Villa Beach — Restaurant in Crabonaxa/Villasimius

Nestled between sea breeze and starlight, where the Sardinian coast melts into magic, there exists a seaside sanctuary masquerading as a restaurant , Villa Beach Restaurant. If you’ve ever wondered what it might feel like to dine inside a postcard with your child giggling on a swing while you sip a sparkling Rose (can't remember the name) to live acoustic guitar, stop wondering and get yourself a reservation.

We arrived slightly sun-kissed, moderately hungry, and entirely unaware that the evening ahead would not just fill our bellies, but imprint itself on the entire emotional highlight reel of our month-long Italian adventure. Let’s start with the food — mamma mia.

The Lobster Linguine?

It didn’t just arrive at the table — it made an entrance. A dish so fragrant, you could practically hear Poseidon clapping in the distance. The pasta was perfectly al dente (no surprise there, this is Italy, after all), and the lobster, tender and sweet, had clearly been living its best life just hours earlier.

The Clam Linguine?

An ode to restraint and balance. The brine of the sea held hands with fresh parsley and garlic in a sauce so light and flavorful it could have been whispered into existence.

The Bruschetta?

A rustic starter turned rustic stunner. Juicy tomatoes, basil that probably grew up listening to Andrea Bocelli, and olive oil that’s smoother than a Milanese lounge singer. Toasted just enough to offer crunch but never threaten a dental emergency.

And the Steak?

Ah, the steak. A glorious carnivorous counterpoint to the sea’s offerings. Charred on the outside, melting within, and seasoned like the chef was whispering secrets from the Tuscan hills into each slice.

But if Villa Beach were just about food, it would be a very good restaurant. What elevates it to legendary status is everything else.

The Staff?

Forget the cold, rehearsed service of big-city bistros, this was hospitality with a soul. The manager didn’t just visit our table; he adopted us. At one point, he pulled me aside to the bar for a personal toast — glass raised high, eyes sparkling like someone who knows they’re part of something special. And he is.

Our Daughter?

Unshackled from the tyranny of sit-still dining, she spent the night chasing joy through the restaurant with a new little friend. The pièce de résistance? Swings. Inside the restaurant. Actual swings. Whoever thought of this deserves a knighthood from every traveling parent.

Live Music?

Not the awkward guy with a keyboard and backing track, real music. The kind that rolls through your chest and makes the wine taste better. It filled the air without ever overpowering the conversation, and as the sky turned indigo, it made the night feel like a film set.

By the end of dinner, we weren’t just customers — we were part of the Villa Beach family. It was the kind of evening that recalibrates what “a good meal” even means. This wasn’t just the highlight of our Sardinian stop — it rewrote the whole Italian itinerary. One evening — four dishes, one swing, and a toast — changed everything.

We’ll be back. Not just because of the food, or the wine, or even the swings. But because Villa Beach reminded us that sometimes, the best memories aren’t planned. They’re plated. And this one was served seaside, with a smile.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

(Michelin hasn’t shown up yet. But if they do, they better bring six stars...

The location is great – right off the beach in Simius – but unfortunately the experience did not live up to expectations with its romantic lights and open air beach feel. No views of the sea unfortunately.

Parking is about 200 meters away, and from the start things felt disorganized on arrival.

Service was extremely slow: • No bread for the first 30 minutes. • A simple primo (pasta) only arrived after 40+ minutes – and even then, many of the clam shells were empty. The bread arrived awkwardly at the same time as the pasta. • Mains did not appear until 1 hour and 15 minutes after ordering.

The food itself was disappointing. The fish main came with skin that was unpleasantly oily (almost like cod liver oil), and the sauce was dominated by jarred capers and olives – very salty, with little freshness, despite the addition of tomatoes. The grilled vegetables were fine, but nothing memorable.

To make matters worse, the restaurant had run out of desserts, including tiramisu, so we settled for ice cream – and in the end decided against it. The bill was also inaccurate, with an overcharge for wine, though the coperto was still added.

Overall, a poor experience: very slow service, disorganized timing, average-to-poor food quality, and billing issues. A beautiful location, but not worth the...

Bell'ambiente accompagnato da musica in sottofondo. C'è la possibilità di fare sia aperitivo sia pranzo/cena con varie scelte (carne/pesce/panini,...). Griglia a vista. Serate organizzate a tema. La prima volta siamo andati a pranzo e siamo stati accolti e serviti dal titolare, una persona molto cordiale, generosa e attenta a soddisfare le richieste del cliente. Abbiamo ordinato la "frittura villa beach" con porzione ridotta per una sola persona (18€, in sostituzione a quella più abbondante per due persone da 30€ proposta nel menù) e linguine alla bottarga con vongole (20€). Le linguine erano buone e gustose, eccellenti, consigliatissime. Anche la frittura era buonissima, croccante, non troppo unta. Posto consigliato per la qualità del cibo.

Abbiamo quindi deciso di tornare a cena. Il servizio è stato mediocre. Questa volta non siamo stati serviti dal titolare, come invece ha fatto con i tavoli accanto a noi, ma si è preoccupato lo stesso quando ha visto il nostro tavolo ancora vuoto nonostante avessimo ordinato da un po' di tempo. Abbiamo ordinato una zuppa di cozze (consiglio quella con gorgonzola e pecorino), che è stata buona, e una frittura villa beach (30€). CRITICA: avremmo voluto ordinate una frittura di soli calamari (18€), visto che non mangio tutto il resto, e una frittura villa beach (18-20€ invece di 30€) per una persona. La critica è rivolta al cameriere che ci ha negato, senza nemmeno chiedere, la possibilità di fare come la volta precedente nonostante gli avessimo spiegato che era stato il suo collega/titolare a proporci di ridurre la frittura villa beach per una sola persona. Risultato: mi sono riempito di pane e termino la vacanza con un'esperienza negativa.

Vorrei fare alcune critiche costruttive riguardo al servizio di questo ristorante, non volutamente inserite nella prima recensione vista l'esperienza estremamente positiva. Viene fatto pagare un coperto di 2.50€ ma le sedie non vengono pulite, c'è una minuscola tovaglietta per persona, il bagno è "da spiaggia" cioè ancora sporco e puzzolente dalla giornata, non ci sono salviette in bagno per asciugarsi le mani e non vengono portate le salviette umide insieme al pesce.

Punti di forza: il titolare, l'ambiente con musica di sottofondo, bontà del cibo (a mio dire superiore di molti...