Restaurant in Oneglia, Italy
Old-school Ligurian seafood, genuinely worth booking.
A Michelin Plate Ligurian seafood restaurant in Oneglia with more than a century of history, a wine list that reaches well beyond its price tier, and a terrace worth booking specifically. At €€€ with a 4.6 Google rating across 230 reviews, it delivers consistent, regionally anchored fish cooking without the formality or price of a starred room. Easy to book; reserve the terrace in advance.
If you are comparing Salvo Cacciatori with the high-concept creative restaurants along the Italian Riviera, you are asking the wrong question. This is not a restaurant trying to compete with Quattro Passi or Uliassi on ambition or theatre. What it offers is something more specific and more immediately useful: honest Ligurian fish cookery, a wine list that punches above the price tier, and a terrace on a pedestrianised street that earns its place in an evening itinerary. At €€€, it is priced for a serious dinner without requiring a special-occasion justification. Book it.
Salvo Cacciatori has been operating in some form since 1906, when the family opened what was then a modern inn and wine tavern in Oneglia — the eastern half of Imperia on the Ligurian coast. More than a century of continuity is not a marketing point; it is a signal about what this kitchen has decided to be. The decor has moved on from its tavern origins into something contemporary and considered, but the cooking stays anchored in the seafood and fish traditions of the Ligurian littoral. Traditional recipes are reinterpreted with a personalised touch rather than reconstructed beyond recognition, which is exactly the pitch you want when you are eating on the coast and expecting the sea to show up on the plate.
The room carries a calm, settled energy. This is not a loud restaurant. Arriving early in the evening, the atmosphere is quiet enough for conversation without feeling empty or formal. The outdoor terrace overlooking the pedestrianised street changes the register slightly: there is more ambient movement, the occasional sound of foot traffic, and the kind of open-air ease that makes a long dinner feel unhurried. If the terrace matters to you, book ahead specifically for it — the database notes it fills, and walk-in access to the better seats is not reliable.
The wine list is one of the stronger practical arguments for Salvo Cacciatori. It covers Ligurian labels alongside selections from further afield, which is more range than the price tier typically delivers. Liguria's wine production is small and its leading bottles , Pigato, Vermentino, Rossese di Dolceacqua , are not always easy to find even within the region. A list that takes the local category seriously and combines it with broader Italian selection is a reason to spend time with the wine programme rather than defaulting to the obvious choices.
Michelin awarded the restaurant a Plate in both 2024 and 2025. The Plate designation marks good cooking without reaching for a Star, which aligns precisely with what Salvo Cacciatori does: consistent, technically sound food that reflects the kitchen's regional identity rather than straining for innovation. Google reviewers rate it 4.6 across 230 reviews, a score that reflects a genuinely reliable experience rather than a viral moment. These two signals together suggest a kitchen that performs consistently across visits rather than one riding a wave of initial press attention.
If you have been once and are deciding whether to return, the focus for a second visit should be the wine list and, if the season is right, the terrace. The cooking's consistent character means you are not chasing a menu that transforms dramatically , you are returning for the reliability and the specific pleasure of Ligurian seafood done without distraction. For visitors to Oneglia planning a full evening, Salvo Cacciatori pairs well with the broader offer in the area. See our full Oneglia restaurants guide, our full Oneglia bars guide, and our full Oneglia wineries guide for context on what else the area offers around a dinner here.
For Ligurian cooking elsewhere on the coast, Vescovado in Noli and Bagatto in Loano are worth considering as regional comparators. Both operate in similar territory , coastal Ligurian, seafood-forward , and seeing how Salvo Cacciatori fits within that set helps calibrate expectations. Salvo Cacciatori's century-plus of history and its double Michelin Plate give it a credibility neither of those alternatives fully matches on paper, though the practical differences will depend on your specific priorities around atmosphere, wine, and price.
Booking is described as easy. Specific hours are not confirmed in our data, so contact the restaurant directly before planning your evening. The address is Via G.P. Vieusseux, 12, Imperia IM. No website or phone number is listed in our current database, so reaching them may require searching local directories or booking platforms. Plan ahead if the terrace is part of your evening , it is the detail most likely to be unavailable on a walk-in.
