce (limpets).
Typical products of Giglio Island
If you are looking for some souvenirs, nothing is better than a good characteristic gastronomic product. Here are the typical products of Giglio Island that you can also enjoy once you return home from this wonderful vacation.
Panficato of Giglio Island
Panficato is a traditional and typical sweet from the island of Giglio in the shape of a loaf of bread made with dried fruits and other ingredients totally produced on the island.
The similarity to the famous Sienese panforte is due to the fact that around the mid-1500s the Medici repopulated Giglio Castello with Sienese people precisely.
This, following the plundering of the pirate Cair Haddin, known as "the Barbarossa," who deported hundreds of Gigliese as slaves. The settlers thus brought their culinary tradition, but modified it with the products that the island offered, so they gave birth to what would become the characteristic dessert of the place.
The original recipe for panficato included sun-dried neruccioli figs (native figs in the Lily with dark skins and smaller than classic figs), raisins, walnuts, bread dough, and vinella (made from water and ansonica, as wine itself was too precious a commodity). For wealthier families there was also the addition of honey and chocolate.
Nowadays, panficato may also contain pine nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, jam or marmalade for blending, cinnamon, candied orange or orange peel, bitter cocoa, pieces of apples and pears soaked in liqueur, and sourdough.
As a result, you get a soft and tasty dark-colored baked cake that every visitor to the island of Giglio should definitely try.
Ansonaco wine from the island of Giglio
Another typical product of the island of Giglio is the Ansonaco.
This is a white, still, dry wine made mainly from the indigenous Ansonica grape, combined with a small proportion of other white grapes such as biancone, procanico and malvasia. The vineyards are located in the small terraces overlooking the sea, where the distinctive "palmenti" can be seen.
We are talking about ancient small structures where for centuries the crushing of grapes to produce must took place, so that farmers could avoid transporting the grapes to the village.
In fact, it is worth mentioning that in the past, it was necessary to use the many paths on Giglio Island to get around.
This amber-colored local wine, which manages to gladden the sense of smell by releasing all the island aromas, is suitable for accompanying both fish and white meat game.
When you go to eat at one of the restaurants on Giglio Island that we have recommended, don't forget to order a good bottle of Ansonaco! If you have a chance to be on the island in the last weekend of September, an event not to be missed is definitely the Festa dell'Uva e delle Cantine aperte (Grape Festival and Open Cellars), organized in the charming village of Giglio Castello, where of course Ansonaco is the protagonist.
Distillates, honey, jams, marmalades
The distillation of fresh pomace from the Ansonica grape also produces Grappa di uva Ansonica dell'Isola del Giglio.
Several variants of it are produced: White Grappa, Honey Grappa, Blueberry Grappa, Rue Grappa, Rosemary Grappa and Grappa flavored with typical Mediterranean Scrub blooms.
Organic products such as honey, jams and various jams also abound, particularly that of "Sarace" (Gigliese name corresponding to the Amarasca cherry) and that of "Bacocolo" (Gigliese name corresponding to the strawberry tree). Also of interest are the aromatic herbs, both those that grow wild on the island's soil, such as rosemary and wild fennel, and cultivated ones, such as sage.
Finally, among the typical products of Giglio Island, special mention must be added to Amaro Aegilium, a liqueur made from medicinal herbs and natural aromas. Want to take your time to discover all the delicacies that can be enjoyed in Giglio?
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