Restaurant in Sanluri, Italy
Authentic Sardinian cooking, Michelin-recognised, €€ price.
Coxinendi earned a 2024 Michelin Bib Gourmand for a reason: chef Davide Atzeni delivers focused, traditional Sardinian cooking at a €€ price point that few restaurants in the region can match. With a 4.8 Google rating across 222 reviews, this is the most credentialed table in Sanluri and worth a detour if you are travelling through Medio Campidano.
The assumption most visitors bring to Coxinendi is that a €€ restaurant in a mid-Sardinian town like Sanluri is a compromise: decent enough, forgettable. That assumption is wrong. The 2024 Michelin Bib Gourmand, awarded to restaurants delivering exceptional cooking at moderate prices, confirms this is a deliberate destination, not a default. If you are passing through the Medio Campidano on your way between Cagliari and Oristano and you skip Coxinendi, you are skipping the most decorated table in the area.
Chef Davide Atzeni named the restaurant after the Sardinian dialect word for cooking — coxinendi , and the menu follows that etymology honestly. This is not a venue trying to reinvent island cuisine or dress it up for tourists. It is a focused, experienced kitchen turning out traditional Sardinian flavour with the precision that comes from a chef who has put in the hours. For a first-timer, that means you can arrive expecting recognisable Sardinian staples executed with care, not a tasting menu of architectural abstractions.
Coxinendi sits at Via Sant' Antioco, 1 in Sanluri, a town in the province of Medio Campidano in southern Sardinia. Sanluri is not a resort destination, which means the crowd here is predominantly local and regional rather than tourist-facing. That is a practical signal worth noting: the kitchen is cooking for an audience that knows what authentic Sardinian food should taste and smell like. The aromas coming from a kitchen like this , braised meats, herb-heavy sauces, the warm mineral note of Sardinian olive oil at temperature , are calibrated for guests who will notice if something is off. They are not.
A Google rating of 4.8 across 222 reviews tells you the kitchen's consistency is not a one-off. That score, combined with the Michelin Bib Gourmand, gives you two independent data points pointing the same direction. First-timers should trust them and book without overthinking.
On format: expect a trattoria-style experience more than a fine dining ceremony. The €€ price range means you are not paying for elaborate tableside theatre or a long-format tasting menu. You are paying for Sardinian cooking that punches above its price point. Order broadly rather than cautiously, and lean toward whatever the kitchen is foregrounding that day , Atzeni's approach is rooted in seasonal, traditional flavour rather than a static global menu.
Coxinendi's format does not point toward a strong off-premise offering. The Bib Gourmand distinction recognises the full dining experience , the cooking in context, the atmosphere of a locally embedded restaurant in a Sardinian town. Traditional Sardinian dishes, particularly those involving slow-braised meats, handmade pasta, or dishes finished with fresh herbs and olive oil, can hold reasonably well for short-distance collection compared to, say, a fine dining venue where every component is plated to order. That said, no booking method, website, or delivery information is currently confirmed for Coxinendi in the available data. If off-premise eating is your priority, call ahead before visiting to confirm what is possible. For a meal that matters , a first visit, a group dinner, an occasion , eat in. The on-premise experience is what earned the recognition.
Booking at Coxinendi is not the high-stakes operation it would be at a Michelin-starred city restaurant. Sanluri is a small town and the restaurant is relatively new. That said, a Bib Gourmand listing in the Michelin Guide Italy circulates the name beyond the local audience, and evenings at a well-reviewed, affordable restaurant in a town with limited competition do fill. Booking a few days ahead for dinner is reasonable. Lunch on a weekday is likely the most available slot. Walk-ins may work, but do not rely on them for a group or a special occasion.
There is no website or phone number confirmed in the available data, which means your leading route to a reservation is searching the venue by name on Google Maps or a local booking platform. The address , Via Sant' Antioco, 1 , is confirmed.
For visitors exploring the broader Sardinian restaurant scene, two other Sardinian-focused restaurants worth comparing are Fradis Minoris in Pula and Bacchus in Olbia. Both operate on the island, though in different coastal contexts to Coxinendi's inland, local-focused position. If your itinerary covers southern Sardinia more broadly, our full Sanluri restaurants guide covers additional options in the area. For accommodation and planning around your visit, see our Sanluri hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide.
For reference across the wider Italian dining spectrum, venues such as Uliassi in Senigallia, Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, Piazza Duomo in Alba, Le Calandre in Rubano, Enrico Bartolini in Milan, and Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli in Verona represent the country's broader high-end dining range , all operating at price points well above Coxinendi, which helps clarify where the Bib Gourmand sits on the value spectrum.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coxinendi | Sardinian | €€ | Coxinendi (“cooking” in the Sardinian dialect) is a recently opened restaurant run by talented chef Davide Atzeni, who has plenty of experience behind him. Here, he focuses on creating authentic Sardinian dishes full of traditional flavour.; Coxinendi (“cooking” in the Sardinian dialect) is a recently opened restaurant run by talented chef Davide Atzeni, who has plenty of experience behind him. Here, he focuses on creating authentic Sardinian dishes full of traditional flavour.; Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) | Easy | — |
| 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 | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
A few days to a week in advance is likely sufficient for most visits — Sanluri is a small inland town, not a high-traffic tourist destination. That said, Coxinendi holds a 2024 Michelin Bib Gourmand, which draws attention beyond the local area, so booking ahead for weekends is sensible. If you are visiting during Sardinian public holidays or summer, add extra lead time.
Sanluri is a small town and Coxinendi is its most credentialled dining option by some distance, given its 2024 Bib Gourmand. For comparable Sardinian-focused cooking in the broader region, Fradis Minoris in Pula and Su Gologone near Oliena are worth the drive. Neither is in Sanluri, but if Sardinian cooking is the priority rather than location, they represent meaningful alternatives.
No specific dietary accommodation policy is documented for Coxinendi. Given that the kitchen focuses on traditional Sardinian dishes, the menu will be grounded in local ingredients — meat, fish, and dairy feature heavily in Sardinian cooking. check the venue's official channels at Via Sant' Antioco, 1 before booking if dietary restrictions are a deciding factor.
At €€ pricing with a focus on traditional Sardinian cooking, Coxinendi is a reasonable solo option — you are not committing to a high-cost tasting menu format where a solo seat feels like a compromise. The Bib Gourmand recognition suggests the experience holds up without a group to share dishes. Solo diners exploring inland Sardinia will find it a practical and well-priced choice.
Yes, with the right expectations. The 2024 Michelin Bib Gourmand gives it genuine credibility, and chef Davide Atzeni's focus on authentic Sardinian cooking gives the meal a sense of purpose. At €€, it does not carry the ceremony of a starred room, but for a celebratory dinner centred on regional food rather than formal theatre, it works well. If you need a high-formality setting, look to a starred restaurant elsewhere in Sardinia.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
