ISTAI Cagliari City Center Rooms

Despite being an island, Sardinia’s traditional cuisine tends to focus on meat dishes, and you’ll find some of its best-known specialities served at this restaurant, with its simple dining rooms and typical local décor. Enjoy evocatively named dishes such as “sitzigorrus cun bagna” (snails in a tomato sauce), Bue Rosso “bombas” (meat balls), delicious Sardinian pastas such as “malloreddus”, “culurgiones” and “fregula”, stews, casseroles and meat fillets, as well as the famous “sebadas” and “su pappai biancu” (a type of blancmange) desserts.

In this small neighbourhood restaurant, chef Marina pays homage to the iconic dishes of her island, such as Su Filindeu, a type of pasta in broth formed by very thin threads (the name means “threads of God”), stacked in three criss-crossed layers: it is a complex preparation that requires great skill. Originally from the Nuoro area, this talented cook's menu focuses mainly on inland dishes; nevertheless, two or three fish specialities are always on the menu.

Situated on the second floor of the 19C Palazzo Boyl facing the Bastioni di Saint Remy, this restaurant is home to chef Tommaso Sanguedolce from Puglia, who demonstrates techniques acquired throughout his period of training with skill and precision. Equally at ease with fish and meat, the chef creates recipes inspired by the Mediterranean and delicious traditional Italian cuisine, as demonstrated in his Italian-style brioche – a kind of sourdough maritozzo which is served warm with a creamy pistachio ice-cream, intensely flavoured saffron ricotta and red berry salad. There’s a delightful long

Situated on the edge of the pedestrianised area near the Bastione di Saint Remy, this restaurant is named after its charismatic owner Marino, who helps guests with their choice of menu and is happy to tell them all about the history of the restaurant (the street in front of the restaurant, for example, has not always been there). At the helm in the kitchen, his wife Silvana prepares Mediterranean dishes with a Sardinian flavour – the fish and seafood options are particularly delicious.

This famous classic restaurant in Cagliari serves top-quality cuisine in its modern dining rooms and on an outdoor terrace. The menu features interesting reinterpretations of Sardinian dishes among other options, including their own tuna (the house speciality), which is also available in tins to take away.

The tilde accent over the “o” in the name of this restaurant is a subtle allusion to the sea that lies between Campania (the chef’s native region) and Sardinia (his adopted home). With just a few tables and an open-view kitchen, the dining room here is adorned with hand-made decorations, hence the name of the restaurant (“a mano” means “by hand”). The chef makes full use of Sardinian ingredients in his elaborate and creative cuisine, so this is a good choice for anyone seeking a change from traditional fare.

In a narrow and elongated dining room, amidst subdued lighting and modern furnishings, Chef Patron Luca Floris champions a truly convincing culinary line. Whether dealing with meat or fish, his recipes reflect contemporary trends whereby the harmonious blend of ingredients is easily and delightfully discernible. Occasionally, the touch is more creative, such as with raw tuna carpaccio drizzled with the renowned Japanese teriyaki sauce, wherein soya’s savoury essence shines, enhanced by sweet chutney of Sardinian camoni tomatoes; at times it’s more classic, as with the Saint-Pierre scalopp atop