Expect traditional Ligurian fish and seafood cooking reinterpreted with a light personal touch, not fusion or experimental cuisine. The price is €€€, so this is a sit-down dinner commitment rather than a casual drop-in. The terrace overlooking the pedestrianised street is the most appealing seat in the house , book it specifically if that matters. Michelin has awarded a Plate two years running and the Google score of 4.6 across 230 reviews indicates consistent quality. Go in knowing what Ligurian coastal cooking is: ingredient-led, seafood-focused, regionally specific.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, so last-minute reservations are generally possible for indoor tables. If you want the outdoor terrace overlooking the pedestrianised street, the venue's own guidance says to book ahead , treat that as a minimum of a few days in advance during peak season, longer if you are visiting in summer. The restaurant's double Michelin Plate recognition means it draws visitors who plan ahead, so erring on the side of booking earlier rather than later is sensible even if the general difficulty is low.
The database does not confirm a bar seating option at Salvo Cacciatori. The restaurant's primary format appears to be table dining, with the outdoor terrace as the key alternative seating configuration. If bar seating is important to you, contact the restaurant directly before your visit. For cocktail-bar experiences in Oneglia, check our full Oneglia bars guide.
Yes, with the right expectations. The contemporary interior, Michelin Plate recognition, and serious wine list create the conditions for a memorable dinner at €€€. It is not trying to deliver the full ceremony of a Michelin-starred tasting room, so if the occasion calls for elaborate multi-course production, look at Quattro Passi or Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler instead. For a birthday dinner or a celebratory meal that feels properly considered without requiring €€€€ spend, Salvo Cacciatori works well , the terrace reservation in particular adds occasion weight.
Specific tasting menu details are not confirmed in our current data, so we cannot make a direct value call. What the database establishes is a €€€ price range, Ligurian fish and seafood focus, and a personalised take on traditional recipes , that combination at this price point is generally solid value for the Ligurian coast. If a tasting menu is available when you visit, the kitchen's consistent Michelin Plate track record suggests it is likely to represent the cooking well. Confirm availability directly with the restaurant before building your evening around it.
Within Liguria, Vescovado in Noli and Bagatto in Loano are the closest regional comparators for coastal Ligurian cooking. For higher-ambition Italian dining at €€€€ , where creative cooking and Michelin Stars become part of the offer , Dal Pescatore and Osteria Francescana are reference points, but they serve a different purpose and a significantly different budget. See our full Oneglia restaurants guide for the complete local picture.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salvo Cacciatori | €€€ | Easy | — |
| Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Dal Pescatore | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Osteria Francescana | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Quattro Passi | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Reale | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Salvo Cacciatori and alternatives.
This is a traditional Ligurian seafood restaurant with roots going back to 1906, now holding a Michelin Plate (2025). The kitchen takes classic fish and seafood recipes and adds a personalised interpretation rather than chasing avant-garde trends. Book the outdoor terrace in advance if the weather is right — it overlooks a pedestrianised street and fills up. Arrive expecting a serious wine list with strong Ligurian representation alongside broader Italian labels.
Book at least a week out for indoor tables; give yourself two weeks or more if you want the terrace, which overlooks the pedestrianised street and is a genuine draw in good weather. The venue is Michelin Plate–recognised, which keeps demand steady. No phone or online booking portal is listed in the venue data, so contact details are best confirmed directly on arrival in Oneglia or via local search before your trip.
The venue data does not confirm a dedicated bar-dining option at Salvo Cacciatori. Given its contemporary restaurant format and €€€ price point, the experience is structured around table service. If an informal counter option matters to you, confirm directly with the restaurant before visiting.
Yes, with some caveats. The Michelin Plate recognition, €€€ pricing, and contemporary-style décor place it in special-occasion territory for Oneglia, and the terrace setting adds occasion when the weather cooperates. It works well for a birthday dinner or a significant anniversary if you want local Ligurian character over imported fine-dining formality. Larger groups should confirm private space availability directly, as the venue data does not specify room configurations.
The venue data does not confirm whether a tasting menu is offered. What is documented is a focus on traditional fish and seafood recipes with a personalised twist, a Michelin Plate for 2024 and 2025, and a €€€ price point. If a tasting format is available, the Ligurian seafood focus and strong wine list make it a credible choice at this price range — but verify the menu format directly before booking.
Within Oneglia specifically, the dining scene is limited, making Salvo Cacciatori one of the few Michelin-recognised options in the immediate area. If you are willing to travel along the Ligurian coast, Quattro Passi in Nerano offers a higher-accolade Michelin experience with similar seafood-forward cuisine. For a more casual Ligurian meal, local trattorie in the Imperia harbour area are the practical fallback.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
