Osteria Del Mare — Restaurant in Livorno

lol did a quick trip from Florence and wanted to try “Cacciucco” and was waiting since ~7pm (they open at 7:30) before one of the last trains I have to catch back to Florence.

One of the waiters had come in around the same time I started queuing & clearly saw me waiting. He had just clocked into his shift inside I think. He comes out maybe 10 minutes later to set the tables outside and asks if I have a reservation. I say no. He claims they are fully booked from 7:30pm. Like the entire restaurant. lol.

I’ve left now & it’s 7:44pm and Google is showing that it’s “usually not too busy” around this time. Can’t help but feel a bit of racism come into play here. Shame. Wouldn’t recommend this restaurant to tourists.

Heading back to Florence now where there are plenty of other options and...

Ring the bell outside and the staff will let you inside. As soon as we walked in we felt at home. Such a warm and cozy restaurant!

Fantastic food. As first dish I really must recommend the gnoochi with prawns, it's truly a perfected dish. The gnoochi melts in your mouth, together with the prawns, sauce and mushrooms, the dish has it all. Seafood is also good, fresh and nicely cooked, both fried and grilled.

They have had michelin stars between 2006-2015 I think. No longer, but I see that as something positive. No dress code and you can eat seafood with your hands without feeling judged.

I recommed you make a reservation as the restaurant is quite small...

Recommended by the locals, this family-run seafood restaurant not just lived up to but well exceeded my expectation. Very friendly and enthusiastic staff from the waiters to the chefs.

Lovely food on offer and the portion is all very generous. I personally went for Riso Nero and the platter of the fried seafood that were both marvellous.

The décor of the restaurant has a strong maritime feel that added more authenticity to its seafood theme. Very popular among the locals so advance booking, even for lunch, is necessary to avoid...