Ciao Baby — Restaurant in La Spezia

We went here for our first evening in La Spezia, and it was such a great experience we had to come back the next day!

The highlight for me is definitely the selection of excellent cocktails; we had the pleasure of chatting with the bartender, who explained that they prepare many of the ingredients (such as their coconut-infused tequila) in-house! I would absolutely recommend any of their "signature cocktails", with my personal favourite being the "Kauai".

The second highlight is the staff. On top of being welcoming and friendly, they seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves, which made us enjoy ourselves more as well! The bartender was dancing and singing along with the music, which reminds me of an old friend whose bar I used to visit regularly. Combined with the competence on display in the cocktails and the food, these are the kind of people that make me want to come back to a place over and over.

On top of these highlights, the bar is beautifully decorated and located comfortably off one end of La Spezia's Via Fiume, not far from the central station. The music is great and upbeat, and one of the two evenings we were there they had a DJ there as well!

In conclusion, I cannot recommend Ciao Baby enough. This is a place I could see myself becoming a regular at, if only I lived in La Spezia. If I'm ever so fortunate that I come back to this beautiful city, Ciao Baby will be...

At first glance, this place gives the impression of being a modern, world-class café. However, that expectation quickly fades upon entering. The menu lacks thoughtful curation, and there are unnecessary limitations on simple ingredient substitutions. For example, they are unwilling to change a fried egg to scrambled, or prepare an iced Americano instead of an iced latte.

These rigid policies, combined with a staff that comes across as unfriendly and unaccommodating, create a disappointing experience. Despite having only a few tables occupied and seemingly no rush, they still warn arriving guests of a 40-minute wait, citing a “small kitchen” and high volume. This feels less like a logistical issue and more like poor management or a lack of hospitality.

Ultimately, the café fails to meet even the basic standards of good service, let alone become the exceptional spot it appears to be at...

We went for apertivo one night when traveling in the area and it was so nice! The open air ambiance is lovely for a summer night, and there’s a retractable roof to keep some of the seating area shaded. The space is very clean and well decorated and the seating is very comfortable. Great selection of unique cocktails, and they provide a nice mix of snacks as well! We also got the tuna tartar with burrata and it was so good and fresh! The staff is also extremely friendly and welcoming!

Because of how great our experience was, and the connivence of the location to the train station we also stopped by for brunch while we were still in the area. We got a mix of food and everything was delicious - the best brunch we had during our 2 weeks in Italy! I had the avocado toast with salmon and it was so fresh. Would definitely recommend Ciao Baby if you are...