La Brinca

Who Should Book La Brinca — and When

If you are planning a meal that needs to mean something — an anniversary, a birthday, a long-overdue gathering with people who care about food and wine , La Brinca in Ne is the right answer at the right price. This is a Michelin Bib Gourmand trattoria run by the Circella family since 1987, which means decades of kitchen discipline behind dishes that are generous and grounded in Ligurian tradition. For a special occasion where you want serious cooking without a four-figure bill, very few places in Liguria compete with this.

What La Brinca Does Better Than Its Peers

The technical distinction here is consistency of regional identity. La Brinca does not modernise Ligurian cuisine for trend-chasing diners or soften it for tourists. The kitchen works with ingredients that are specific to this corner of Liguria, and the menu includes what the restaurant has documented as "dishes of the year" going back to 2010 , a record that signals kitchen discipline and long-term commitment to a defined repertoire rather than seasonal reinvention for its own sake. Chef Simone Circella leads a kitchen that treats the region as a framework, not a marketing label.

That approach is harder to sustain than it looks. Many Ligurian restaurants trade on pesto and focaccia and call it regional cooking. La Brinca goes considerably further, with a menu depth that reflects genuine knowledge of the cuisine rather than its greatest hits. Opinionated About Dining, the peer-reviewed European dining guide, ranked La Brinca at #119 in its Casual Europe list in 2023, placing it among the strongest casual restaurants on the continent. By 2025 the ranking had moved to #321 , a shift worth noting, though the Bib Gourmand retention and 4.7 Google rating across 1,620 reviews confirm the kitchen has not lost its footing with guests.

The Wine Cellar Is a Serious Reason to Book

The wine program is not an afterthought. Sommelier Matteo Circella won Michelin's Leading Sommelier in Italy award in 2021, and the cellar holds over 1,000 labels including rare bottles. At a Bib Gourmand price point, access to a wine list of that depth and a sommelier of that credential is an unusual combination. If wine matters to your group, this fact alone changes the calculus significantly. For a special occasion, the pairing potential here exceeds what you will find at most restaurants twice the price. Compare this to Vescovado in Noli or Bagatto in Loano, both solid Ligurian options, but neither operating at this level of sommelier credentials.

Practical Details

Is It Worth the Trip to Ne?

Ne is not a destination most visitors stumble into. The village sits inland from the Ligurian coast and requires a deliberate drive, which means La Brinca rewards planning rather than spontaneity. The question is whether the cooking justifies the effort to get there. At €€ pricing with a Bib Gourmand, a Michelin award-winning sommelier, and a kitchen that has maintained a consistent regional identity for nearly four decades, the answer for anyone serious about Ligurian food is yes. You will not find this combination of quality-to-price in a comparable coastal location.

For context, the broader Italian dining scene includes venues like Osteria Francescana in Modena or Piazza Duomo in Alba at the leading of the prestige scale, but La Brinca is not competing in that register and does not need to. Its value proposition is different: this is the restaurant where Ligurian cuisine is treated with the seriousness it deserves, at prices that do not require a special justification. If you are eating your way through northern Italy and have any interest in regional cuisine done with authority, include it.

For more dining options in the area, see our full Ne restaurants guide, and if you are planning a wider trip, our Ne hotels guide, Ne bars guide, Ne wineries guide, and Ne experiences guide cover the full picture.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is La Brinca good for a special occasion? Yes, and specifically for occasions where wine matters. The Michelin Bib Gourmand confirms quality cooking at accessible prices, and sommelier Matteo Circella's 2021 Michelin Leading Sommelier in Italy award means the wine experience exceeds what most restaurants at this price point can offer. It works well for anniversaries, birthdays, or any meal where you want genuine regional cooking with serious wine pairings rather than a performance of luxury.
• Is La Brinca worth the price? At €€ , Bib Gourmand territory , it is one of the stronger value propositions in Ligurian dining. You are getting a kitchen with nearly four decades of commitment to the region, a wine cellar of over 1,000 labels, and an award-winning sommelier. The cooking is generous and full-flavoured. For the price, the combination is difficult to beat in this part of Italy.
• What should I wear to La Brinca? Smart casual. This is a family-run trattoria, not a formal dining room, so there is no strict dress code. Clean, neat clothing appropriate for a quality restaurant is fine. You do not need to dress for a Michelin-star occasion, even though the wine program operates at that level.
• What should a first-timer know about La Brinca? Three things: it is in a small inland village so you need a car; the wine list is a serious asset so ask Matteo for guidance rather than choosing quickly; and the menu is rooted in Ligurian tradition, meaning dishes you will not find on coastal tourist menus. The restaurant has been operating since 1987 and the Circella family runs front and back of house, which gives it a coherence that many larger operations lack.
• Can La Brinca accommodate groups? Seat count is not available in our current data, so contact the restaurant directly for group bookings. As a family-run trattoria, larger groups are leading handled by calling ahead , booking early is advisable.
• What are alternatives to La Brinca in Ne? Ne itself is small, so the practical comparison is across the Ligurian region. Vescovado in Noli and Bagatto in Loano are both Ligurian options worth considering, but neither carries the same sommelier credentials or the depth of regional menu commitment. If you are willing to travel further for prestige Italian dining, Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone or Uliassi in Senigallia represent a different tier entirely.
• Is the tasting menu worth it at La Brinca? Specific tasting menu details are not available in our current data. What is confirmed is that the kitchen has maintained a documented menu archive of "dishes of the year" since 2010, which suggests structured menu thinking. Given the Bib Gourmand pricing and the wine pairing potential with Matteo's cellar, a multi-course format here is likely to deliver strong value relative to comparable Italian tasting experiences at higher price points.