Restaurant in San Remo, Italy
Book early. Liguria's finest, four nights only.
Paolo e Barbara holds a Michelin star (2024) and has been the most serious address for Ligurian cooking in San Remo since 1987. Dinner only, four nights a week, with kitchen garden produce driving a menu built on regional fish and vegetables. Book four to six weeks out minimum — availability is tight and the format rewards commitment.
Getting a table at Paolo e Barbara takes real commitment. With dinner service running just four nights a week (Wednesday through Sunday, 7:30 PM to 10 PM only), no lunch service at all, and a Michelin star drawing diners from across the Italian Riviera, availability is tight. Book at minimum four to six weeks out, particularly for Friday and Saturday evenings. If you are travelling to San Remo specifically for this meal, treat securing the reservation as the first task, not an afterthought. The effort is justified: this is the most serious Ligurian cooking in the city, and the kitchen garden-to-table model gives the food a coherence that is genuinely difficult to find at this price tier.
Paolo e Barbara has been running from the same address on Via Roma since 1987, which in the context of Italian fine dining says something meaningful about consistency. Chef Paolo Masieri has spent nearly four decades refining his interpretation of western Ligurian cooking, a cuisine built around the region's exceptional vegetables and coastal fish rather than the meat-heavy traditions you find further inland. What has changed more recently is the degree of self-sufficiency: the restaurant now operates kitchen gardens that supply the majority of its produce, including eggs, olive oil, and a small quantity of wine. That shift from sourcing to growing your own is not a marketing detail here — it directly shapes what arrives on the plate and creates a seasonal specificity that menus at comparable price points often only gesture toward.
The cooking sits at the intersection of tradition and restrained reinterpretation. Masieri takes regional recipes as a starting point and refines them without dismantling what makes them recognisable. The cappelletti filled with San Remo crayfish and served in a vegetable and Abruzzo saffron broth is a useful illustration: the format is classically Ligurian, the sourcing is hyper-local, and the execution is controlled enough to have held a Michelin star since at least 2024. For the food-focused traveller who wants to understand what western Liguria actually tastes like rather than a generic Italian tasting menu, Paolo e Barbara is the right booking.
Front of house is managed by Barbara, who handles both service and wine recommendations. At the €€€€ tier in a mid-sized Riviera city, the quality of the wine guidance matters: you are unlikely to arrive with deep knowledge of Ligurian producers, and a well-briefed sommelier effectively doubles the value of the meal. The pairing here is functional rather than theatrical, which suits the register of the cooking.
Paolo e Barbara operates at the quieter, more considered end of the fine dining spectrum. The evening service across four nights a week suggests a deliberate pace rather than volume-driven turnover, and that intention shows in the ambient feel of the room. This is a conversation-friendly dining environment, the kind of setting where you can hear the table next to you without being distracted by it. If you are looking for the buzzy, high-energy atmosphere of a coastal Italian restaurant on a summer Saturday, this is not the right venue. The mood is composed. For a special occasion dinner or a long meal with a serious food and wine companion, that composure is a feature, not a limitation.
Paolo e Barbara makes most sense for three types of visitors: food-focused travellers who want a specific Ligurian fine dining experience rather than a generic Italian one; couples or small groups marking a meaningful occasion; and diners who appreciate the farm-to-table model operating at a level of seriousness that goes beyond the phrase itself. It is not the right call if you want flexibility on timing, if you need to accommodate a large group, or if your primary interest is the San Remo social scene rather than the food. For context on the broader dining options in the city, see our full San Remo restaurants guide.
Dinner only. Wednesday through Sunday, 7:30 PM to 10 PM. Closed Monday and Tuesday. No lunch service is listed. Address: Via Roma, 47, Sanremo. Price range is €€€€, placing it at the leading of the San Remo market. Google rating: 4.4 across 149 reviews, which is a credible signal at this price point. Michelin 1 Star (2024). There is no published booking method in our data — contact directly via the restaurant address or check current booking platforms. Smart casual to formal dress is appropriate for a Michelin-starred room at this price tier.
