Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Farinata is a thin disc of chickpea flour, water, salt and olive oil baked in a wide shallow pan in a wood oven until crisp at the edges and soft inside, served warm in wedges with black pepper in Genoa.
Chickpeas are widely held to have reached Genoese cooking through the medieval republic's trade with the Arab world. A decree of the Republic regulated the oil used for farinata in the 15th century, and a popular story credits its invention to galley crews who found their chickpea flour and oil soaked in seawater after the Genoese victory over Pisa at Meloria in 1284. It is also baked in Tuscany and in Buenos Aires and Montevideo, where it is called fainá.
5 editor picks for Farinata in Genoa, ranked by editorial score. All Genoa signature dishes · Farinata across every city.
Antica Friggitoria Carega on Genoa's Sottoripa arcades fries squid, prawns and anchovies and sells panissa and farinata; it is a listed heritage shop.
OrderFried fish, panissa and farinata
TipInside, tiles, display cases and stools keep the traditional layout, per LiguriaDay's July 2025 walk along Sottoripa.
Il Genovese on Via Galata in Genoa opened in 1912 as a farinata shop called Raggio and keeps its wood oven; the menu lists pansoti, frisceü and stoccafisso.
OrderPansoti with walnut sauce, or the stoccafisso accomodato alla genovese.
TipPhone bookings are taken from 10:00 on +39 010 869 2937; takeaway and delivery run daily from 11:00 to 14:00 and 18:00 to 22:30.
Sà Pesta on Via dei Giustiniani in Genoa is a shop and trattoria dating to 1889, with a wood oven for farinata, savoury pies and stuffed anchovies.
OrderFarinata from the wood oven, or the mixed house plate that sits beside it on the menu.
TipThe site lists lunch Monday to Saturday and dinner Thursday to Saturday only; the same dishes are sold at the shop counter.
Osteria della Foce in Genoa's Foce district opened in December 2017 and makes its own bread, pasta and desserts, with farinata on the evening menu.
OrderThe evening farinata, or the tartare di ricciola with celery and rose syrup that Michelin names.
TipThe kitchen cooks to order, so the restaurant's page warns that dishes can take a little while to arrive.
Pizzeria Da Raffa in Sestri Ponente, Genoa, bakes thin wood-fired pizza and lists margherita at €6.50 and focaccia al formaggio at €9 on its site.
OrderMargherita (€6.50), focaccia al formaggio (€9) or a plain farinata (€9), all priced on the site.
TipThe site says to book by telephone only, not through the contact form, and the pizzeria opens at 18:45 every day.
Farinata makes more sense with someone from Genoa explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
4 hours
Tour the vibrant local markets and immerse yourself in a private lunch or dinner in a local home with a certified home cook. Enjoy an exclusive cooking demo and taste ...
3h 30m
Make handmade potato gnocchi and Genoese pesto with a mortar in a family-run Ligurian shop, then enjoy brunch with 2 local wines in Genoa.
Guided tour · 3h 30m
Embark on a Genoa Guided Food Tour and savor Genoa breakfast, a mix of traditional pasta, focaccia with cheese and panarellina, while discovering the city’s rich culin...
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