Dau Cila

The fresh seafood was very good, but not necessarily worth the high price tag. The staff was not very kind upon receiving us without a reservation, but we were able to be seated after waiting for only 15 mins on a busy night. After being seated, the service was good. I would return here solely for the delicious fruit and pastry dessert they have! It was the best dessert I have had on my vacation thus far!

Fantastic restaurant and fab food. We had a great evening with great memories. International environment great for meeting new friends. The restaurant team are great fun from the front of house to kitchens and we will be back.

Came here tonight for dinner and had a fantastic meal. We started off with the fried seafood platter and it was absolutely delicious, best calamari I’ve ever had. We also had the pesto pasta and seafood ravioli and both were great!!! They give you complimentary bread to start off and a complementary shot at the end of your meal! Everyone was extremely kind and attentive. I would definitely recommend this place.

This place is on the top of my list for the next time I visit Cinqueterre. The quality of food is really good and the service is spectacular. The restaurant is very beautifully decorated and on top of that if has a great view. Don’t forget to book a seat!

Everything we got was not good. Basil pasta had no flavor, none, could even fix it with salt, pepper and olive oil. Tried. Prawn looked cool. One bite, just ok. Salad, a bunch of green lettuce and a tomato in a bowl, you dress yourself. Presentation was good, location neat but whoever said you can’t have a bad meal in Italy was wrong!!!

100% disappointing. This restaurant is overpriced and the food is not good. My wife’s stuffed mussels «Riomaggiore style» had no flavor and mushy texture that seemed frozen and microwaved. My fritto misto was a mix of decent calamari and pieces of fish with bones still in them. And not the sort of fish that’s easy to debone — this was inedible. The bottled water was tap water in a bottle, for which they charged 3 euro. While we were there a waiter expelled another customer, using very strong vulgarities (the f-​bomb and Italian equivalents) for, apparently, asking too many questions relating to dietary restrictions. The wait staff served the customers by depositing plates on the tables and walking away quickly, no talk. The menu had a long list of regional craft beers, none of which were actually available.
Do yourself a favor and walk up to La Lampara. It’s less expensive and the food and service are much better. Dau Cila is a poor restaurant that gets by because of its location.

What a great way to end our stay in Riomaggiore — one of the better meals I had here. Due to its popular location this place was bustling when my bf and I arrived. We were able to get seats for 2 in a matter of minutes. Service was great and food came out quickly. I would recommend the mussels, pesto pasta, and the branzino which was the fish of the day. Nothing tasted too fishy — the food was great!
In addition, the restaurant décor is lovely. With stone walls and its modern finishes, this place is comparable to some spots in nyc.
Lastly, everyone is given grappa (a popular digestive drink after meals in Italy) — however, because our air bnb host knew the restaurant staff when we mentioned that our host recommended this restaurant to us we were given an extra round of premium grappa on the house.
Pro tip:
This place is one of the best restaurants in Riomaggiore — definitely come but if you have a group larger than 2 people I would recommend making reservations ahead of time (especially if you want outdoor seating).

Great place to dine and nice people. We came here during late dinner hours and it was also raining out. We were seating at the dining area next to the kitchen which is next door in a seperate building. The atmosphere and décor is very unique. It is like we were dining inside a cave. There are a handful of seats which fits about 20 people and the same with the outdoor seatings.
The food was delicious! They offer WiFi service. During the end of the of our dining experience the owner and workers had a dinner party of their own at the table behind us which gave us a sense of how close and friendly the community is. I would love to come back again in the future.

Fanciest restaurant in Riomaggiore? Yes, probably. Whether or not that’s a hard honor to win is up for debate — Riomaggiore is pretty casual.
Reservations are a must, so on our last night, we finally ate here.
Service was good, food was really good, wine was good. Overall it was a super solid «good.»
Drawbacks — being so close to the sunset but not actually being able to see it; the propensity of this area to smell like sewage, which does not really encourage a favorable dining experience.

Amazing view! Food’s decent — not much to write home about… I’m a little disappointed after reading all the raving reviews about this place. I didn’t think the food’s worth the price based on what we tried. Service’s alright. Reservation’s highly recommended.
~ tuna — freshly caught but overcooked so it turned out pretty dry
~ pesto — pretty good
~ ravioli — just ok
~ semi freddo — not bad

Terrible. So bad that they let us go after not receiving food after almost an hour. We were there for a total of 1.5 hours. Meanwhile, other tables, mostly ones that came in after us, received their food very quickly.
We only received our first dish — the sardine cake appetizer. It was bland and flavorless. We ordered pesto pasta and it never came. The couple next to us had the exact same experience, however one of them received a plate, while the other didn’t receive her food until about 30 minutes later.
We still never got our second dish, the staff had to be constantly flagged down in order to check on our orders. Either they were just amateur or simply rude.
We ended up walking out.

