Restaurant in Imperia, Italy
Ligurian seafood, one star, dinner only.
Sarri is Imperia's only Michelin-starred restaurant (2024) and the clearest recommendation for a special-occasion dinner on the western Ligurian coast. Chef-patron Andrea Sarri builds a precise, seasonal seafood menu around fish from the Ligurian Sea and organic produce, served in a converted seafront shed in Borgo Prino. At €€€, it delivers starred-kitchen quality below the price threshold of Italy's €€€€ fine dining tier.
Getting a table at Sarri takes effort. The restaurant operates dinner-only, seven nights a week, with a single sitting from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM — that narrow window and the Michelin star it earned in 2024 mean availability fills up fast, particularly through summer when Liguria draws serious visitors from across Italy and France. If you are travelling to Imperia specifically to eat here, book as far in advance as possible. The effort is worth it: Sarri is the most technically accomplished seafood kitchen in the province, and for a special-occasion dinner on the Ligurian coast, it is the clearest recommendation Pearl can make.
Sarri sits on Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo in Borgo Prino, a small settlement on the western edge of Imperia where the buildings run in a low pastel-coloured row directly facing the sea. The setting already does a lot of work. When the weather allows — and in Liguria, the climate is mild enough that outdoor dining is possible across a long season , the terrace puts you within earshot of the water. When it does not, the indoor dining room holds its own: a converted shed with contemporary furnishings that feel considered rather than compensatory.
The front of house is run by Alessandra Sarri, whose service manner is composed and attentive without tipping into formality. For a special occasion dinner, this matters. You are not being processed; the room moves at a pace that suits the occasion. The kitchen is led by chef-patron Andrea Sarri, whose approach to Ligurian seafood is grounded in ingredient sourcing. The fish comes from the Ligurian Sea; the vegetables and aromatic herbs from organic gardens. The kitchen then applies technique to that raw material rather than importing trends that do not fit the coastline.
The Michelin citation for the 2024 star references dishes like a vertical of raw preparations and a shellfish casserole from Oneglia with aromatic herbs , both of which reflect a kitchen that has a clear point of view: let the ingredient lead, add precision and structure, do not over-complicate. Among the desserts, a hazelnut crunch with salted caramel, mango compote and passion fruit sorbet is singled out specifically. These are not broad gestures toward modernity; they are carefully constructed compositions from a chef who has thought about what this coastline actually produces.
Liguria is not a region with a dense concentration of starred kitchens, which makes Sarri's recognition more significant than it might appear in a city with four or five starred competitors. The 2024 star represents a formal validation of what Sarri has been doing at the €€€ price point: delivering a level of culinary precision that justifies a destination dinner without the €€€€ commitment required by Italy's more established fine dining institutions. For context, the Italian restaurants Pearl tracks at the €€€€ tier , venues like Dal Pescatore in Runate, Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, and Le Calandre in Rubano , operate at a higher price ceiling. Sarri sits a tier below on price and delivers Michelin-verified quality. That gap is the value argument.
The star also changes the booking calculus. Pre-2024, Sarri was achievable with a week's notice. That window has almost certainly tightened. If you are planning a trip to the western Ligurian coast and want to eat here, treat it as the anchor booking and plan your itinerary around it.
Sarri is well-matched to a special-occasion dinner for two: the service style, the setting, and the tasting-format cooking all lend themselves to that context. It is less suited to large groups, though the data does not confirm a private dining option. For a date or celebration dinner on the Ligurian Riviera, the combination of outdoor terrace access, precise seasonal seafood, and measured front-of-house service puts Sarri ahead of the casual options along the coast.
Business dinners are also viable here , the room is calm, the service professional , though the dinner-only, single-sitting format means you are committing to a full evening rather than a quick working meal.
If you are exploring the wider Imperia dining scene before or after, Osteria Didù and Kilo are worth considering at lower price points. For a full picture of what the area offers, see our full Imperia restaurants guide, as well as our Imperia hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide.
Sarri is open seven days a week for dinner only, 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM. Price range is €€€. The address is Lungomare C. Colombo, 108, Borgo Prino, Imperia. No website or phone number is listed in Pearl's current data , check Google or contact via the address directly for reservations. Google reviews stand at 4.6 across 594 ratings, a signal of consistent satisfaction at volume. Booking difficulty: hard, especially from spring through autumn.
Quick reference: Dinner only, 7:30–9:30 PM daily | €€€ | Michelin 1 Star (2024) | Google 4.6/5 (594 reviews) | Book as early as possible.
Sarri is dinner-only , the kitchen does not operate at lunch. Your only option is the 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM sitting. Given the Ligurian climate, arriving when the outdoor terrace is still usable in early evening is a reasonable goal, particularly in late spring and early autumn when the light on the seafront is at its leading without peak-summer heat.
Yes, and it is one of the better options on the western Ligurian coast for exactly that purpose. The combination of a Michelin-starred kitchen, a front of house led by a polished host in Alessandra Sarri, a seafront location in Borgo Prino, and the option of outdoor dining makes this a considered choice for a birthday, anniversary, or significant dinner. At €€€ rather than €€€€, it also avoids the price pressure of Italy's top-tier celebration restaurants like Osteria Francescana in Modena or Piazza Duomo in Alba.
