Cacio & Pepe Genova — Restaurant in Genoa

This is an honest review, After checking the ratings on Google Maps, we decided to stop here for lunch. We ordered a pesto pasta and, of course, a cacio e pepe — given that the restaurant is named after it.

The pesto was genuinely one of the best I’ve ever had; full of flavour, fresh, and rich. I’m glad to see other reviews also praising it, because it truly deserves the hype.

However, the cacio e pepe was a letdown. We were warned that it was “saporito” (flavourful), but I didn’t expect it to be overwhelmingly salty. The presentation was nice, but the taste… left me speechless, and not in a good way. I’m not sure if this was a one-off, but it completely threw off my expectations of such a simple classic dish. Saying it was salty is an understatement.

That said, the service was IMPECCABLE. The lady with short hair was extremely polite, attentive, and professional, a real standout. If it weren’t for her and the rest of the team, this would have been a lower-rated experience.

Overall: • Pesto: Outstanding • Cacio e pepe: Disappointing • Service: Flawless

Hence, 3 stars. If you’re going for the cacio e pepe, maybe ask them to go easy...

I asked an hour in advance if we can just come in an hour again and the waitress reserved us a table! Incredibly friendly (young lady with not so short brown hair).

We would recommend getting there from 5-5:30. After that, it was full and we saw people struggle/wait for seating.

Now, regarding the food, the pasta was amazing. I am someone who always said I do not like italian food & I will definitely be missing this pesto genovese in Germany. Both dishes were incredibly good. The other dish is cacio & pepe pasta, I almost regretted not getting it. Contrary to the review below, it is my opinion that the dish is impeccable.

In total we paid 44€ for: 2 courses, 2 drinks, 1 water, 1 cake, and one...

I’m begging you, don’t go there. The rating of this restaurant truly baffles me. If you’re going to call your restaurant Cacio e pepe, said dish should be pretty damn good. It was uneatable. The server warned us it was salty, but there’s salty and whatever the hell this dish was. Cacio e Pepe means Cheese and Pepper, not Salt and More Salt. It also seems like the pepper part was just a suggestion. Couldn’t finish the dish. Also ordered the ravioli: it tasted like any meat sauce you can buy in any grocery store in the world. Maybe the pesto is good, but this is Genova, the pesto is good everywhere. Actually, may I suggest Cavour 21; you’ll eat way better than this scamming...