Very rude. Took forever to get seated and ignored while others who came after us were served. Got up and walked out.

«There are few times in my life I’ve had as dank of anchovies as I did here. Their lemon anchovy dish was incredible, as was the steamed fish. And the house wine was solid.
Service was good too.
Seriously though, order the anchovies.»
— says my friend who won’t shut up about this meal
also, might i add: the fresh fish of the day is definitely the way to go. we had branzino tonight. and it was the best branzino i’ve ever had in my life.

Hovered between four and five stars. I wish I could give it a 4.5.
First, it’s a great setting. Make a reservation (we did the same day) so you can get a table outside. No matter which way you look it’s a great view, and a wonderfully pleasant place to have a meal.
Lots of fresh, local fish on the menu, which was all excellent. They had half-​bottles of local wine on the menu too, which was perfect for two.
It wasn’t above-​and-​beyond excellent, but I’m pretty confident it’s the best meal to be had in Riomaggiore.

A great relaxing meal al fresca in Cinque Terre.
Located right in the heart of things in Riomaggiore. Down by the harbor and the water. Great for watching the sea and the people. We were lucky enough to sit outside to soak in everything. I imagine if you had to sit indoors it would be a star less.
The food was good and inexpensive. We had anchovies and a variety of plates. Everything tasted fresh and superb. We drank a local bottle of white wine to go along with the great meal.
It would appear touristy on the outside, but it tasted and felt like the real deal. Plus the views are hard to beat.

After being in Europe for a week, we already knew what to expect in terms of service. Servers aren’t the most friendly but they do their job and they’ll try to get your food out quickly. Not so at Dau Cila. It was painfully slow and the two tables who arrived after us got all their food before we did.
We sat inside and the ambiance wasn’t too great. We were used to loud restaurants with lively conversations but it seemed like everyone was too afraid to talk too loudly. It just made us want to eat and get out of there but of course that didn’t happen because it took too long. The waitress wasn’t the friendliest either but she seemed stressed with all the tables.
It’s a shame that the service was so poor because the food was actually really delicious. Husband ordered a pasta with anchovies and I ordered sea bass. It was all cooked and presented perfectly.
Come for the food but don’t expect great service.

p4*Enoteca Dau Cila+
Marina, Riomaggiore
Beautiful view, right at the marina
Server Giannabella was very friendly and polite
I hate the regular restaurant house bread in CT5; so plain compared to their other baked versions.
The grilled tuna was the best
Good pasta aka trenette
Loved the bruschetta with prosciutto
Reasonably priced house wines
2.50 € coperto (cover charge)
+tomato-​based seafood sauce?

I wanted to like Dau Cila. The location was lovely, overlooking the water at Riomaggiore on the Cinque Terre coast in Italy. There were white table cloths & candles. The menu looked and sounded pretty tasty. But alas, the service was awful. And to be honest, we shouldn’t have been surprised by this fact given the reviews (on Tripadvisor in particular), but we wanted to give it a go as it was also recommended by our hotel and only one fellow Unilocaler had written about poor service. Ugh.
We arrived early before our reservation time, hoping just to have a drink before dinner, but ended up being semi rushed into ordering given that we were seated already.
I ordered the grilled fish which came with some smoked eggplant and the husband ordered grilled fish which came with some potatoes and olives. Very typical Ligurian cuisine for the part of the Italian Coast we were visiting. Simple, but if done well, delicious. We also shared a plate of grilled vegetables.
The food was passable. I had some bones still in my fillet of white fish, which whilst not ideal, didn’t make the meal terminal. I guess what I am saying is that if the service was amazing and the prices a bit more «value for money» I would not have batted an eyelash at the food. But when the other areas lack, particularly the service, well, then you start to pick-​a-​little more. And yes, we didn’t have some do their more «famous» dishes, but you can’t have only a couple of standout dishes on your menu. Everything needs to be at a certain standard.
In terms of the service, we didn’t really expect a lot as it can generally be quite blunt and inattentive in Italy, but these guys literally abandoned us as soon as our food was placed on the table. The husband had to get up in order to pay the bill eventually and this was after we watched a couple of other poor couples trying to get a table but being ignored whilst standing right in the doorway and staring directly at the MANY staff members that passed them by. Awful. There was severe favouritism being given to a table of locals inside, meaning that all the «tourists» sitting outside were basically ignored. I take great offence to this as the tourists are the people keeping these guys employed and in business. If it was awful service for everyone, that’s another story again.
But this? No thanks. I won’t be recommending anyone to go here, especially as there are better options in the other towns along the coast which are just a short train ride away…