The Michelin documentation points to two dishes worth prioritising: the shellfish of Oneglia casserole with aromatic herbs, which is a regional preparation refined by the kitchen's sourcing standards, and the vertical of raw food, which showcases the quality of fish coming directly from the Ligurian Sea. For dessert, the hazelnut crunch with salted caramel, mango compote and passion fruit sorbet is specifically cited. Beyond these, the menu follows strict seasonality, so what is available will shift through the year , trust the kitchen's current choices rather than requesting off-menu items.
At €€€, Sarri delivers Michelin 1-star quality at a price point below Italy's established fine dining tier. Compare it against venues like Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico or Enrico Bartolini in Milan, both of which operate at €€€€, and Sarri's pricing looks favourable for the credential. For seafood specifically on the Ligurian coast, there is no equivalent local competitor at this quality level. The value case is clear if seafood-focused tasting menus are your format. If you want a more casual or lower-cost meal, Osteria Didù is a sensible alternative.
There is no confirmed bar seating or counter option in Pearl's current data for Sarri. The restaurant operates as a full-service sit-down dinner, and given the Michelin-star format and the evening-only, single-sitting structure, it is unlikely that informal bar dining is available. If this matters to you, confirm directly with the restaurant before arriving. For more casual dining options in Imperia, see Kilo or browse our Imperia bars guide.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarri | This fine restaurant enjoys a pleasant location in the charming Borgo Prino, a string of houses painted in typical pastel colours right in front of the sea. The legendary mildness of the Ligurian climate makes it possible to eat outdoors often, but should that not be possible the charm of the indoor dining room, an old shed furnished with excellent contemporary taste, will be anything but an afterthought. Service is elegant and impeccable, headed gracefully by hostess Alessandra. Last but not least, the cuisine of the chef-patron, as well as husband, Andrea Sarri: the extraordinary quality of the ingredients, indicated by seasonality and sourced from the Ligurian Sea, as well as vegetables and sprouts grown in organic gardens, give rise to original proposals such as the vertical of raw food or the shellfish of Oneglia casserole with aromatic herbs. The desserts also appear to be really interesting, including a must-try hazelnut crunch, salted caramel, mango compote and passion fruit sorbet.; This fine restaurant enjoys a pleasant location in the charming Borgo Prino, a string of houses painted in typical pastel colours right in front of the sea. The legendary mildness of the Ligurian climate makes it possible to eat outdoors often, but should that not be possible the charm of the indoor dining room, an old shed furnished with excellent contemporary taste, will be anything but an afterthought. Service is elegant and impeccable, headed gracefully by hostess Alessandra. Last but not least, the cuisine of the chef-patron, as well as husband, Andrea Sarri: the extraordinary quality of the ingredients, indicated by seasonality and sourced from the Ligurian Sea, as well as vegetables and sprouts grown in organic gardens, give rise to original proposals such as the vertical of raw food or the shellfish of Oneglia casserole with aromatic herbs. The desserts also appear to be really interesting, including a must-try hazelnut crunch, salted caramel, mango compote and passion fruit sorbet.; Michelin 1 Star (2024) | €€€ | — |
| Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Dal Pescatore | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Enoteca Pinchiorri | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Enrico Bartolini | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Le Calandre | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
A quick look at how Sarri measures up.
Dinner is your only option — Sarri operates a single sitting from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM, seven days a week, with no lunch service. On evenings when the weather cooperates, the outdoor terrace on Lungomare C. Colombo puts you directly in front of the sea, which makes the timing work in your favour.
Yes, and it's well-suited to it. The combination of a 2024 Michelin star, an elegant indoor dining room converted from an old seafront shed, and service led by hostess Alessandra creates a setting that reads as occasion dining rather than casual neighbourhood eating. At €€€, the price point signals a splurge, not a weeknight dinner. Parties of two will get the most out of the format.
The menu is built around seasonal Ligurian seafood sourced from the sea directly in front of the restaurant, with vegetables and sprouts from organic gardens. The shellfish of Oneglia casserole with aromatic herbs and the vertical of raw food dishes are both cited in Michelin's own notes on the restaurant. The dessert course — specifically a hazelnut crunch with salted caramel, mango compote, and passion fruit sorbet — is flagged as a highlight worth leaving room for.
At €€€ with a 2024 Michelin star, Sarri sits at the top end of what Imperia offers, and it's priced appropriately for the cooking quality. Liguria has relatively few starred kitchens outside Genoa, so the credential carries real weight here. If you're comparing against a broader Italian fine dining trip, Enoteca Pinchiorri or Le Calandre operate at higher price points with more decorated track records — but for a Ligurian coastal dinner, Sarri is the strongest case in its area.
There is no confirmed bar or counter seating format in the venue data for Sarri. The dining room is described as a converted seaside shed with a formal service structure, which points to a traditional table-seated format rather than a bar dining option. check the venue's official channels via the address at Lungomare C. Colombo, 108, Borgo Prino, Imperia to confirm seating arrangements before you arrive.
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