Pisa in Tuscany is certainly not one of the gourmet destinations, known for its universities and the enchanting Piazza dei Miracoli, home of the leaning tower, it welcomes students and tourists on the run, caught in the competition at the table between the much more renowned Livorno and Lucca, an elegant salon that has made good food a banner of the territory, also thanks to the nearby coastal Versilia area. However, the city is worth a stop and offers a few good addresses for those who come here for tourism, for an exhibition at Palazzo Blu or for reasons of study, generally with a good price-quality ratio and a pleasant affability. The cuisine is traditional and above all linked to the territory, often between the sea and the mountains, with an increasing focus on a quality choice in the drinking options. Lately, the city has opened up to the desire for whimsy of a relatively young, non-tourist segment that wants quality and is curious about it.
Where to eat in Pisa: from breakfast to dinner
Bar Borsa
For breakfast or an aperitif a stone's throw from the station, the Bar Borsa under the arcades of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele and Macchi Bar e Pasticceria in Via Tanucci, a meeting place for students and others, well furnished and with quality products.
Pasticceria Macchi, Via Bernardo Tanucci, 6
Enoteca Vicolo di vino
For an “alcoholic” stop, an aperitif or even a quick bite to eat, Enoteca Vicolo di vino is a very small place, in the centre, a stone's throw from the Lungarno, near Palazzo alla Giornata, five minutes from the Duomo, with a dozen or so indoor seats and a few outdoor tables where you can taste typical products, first courses and homemade desserts, cold cuts and cheese boards in an environment with service that is as confidential as it is polite. There is a good choice of wines.
Via Filippo Serafini, 10 - vicolodivino.it
Da V. Beny
For lunch or dinner in the city centre, during the week or for Saturday evenings, a cosy and traditional place, in the pedestrian area on Piazza de la Pera as the Pisans call Gambacorti, with a small outdoor seating area, in what used to be a convent. The restaurant was born from the passion for cooking of Damiano Lazzerini and Sandra Biagiotti: he in the dining room, a passion for telling the story of the dishes; she, at the cooker with flair. The cuisine is divided between land and sea and you can start with a chickpea and octopus purée or peas and pecorino cheese with truffle in season or game terrine; then pasta (also gluten-free) with clams and roe and/or artichokes or tortelli filled with Cinta ham with artichokes, crispy ham and ricotta; catch of the day with vegetables or pork knuckle with radicchio and pepper; you can finish with a hot cream with cornflour, seasonal fruit and fondant flakes, served hot. The wine cellar offers local and regional labels, without a few niche choices, half-bottles, proposals by the glass and a focus on organic wines. To finish, a rich selection of rums and spirits, accompanied by chocolate. A simple place with refined service in a relaxed, retro ambience.
Piazza Chiara Gambacorti, 2 - beny.eatbu.com
Erbaluigia
A contemporary osteria in the heart of Pisa's historic centre, an innovation well tempered in the sign of territoriality, tradition and seasonality starting with the furnishings with exposed stone, a pleasant little garden, tones of grey and turquoise, and a vintage touch. The countryside here dialogues with the sea: you can start with a cecina with smoked fish, herbs and mayonnaise to continue with a soup of the day served with raw seasonal vegetables or prawns and mussels, then a cod with stewed leeks. Or tongue and rib salad, ravioli stuffed with sheep and mutton, and stuffed pigeon. To finish, desserts that revisit tradition, including gluten-free and dairy-free summer versions such as chocolate sorbet with pine nuts and candied fruit. The bread is good, while the wine list recounts competence and passion, with natural wines and beautiful proposals by the glass. The service is exquisite, cultured and dedicated.
Via San Frediano, 10/12 - erbaluigia.com
Sosta dei cavalieri RiStoro
Just a few metres from V. Beny is a warm restaurant with great attention to seasonality: great traditional dishes and a little innovation. The strong point is an important, open cellar, where tastings are often organised.
Via San Frediano, 3 - sostadeicavalieri.it
Osteria dei cavalieri
The Osteria dei Cavalieri is well worth a visit; just a stone's throw from the square of the same name and the famous Piazza dei Miracoli, in a tower house from the 13th century, it’s your best bet if you are looking for traditional dishes without forgetting to plan ahead. Even the wine cellar offers the great classics and some new discoveries. All year round, however, it is possible to discover special and themed menus.
Via San Frediano, 16 - osteriacavalieri.pisa.it
Just outside the city
L'Osteria Vecchia Noce
If you step outside the city, in an 18th-century oil mill in the small medieval village of Noce near Uliveto Terme, this restaurant offers an elegant atmosphere of a different kind, popular for events. One eats typical Tuscan cuisine that also rediscovers old recipes from both the sea and the land with attention to seasonality. Thus, depending on the time of year, you can taste hare, wild boar and game in general; the porcini mushrooms of Garfagnana and the white truffle of San Miniato. The strong point is the raw material: only organic meat, fish strictly from the Tyrrhenian Sea in the area, homemade pasta and desserts. The wine cellar, cared for by the son of the two owners, merits a selection of 600 labels and a wide choice of spirits.
Osteria Vecchia Noce - Località Noce 39 – Vicopisano - osteriavecchianoce.it
L’Arsella
On the seafront, in Marina di Pisa, there is a series of very simple places, including the pleasant l'Osteria L'Arsella, seafood cuisine and furnishings in the style of a seaside trattoria, with tasty dishes, in a pile-dwelling on the water, a landmark on the coast since 1961. It has withstood two generational transitions, passing into the hands of Alessandra Lupi, an entrepreneur, in 2020 and entrusted to chef Manuela Mangani, surrounded by a young team. The cuisine is all about the sea, with a wide choice of traditional Tuscan dishes and a desire to rediscover forgotten dishes with a touch of novelty. There is no shortage of land dishes, which in Tuscany is almost inevitable. Particularly worth trying is the Grande antipasto dell'Arsella with Chioccioline, cozze, anchovies alla povera, farro di mare, squid and octopus, and the anchovies from the Cantabrian Sea with charcoal black bread sheets and lavender butter. Good seafood and oysters served with flair.
Via Padre Agostino da Montefeltro - Marina di Pisa - ristorantelarsella.it
by Ilaria Guidantoni
(cover photo Nat K)
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