Locanda dei Salinari

Verdict: Book It for a Special Occasion in Cervia

Picture the old salt-workers' village of Cervia on a warm Adriatic evening; the air carrying the faint mineral trace of the lagoon's famous salt flats, the narrow streets quieter than the beach resort a kilometre away. That is the setting for Locanda dei Salinari, it earns its place here. A young chef running a simply furnished room in a historic village, cooking creative Romagnan seafood from the leading regional produce, picking up consecutive Michelin Plates in 2024 and 2025: this is the kind of restaurant that rewards the traveller who looks a little further than the obvious choice. If you are planning a special dinner in Cervia at a price that does not require a lengthy justification, book this first.

About Locanda dei Salinari

The restaurant sits at Via XX Settembre, 67, in the old village of Salinari on the edge of Cervia; historically the settlement where salt workers lived, set apart from the main town. The location matters for the experience: this is not a resort-strip dining room chasing tourist turnover, but a neighbourhood address with a reason to exist. The kitchen is run by a young chef whose approach is described by Michelin as creative cuisine prepared with the leading regional produce of Romagna, two consecutive Plates from the guide confirm that the ambition is being executed at a consistent level.

The price tier sits at €€, which in the context of Michelin-recognised Italian cooking represents strong value. For a comparable quality signal, most restaurants carrying Michelin recognition in this region of Italy charge at the €€€ level or above. Here, you are getting a chef-driven creative seafood menu in a historic setting without the premium pricing that usually accompanies that combination. That is the core of the value case, it is a strong one.

The Counter Experience

The editorial angle worth emphasising at Locanda dei Salinari is what close-proximity seating adds to the meal. In a small, simply furnished room in a village restaurant of this type, proximity to the kitchen is not a compromise, it is the point. You are eating creative Romagnan cooking in the environment it was designed for: without the physical or social distance of a large dining room. The format rewards the kind of diner who wants to engage with the food rather than simply be served at a distance. For a date or a celebration between two people, counter or bar-adjacent seating in a room this size means the experience is immediate and personal in a way that larger, more formal restaurants cannot replicate. If you are booking for a special occasion and the room is small, ask for the table closest to the kitchen.

Who Should Book

This restaurant works well for a celebration dinner where you want the feeling of a genuine discovery rather than a well-worn destination. The €€ pricing and informal setting make it appropriate for a birthday dinner, an anniversary, or a serious date without the formality anxiety that accompanies a three-star room. Solo diners should consider this strongly: a small room run by a young chef at €€ pricing with Michelin recognition is close to ideal solo-dining territory, the counter or bar-style seating common to rooms of this size gives the solo guest something to engage with beyond the table. For groups larger than four, check capacity in advance, as the old-village building format typically constrains room size.

Booking and Timing

Booking difficulty is rated as easy, which is consistent with a €€ neighbourhood restaurant in a secondary Italian coastal city. That said, Cervia's peak season runs from June through August when the Adriatic beach resort fills with Italian and Northern European summer visitors, during those months, even easy-to-book restaurants fill up faster, a restaurant with two consecutive Michelin Plates will attract its share of deliberate visitors. Book at least a week ahead in high season; outside summer, the same week should be sufficient. Contact the restaurant directly for reservations, as no booking platform or specific booking method is listed in the available data.

How It Compares

Practical Details

• Address: Via XX Settembre, 67, 48015 Cervia RA, Italy
• Cuisine: Seafood, Creative Romagnan
• Price range: €€
• Awards: Michelin Plate 2024, Michelin Plate 2025
• Booking difficulty: Easy, book 1 week ahead outside summer, 2+ weeks ahead June–August

Related Reading

• Our full Cervia restaurants guide
• Our full Cervia hotels guide
• Our full Cervia bars guide
• Our full Cervia wineries guide
• Our full Cervia experiences guide
• Uliassi in Senigallia, three-Michelin-star seafood on the Adriatic, if you are weighing a splurge alternative
• Gambero Rosso in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica, another Adriatic seafood reference point
• Alici Restaurant on the Amalfi Coast, coastal Italian seafood for comparison