Italian€€MarinaMon 12:30-15:00, 19:30-23:00; Wed-Sun 12:30-15:00, 19:30-23:00
Panefratteria builds its Cagliari menu on pane carasau, the sheet bread softened into pane frattau and zuppa gallurese in a modern room on Via Azuni.
Order: Pane frattau, tomato, pecorino and a poached egg.
Why locals love it: A whole menu built on pane carasau, the sheet bread most visitors only meet as a bread basket in other rooms.
Tip: Closed Tuesday; there is a garden at the back and the grappa and Sardinian wine list is longer than the food menu.
Japanese€€MarinaMon 12:30-14:30, 19:30-22:30; Wed-Thu 12:30-14:30, 19:30-22:30; Fri-Sat 12:30-15:00, 19:30-23:00; Sun 12:30-15:00, 19:30-22:30
Osteria Kobuta cooks Japanese-Sardinian plates in Cagliari off Largo Carlo Felice, a seasonal menu built for sharing in a room of maybe ten tables.
Order: The seasonal sharing menu, start to finish.
Why locals love it: Ten tables of Japanese-Sardinian cooking behind Largo Carlo Felice, a room most Cagliari guides still miss entirely.
Tip: Closed Tuesday, and the kitchen writes a new menu each season; WhatsApp booking is the fastest way to get a table.
Japanese izakaya€€San BenedettoWed-Sat 12:30-15:00, 20:00-23:00
Gaijin Izakaya brings small Japanese plates to Cagliari on Via Giacomo Puccini, a narrow room of skewers and donburi that the Gambero Rosso guide rates.
Order: A run of skewers off the charcoal counter.
Why locals love it: A four-day-a-week izakaya in San Benedetto, off every Marina tourist route and rated by the Italian guides.
Tip: Only four days a week, Wednesday to Saturday, and both sittings are small, so book ahead rather than walking up.
Italian€€VillanovaMon-Sun 13:00-15:00; Mon-Sat 20:00-23:00
La Locanda dei Buoni e Cattivi in Cagliari is a villa restaurant and guest house that trains young staff, cooking seasonal organic Sardinian plates.
Order: Sunday's Sa Picchettada buffet lunch.
Why locals love it: A villa restaurant that doubles as a training kitchen for young Sardinians, with a garden nobody expects behind the gate.
Tip: Weekday lunch runs a fixed-price menu alongside the carte; the garden and terrace are the reason to book ahead in spring.
Seafood€€MarinaMon-Sat 13:00-15:00, 20:00-23:00
Stella Marina di Montecristo works the far end of Via Sardegna in Cagliari, sixty covers of maritime kit and fish bought fresh that morning.
Order: Whatever came off the boats that morning, cooked simply.
Why locals love it: Sixty covers at the quiet end of Via Sardegna, where the fish arrives that morning and the room stays local.
Tip: It shuts for a variable stretch in August, and the sixty covers go fast in summer, so call the mobile number to hold a table.
Brewery€€
Il Birrificio di Cagliari brews on Via Newton and pours its own beer beside grilled meat, the city's own brewpub rather than another bottle bar.
Order: The house lager alongside the grilled beef.
Why locals love it: Cagliari's own brewpub sits out by Via Newton, far enough from the centre that visitors rarely find the taps.
Tip: It took a Barcelona Beer Challenge gold for its Tuvixeddu; it sits out by the ring road, so it is a taxi rather than a walk from the Marina.