Restaurant in Carloforte, Italy
Promenade spot that earns its Michelin Plate.
Da Nicolo holds back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition (2024, 2025) and a 4.3 Google score from 665 reviews, making it one of the most credible seafood tables in Carloforte. At €€, the value case is clear. Lunch on the promenade terrace is the sharper visit for food-focused travellers; dinner works if you want the meal as part of a broader island evening.
The common assumption about Carloforte is that any restaurant on the promenade is trading on location rather than food. Da Nicolo is the correction to that assumption. Two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024 and 2025) confirm what 665 Google reviewers score at 4.3: this is a kitchen that takes Carlofortinian seafood cooking seriously, and it earns its place on the waterfront on merit, not just scenery.
For food and travel enthusiasts making the ferry crossing to San Pietro Island specifically to eat well, Da Nicolo belongs near the leading of the shortlist. At €€ pricing, it sits in a practical range that lets you eat without the weight of a high-stakes dinner reservation, which also means booking is direct and the room stays accessible throughout the season.
At a promenade restaurant in a small Sardinian island town, the lunch and dinner experiences are more distinct than they first appear. Lunch at Da Nicolo is the sharper call. The summer dining area on the promenade catches direct afternoon light, the pace is less pressured, and the €€ price tier translates into genuinely good value when you factor in the quality signalled by back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition. Lunch here functions as a proper meal, not a bridge to dinner.
Evenings shift the dynamic. The promenade fills, the dining area becomes part of the broader social theatre of Carloforte's summer, and the restaurant draws more foot traffic. That atmosphere has its appeal, but if your priority is the food itself, a relaxed lunch service typically gives you better access to it. Dinner is the right call if you are after the full island evening experience and want the meal woven into a longer night out. Lunch is the right call if the Carlofortinian seafood specialties are the point.
Either way, the Michelin Plate designation applies to the whole operation, not a specific service. The kitchen's output is the draw at both sittings.
The cuisine is Seafood and Carlofortinian specialties. Carloforte has a distinctive culinary identity shaped by its Ligurian origins and centuries of tuna fishing tradition, and a kitchen earning Michelin recognition here is expected to engage with that inheritance directly. The specific dishes on the current menu are not confirmed in our data, so we will not invent them, but the category of Carlofortinian specialties is a meaningful one: expect preparations anchored to the local tuna culture and the island's Ligurian-inflected technique, rather than generic Italian seafood.
For context on what serious Italian seafood cooking at this recognition level looks like, Uliassi in Senigallia and Alici Restaurant on the Amalfi Coast operate at higher price tiers with Michelin star credentials. Da Nicolo is not in that category of ambition or investment, but at €€ it offers a legitimate entry point into Italian seafood cooking with institutional recognition behind it.
Carloforte's season peaks in July and August, when the island's population multiplies and the promenade fills every evening. Da Nicolo's advantageous location along the waterfront means it attracts both dedicated diners and passing foot traffic during peak season. Visiting in June or September gives you the same food with less competition for tables and a quieter setting. If your trip falls in high summer, booking ahead is the sensible move even though the overall difficulty level is easy. Off-peak, walk-in availability is more realistic.
The restaurant's position on the promenade also makes it a practical anchor for a longer Carloforte day: arrive by ferry, eat well at lunch, and spend the afternoon exploring before returning for the evening. For everything else Carloforte offers, see our full Carloforte restaurants guide, our full Carloforte hotels guide, Al Tonno di Corsa for another local seafood option, our full Carloforte bars guide, our full Carloforte wineries guide, and our full Carloforte experiences guide.
Reservations: Easy to book; advance booking recommended in July and August, walk-ins more viable in shoulder season. Budget: €€, making this one of the more accessible Michelin-recognised seafood options in Sardinia. Dress: No confirmed dress code; smart-casual is appropriate for a promenade restaurant with Michelin recognition. Groups: No seat count confirmed, but the summer terrace along the promenade suggests capacity for varied group sizes. Location: Along the Carloforte promenade, U Pàize, San Pietro Island, Sardinia.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Da Nicolo | Seafood | €€ | Easy |
| Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler | Italian, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Dal Pescatore | Italian, Italian Contemporary | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Osteria Francescana | Progressive Italian, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Quattro Passi | Italian, Mediterranean Cuisine | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Reale | Progressive Italian, Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Unknown |
Comparing your options in Carloforte for this tier.
Go in expecting Carlofortinian seafood done with enough care to earn two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) — this is not a promenade restaurant coasting on its location. The summer terrace is a draw, but July and August are busy; book ahead. The €€ price range means you can order properly without the bill becoming a talking point.
At €€, yes — it punches well above its price band for a Michelin-recognised seafood restaurant on a small Sardinian island. You are getting Carlofortinian specialties with enough quality to warrant back-to-back Michelin Plates, not tourist-trap fish dishes. For a comparable spend elsewhere in Italy you would be in straightforward trattoria territory.
The promenade setting and €€ pricing point to relaxed island dining rather than formal dress. Clean, presentable clothes suit the room — think summer dinner on a Sardinian seafront, not a white-tablecloth occasion. Nothing in the venue data suggests a dress code, so follow the setting rather than a rulebook.
For a low-key celebration in Carloforte, yes — two consecutive Michelin Plates give it enough credibility to mark an occasion, and the promenade terrace has atmosphere in the summer months. It is not a formal, multi-course tasting-menu setting, so if you need theatre and ceremony, manage expectations accordingly. For that format, you would need to leave the island.
The venue data does not confirm a bar counter or bar-seating option at Da Nicolo. The restaurant is known for its promenade dining area with a summer terrace, so your most reliable option is a table booking, especially from July through August when demand is highest.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