Probably one of the best places we ate in Italy. It was recommended by the owner of our apartment rental and she said it’s a place they frequent. We went and it was an experience! From beginning to end, we were drooling over each dish. Service was excellent and the price was not bad! A must go if you’re in Rio Maggiore or Cinque Terre in general!

Talk about a view! This restaurant is in a beautiful setting, and has delicious food. We had lunch here one beautiful afternoon. Starters were caprese salad and bruschetta, yumm! The lobster gnocchi for the main dish, all were wonderful! Only reason not 5 stars is the service just good not great. Maybe slightly over priced. With a view like this though you could charge whatever you want.

Best view + delicious seafood +the nicest people = Best place in Rio Maggiore!
My lunches were phenom thanks to this place in Rio Maggiore! I took the train daily just to eat here. Food & stunning water view? Can’t beat it anywhere in the other villages of Cinque Terre!
When you arrive to Rio Maggiore train station, you’ll most likely follow the tunnel in town. A lot of walking btw. But when you so arrive, you might be charmed by the cute /​stunning town and forget to climb the stairs down to the beach. Don’t do that! You can always explore the town after. It is a hike but hike down those little stairs to the beach stat!
There’s 2 or 3 restaurants once you climb down. This being one of them with really big patio/​deck seating. Eating pasta & seafood while the waves crash right by you? Yes please!
My love affair with Italy has been going on for several years now. People are always always so friendly. This place was no exception! They were slammed for lunch rush yet they were so friendly here. I see some tourists cranky-​ing at the other table. Or some going bazooks for slow food. Seriously? Our waiter was still quite gracious and fast to make everyone happy.

We ordered
1. pasta with tuna — delish!
2.anchovies pasta — yummm
3.frutti di mare (fried seafood),
4. swordfish salad with oranges and olive oil and of course. A bottle of house white– Pinot Grigio!
And as always, I requested some peppers. Normally they give me peppers flakes in other places but this place, the waiter brought me a single fresh red pepper. Red, plump and almost look like habaneros but not quite. But one? I laughed. He said if I can finish one, he’ll give me as many more as I want. Done! Omg… he wasn’t kidding! That Cinque Terre heat, sitting in the hot sun, and that single pepper! I broke a sweat. Wow! But you know those endorphins! Makes me want more. So much more. Damn it. And he delivered.
In the end, we were invited inside, a tiny little place with tiny kitchen and tiny bar for some appetitivo & drinks with all the waiters. Some have family in Rome as well. What do you know! We had dessert, jäger like shots and some other licorice like alcohol on the house! This only happens in Italy. And got invited back for the party at night right there. There’s no clubs /​night life in cinque Terre but this place was it! Over all, great food, great service and fantastic views. Felt like I was visiting my long lost (and very good looking) family! And I didn’t eat anywhere else in Rio Maggiore for rest of my stay. Well, why would I??? Mama Mia maybe but for a snack. Grazie voi Enoteca Dau Cila! Tutto bene!

Best meal of our stay. We had lobster gnocchi. Grilled veggies. Caprese salad. Tiramisu. Nothing but compliments! Killer view available. Recommend reserving a table to get best view around sunset.

I thought this place was fantastic! Great location, staff extremely friendly and the food was wonderful. Had the caprese salad and pesto pasta (vegetarian option) as well as the tuna. Every single thing I put in my mouth was delicious. Definitely recommend this place. Dinner doesn’t start till 7 but you walk by earlier and reserve your table! Sunset is a 2 min walk and was incredible.

This restaurant was recommended by the owner of our apartment for the night. She said it was the best in town and she wasn’t kidding. Impeccable service to start. We were greeted with two glasses of tasty prosecco. The bread was soft and tasty. We had the gnocchi with lobster and the meal was entirely silent with the exception of the occasional ‘wow’. Excellent meal. We agree that this is the best meal we had in Italy after being here for 2 weeks. 4 stars instead of 5 because we waited close to 20 minutes for our check to arrive after requesting it.