La Grotta

A 1958 house in the old town

La Grotta is on Via Principe di Napoli, in an alley in the centre of La Maddalena, a few steps from the Cala Gavetta harbour. It opened in 1958 as Trattoria La Grotta: it was founded by Antonio, Concetta and Aunt Filomena, who had come from Pozzuoli, near Naples. Today it is run by the Barretta family, in its fourth generation, with Enzo Barretta at the helm. That Neapolitan root shows in the menu, alongside fish from the archipelago.

What to order

The fish arrives each morning from local fishermen, and the menu changes with what comes in; it is charged by weight. The house classic is the aragosta alla Sette-Otto, local lobster with cherry tomatoes and onion in olive oil, to a family recipe more than sixty years old; in the dining room they keep live lobsters.

If you do not want lobster, the spaghetti or penne alla Grotta come with mixed seafood and peppers in Sardinian red wine. The pescato del giorno alla Filomena is named after the founding aunt. There is also frittura dell'Arcipelago, calamaro alla Lella stewed sweet-and-sour with white onion, a crudo del Principe di Napoli and starters such as octopus with cherry tomatoes or cuttlefish with orange. For dessert, seadas, the Sardinian cheese pastry with honey, or an almond and myrtle semifreddo. For children there is a fish and chips dish. The menu is in Italian: ask them to explain it.

What it costs

It is an expensive restaurant. The house itself reckons an average dinner of €60 to €100 per person with a starter, first course and fish main course, without the lobster, plus a €5 cover charge. If you order lobster or a large fish by weight, ask the price beforehand.

Getting there and booking

It is in the centre, five minutes' walk from the ferry quay, so you do not need a car. It is open every day in season, at lunchtime from 12:30 to 16:30 and in the evening from 19:30. In summer it is best to book, on the form on its website, by email or by phone. If you arrive by boat and are anchored, they pick you up with their launch.