Cappun Magru, Manarola (Groppo)

Cappun Magru is an intimate, ambitious restaurant in the hamlet of Groppo, set among the vineyard terraces above Manarola in the Cinque Terre and named after cappon magro, the elaborate layered Genoese seafood-and-vegetable salad that is one of Liguria's most labour-intensive festive dishes. The kitchen takes a creative, tasting-menu-driven approach to Cinque Terre and Ligurian ingredients, building inventive courses around local fish, garden vegetables and herbs, and pairing them with strong local wines including the rare sweet Sciacchetra made from dried grapes on the surrounding terraces. The cooking is personal and refined, more in the mould of a chef's small private dining room than a conventional trattoria, and the experience is correspondingly intimate. The restaurant is genuinely tiny, with only a handful of tables, so the atmosphere is quiet, focused and personal, and dinner is unhurried; smart-casual dress suits the room. This is one of the more sophisticated meals in the Cinque Terre, with tasting menus typically in the region of EUR 50-80 per person and a la carte choice available, plus wine; the cellar's local Cinque Terre DOC whites and Sciacchetra dessert pairings are a highlight. Because seating is so limited and the kitchen ambitious, reservations are essential and should be made well ahead; the restaurant focuses on dinner, with some lunch service in season, and typically closes one day a week and in the quieter months, so checking ahead is important. Groppo sits above Manarola and is reached on foot or by the local shuttle bus from the village, a short journey worth the reward of dining among the vines away from the coastal crowds. For travellers seeking the most inventive and refined cooking in the Cinque Terre, in a tiny, personal setting, Cappun Magru is a standout.