Trattoria Dell’Acciughetta… The Best of Genoese Cuisine in the Cosiest Setting

Despite being a port city, Genoese cuisine isn’t dominated by seafood like Sicily or the coastal towns on either side of the peninsula. Here, there’s a mix of everything.

Piazza Sant’Elena is a colourful and vibrant square in the heart of Genoa’s old town and, if you look, it is where you will find Trattoria dell’Acciughetta.

Located between Via Pre and Via Gramsci and close to the Galata Museo del Mare, tucked away in the alleys, it has been a cornerstone of the neighbourhood for a decade. 

Opened in 2015, it does make great use of the nearby Ligurian Sea – the northern arm of the Mediterranean and all of the dishes are, as the restaurant coins it, based on a rolling fresh flow of ingredients. But there’s more…

Dell’Acciughetta is an intimate setting, with space at a premium. The food is the real star of the show, with dishes offering a modern take on Genoese tradition.

We started with trofie al pesto, a classic Ligurian pasta dish usually featuring diced potatoes, green beans and fresh pesto. All the elements combined wonderfully and while pesto-heavy pastas can be a little dry, this wasn’t the case here. And the seafood risotto with black ink was as delicious as the trofie.

The pasta dishes came with fried sardines which, after a day spent wandering around the city and taking on many of its sites, were devoured quickly. A 2024 Cherubino Rossese was ordered for the table and we finished with a round of coffees and amaro.

The bill for two people came to just under €70, which did not seem expensive considering the quality and amount of food. 

Trattoria dell’Acciughetta has become so successful they’ve now opened up in a second location on Corso Andrea Podesta.

Address: Piazza Sant’Elena, 16126 Genova GE

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday: 12:30pm-3pm; 7:30pm-11pm. Monday; closed