Il Portico

On the promenade, opposite the harbour

Il Portico is on the Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo, the Stintino promenade, with its tables facing Porto Mannu, the harbour where many boats to Asinara are taken. It is a large, informal venue that does a bit of everything: restaurant, pizzeria, fried-food counter and cocktail bar. That is why it works well for families and groups who cannot agree, and for an uncomplicated dinner after a day at the beach or on a boat.

What to order

The pizza is the strong point for many: long-fermented dough baked in a wood-fired oven, also wholemeal or ten-grain, with dozens of combinations, from margherita to seafood pizzas and ones with Sardinian produce.

If you prefer cooked dishes, the menu mixes sea and land. For starters, octopus with potatoes, mussel zuppetta, carpaccios, tartare, fried pasta and local cured meats and cheeses. For first courses, spaghetti with clams, tagliolini with cuttlefish ink, fregola and stuffed pasta such as culurgiones. Among the most ordered main courses, according to the house, the grilled bluefin tuna, the squid and the organic Stintino gilthead bream, which they also cook at low temperature. For meat-eaters there is steak, tagliata with artichokes and a homemade burger.

The fried seafood is another speciality: squid, prawns and meatballs made to order, to share or as a single dish. For dessert, spoon desserts, individual portions and some Sardinian specialities.

What it costs

The house describes itself as affordably priced: you can eat just a pizza or have a full dinner with wine. The menu with prices is on an external website we could not consult: ask for it at the table or by phone.

Getting there and booking

It is in the centre, on the promenade, a few steps from the boats to Asinara. It is open every day in season, at lunchtime and in the evening, and the bar serves an aperitivo at sunset. To book, call 079 520078 or 335 5631027, write by email or use the form on its website. In August, book dinner.