Day-by-day eating plans for Cagliari. weekend classics, family routes, vegan plans, on-a-budget editions.

Day-by-day plans

Cagliari weekend: fregola, carasau and the Marina ★ 4.7

First-time visitor, two days2 days

Two days built around the plates Cagliari does better than anywhere else: clams and bottarga on Via Sardegna, pane carasau on Via Azuni, inland meat on Via Sassari, and a sunset drink on the Castello ramparts.

  1. Day 1: Saturday: market morning, Marina trattoria, Castello sunset

    Morning
    Start at the Mercato Civico di Santa Chiara above Piazza Yenne, the oldest of the civic markets, open to 15:00 on Saturday, then walk down Largo Carlo Felice into the Marina.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Trattoria Lillicu on Via Sardegna. No menu, so let the waiter recite the catch and order the spaghetti with arselle clams and bottarga.
    Evening
    Aperitivo on the ramparts at Libarium Nostrum on Via Santa Croce, then dinner at Josto on Via Sassari for Pierluigi Fais's modern Sardinian cooking.

  2. Day 2: Sunday: carasau lunch and inland meat

    Morning
    Coffee and a pastry at Antico Caffe on Piazza Costituzione, trading since 1838, then walk up the Bastione and into Castello.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Panefratteria on Via Azuni: pane frattau, the carasau stack with tomato, pecorino and a poached egg.
    Evening
    Dinner at Sa Domu Sarda on Via Sassari for the inland side of the island, the meat and pasta cooking of the interior.

Cagliari on a budget: a day of cheap plates ★ 4.3

Budget traveller, one day1 day

A day of Cagliari eating that stays cheap without going near a tourist menu: bakery pizzetta below the Bastione, a fixed-price Sardinian lunch on Via Napoli, pizza on Piazzetta Savoia and a late kitchen on Via Oristano.

  1. Day 1: Bakery breakfast to a 05:00 kitchen

    Morning
    Breakfast at Ditrizio Pasticceria on Via Crispi, below the Bastione, from 07:00 any day but Monday: a pizzetta sfoglia and a cappuccino for the price of a coffee elsewhere.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Su Cumbidu on Via Napoli, where the set Sardinian menus run around €20 to 30 and the kitchen sends out culurgiones and seadas, then a walk down to the Marina.
    Evening
    Dinner at Impasto on Piazzetta Savoia for pizza and fresh pasta, with Francis Drake on Via Oristano as the fallback if the night runs past midnight.
← Back to Cagliari food guide