La Nuova Spezia — Restaurant in La Spezia

Our visit to La Nuova Spezia for dinner was an absolute delight, a true spirit of Italian hospitality and culinary tradition. From the moment we stepped in, we were warmly greeted by our host and promptly seated for a memorable evening. The restaurant's decor alone tells a story, beautifully decorated with fascinating memorabilia including medals of honor, historical paintings, images from the restaurant's past, Lions Club plaques, owners painting and various recognition awards. It was clear this establishment, thriving for over half a century, is a cherished local establishment. The highlight was a personal visit from one of the owners in the painting, who not only checked on us but also graciously offered recommendations for their best dishes – a truly personal touch that made us feel right at home. We began our meal with the standard Italian start: some fresh bread & ordered their delightful house wine to pair with our meal. For our main courses, we ordered the grilled squid which was tender and perfectly cooked to the perfection. The seafood risotto was a "proper" seafood risotto – rich, flavorful, and packed with the fresh catches of the Ligurian coast. While my wife, a true seafood enthusiast, savored every bit of everything. While, Me not a typical seafood fan, found myself trying to enjoy the experience. I stole the pasta from her scampi pasta & the delicious risotto from the seafood risotto. To conclude our feast, we indulged in two classic Italian desserts again recommendation of the owner. The classic tiramisu, served elegantly in a tiny shot glass,and another delectable layered dessert, generously topped with powdered sugar. Both were the perfect sweet ending to our meal. La Nuova Spezia offers more than just food; it offers an authentic experience. With great food, a charming ambiance, and wonderful company, it's a place where even a non-seafood aficionado like myself can thoroughly appreciate the freshness and quality. We left with full hearts and happy palates, thoroughly impressed by this timeless gem in La Spezia. I highly recommend...

This place has a vibe. You will be brought back to the 80s/90s. I can feel that this place was a hit back in the days.

The waiters are experienced and you can see the hospitality runs thru their veins. The audience is 100% local. Construction workers, young and older men in suites, couples in their jogging pants, mature women eating alone. Just exactly how you want a restaurant to be filled. People of all classes come together to eat.

I ordered grilled veggies, deepfried and breaded squid and the steamed mussels.

White bread on the table was stale and tasteless the dark bread on the other hand was quite moist and had a great texture. Grilled veggies were flavorful and tasted fresh and lovely.

Deep fried squid were crunchy and after adding some salt they were overall tasty. Not the very best I've had so far, somehow they were lacking the punch of the sea yet after all decent and for 12 euro I guess it's fair.

Washed down with the local house white wine , overall fresh with just a hint of sweetness in the aftertaste and with a little natural fizz to it.

They forgot my 2nd course (mussels) but after a friendly reminder it was served Within 8 minutes. They were ok. Overall a little too heavy on the garlic side and some of them smelled a little off.

So, am I disappointed to have come here? Absolutely not! Will I come back? Yes, but I would order something else. I really do love the vibe and the honest energy of this place.

And for 35 Euro it's still...

This has easily become my favorite restaurant ever. We happened to go there because of the good reviews and it did not disappoint. The food was amazing, I had happy tears when trying the lobster pasta. You could taste the freshness of the ingredients and you immediately knew it was made with love. The prices are super fair and service was also great. Fiore and Rim were incredible to us. They had great recommendations and a contagious charming mood☺️. They also offered us a limoncello on the house, which we had to kindly deny because we had already ordered too much wine. My partner and I are not usually restaurant-repeaters but we liked it so much that we wanted to go the next day. Unfortunately, it was closed, but that didn’t stop us from returning the day after. Fiore and Rim recognized us immediately and we got great recommendations. They treated us to bruschetta on the house, which was amazing. The spaghetti alla scarpara is to die for. My boyfriend also ordered a lasagna, which was not on the menu and they still did it for him and he loved it!! The desserts are also incredible. Especially the tiramisu is magnificent. And they treated us to coffee on the house!! Honestly, i have never had such a great overall experience in any restaurant. I’m still sad we had to leave and I’m still craving the pasta from there. 🥹 I will definitely return one day, this is my best recommendation! Fiore & Rim: Grazie...