| Venue | Location | Price | Booking Lead Time | Lunch Available | Michelin Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paolo e Barbara | San Remo | €€€€ | 4–6 weeks | No | 1 Star (2024) |
| Balzi Rossi | Ventimiglia | €€€€ | 2–4 weeks | Check direct | Michelin-recognised |
| Quattro Passi | Marina del Cantone | €€€€ | 3–5 weeks | Yes (seasonal) | 2 Stars |
| Uliassi | Senigallia | €€€€ | 6–8 weeks | Seasonal | 3 Stars |
For further exploration of the San Remo area, see our San Remo bars guide, our San Remo wineries guide, and our San Remo experiences guide.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paolo e Barbara | Ligurian, Country cooking | Paolo and Barbara have been serving excellent cuisine in San Remo since 1987, demonstrating a real passion for local ingredients and regional specialities. This interest has culminated in kitchen gardens that now provide most of the ingredients used in their dishes, including eggs, olive oil and a small amount of wine. Along with top-quality fish, vegetables form the basis of western Liguria’s cuisine, which Paolo combines in his reinterpretations of traditional recipes. His style is showcased in dishes such as cappelletti (a type of egg ravioli) filled with San Remo crayfish and served with a vegetable and Abruzzo saffron broth, an elegant dish that is full of flavour. Barbara oversees the service front of house and provides guests with wine recommendations.; Paolo and Barbara have been serving excellent cuisine in San Remo since 1987, demonstrating a real passion for local ingredients and regional specialities. This interest has culminated in kitchen gardens that now provide most of the ingredients used in their dishes, including eggs, olive oil and a small amount of wine. Along with top-quality fish, vegetables form the basis of western Liguria’s cuisine, which Paolo combines in his reinterpretations of traditional recipes. His style is showcased in dishes such as cappelletti (a type of egg ravioli) filled with San Remo crayfish and served with a vegetable and Abruzzo saffron broth, an elegant dish that is full of flavour. Barbara oversees the service front of house and provides guests with wine recommendations.; Michelin 1 Star (2024) | Hard | — |
| Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler | Italian, Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Dal Pescatore | Italian, Italian Contemporary | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Osteria Francescana | Progressive Italian, Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Quattro Passi | Italian, Mediterranean Cuisine | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Reale | Progressive Italian, Modern Cuisine | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Paolo e Barbara and alternatives.
This is a Michelin-starred restaurant that has been run by the same couple since 1987, with chef Paolo Masieri cooking and Barbara managing the floor and wine service. The kitchen grows much of its own produce, including eggs and olive oil, and the menu centres on western Ligurian ingredients — local fish, vegetables, and regional recipes reinterpreted rather than reinvented. It is a dinner-only operation running four nights a week, so treat the booking as the anchor point of your visit rather than a casual add-on.
Book at least three to four weeks ahead, particularly for Friday and Saturday. With service running only Wednesday through Sunday evenings, seats are finite and demand from both locals and visitors to the Italian Riviera is real. If you are travelling specifically to eat here, confirm the reservation before you book travel.
Paolo e Barbara is the clear first choice in San Remo for Michelin-level Ligurian cooking, but if you cannot get a table, Quattro Passi in Nerano holds two Michelin stars and offers a comparable southern Italian fine dining format at a higher price point. For a different register entirely, Dal Pescatore in Mantua is a three-generation family restaurant with a similar ethos around regional produce and long-term continuity.
Dinner is the only option. Paolo e Barbara does not offer lunch service, so there is no choice to make. Service runs Wednesday through Sunday from 7:30 PM to 10 PM, and the restaurant is closed Monday and Tuesday.
The venue holds a Michelin star and is priced at €€€€, which signals a considered rather than casual dress expectation. A jacket for men and equivalent effort for women is a reasonable read. The restaurant has been operating at this level since 1987, and the front-of-house is managed by Barbara Masieri personally, which suggests a room that takes presentation seriously.
Yes, with one practical caveat: this works best for two people or a small group who are genuinely interested in Ligurian cooking, not just a prestigious room. The Michelin star, the longevity since 1987, and Barbara's personal wine guidance make it a strong setting for a birthday, anniversary, or a deliberate food-focused dinner. Groups who want a livelier atmosphere or a more flexible menu format may find a different style of restaurant serves the occasion better.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
