L'Acciuga Osteria — Restaurant in Ravenna

This was a really mixed experience.

Lows: My pregnant wife being served raw then undercooked langoustine successively. (It was a dish served undercooked but the waiter recommended it as an option reassuring us that they could modify the recipe to cook the langoustine through. My impression was that the chefs did not agree and stubbonly refused to cook the shellfish to a temperature suitable for a pregnant woman!)

Very strong flavour contrasts which mostly didn't work. (Mackerel with onion chutney, scorpion fish with a highly pungent bisque sauce, squid with an intense sabzi-esque dried spinach sauce, grouper with a fancy version of hoi sin sauce.) Really intense flavours which totally overwhelmed the fish. I wonder if perhaps the chef doesnt actually like fish? Certainly they are not interested in maximising the flavour of the fish served, but masking it with intense sauces. Or maybe the chef is a heavy smoker? And has lost the subtler parts of their palette. Regardless - most of the dishes, while interesting, were not actually nice or enjoyable to eat. The price. The price undoubtedly reflects the considerable effort put into this food. But it feels more like a work in progress menu. Paying such a high price (€100 pp) stings when you don't really enjoy the majority of what you are eating. Tiny amount of fish on each dish. (Except for the cerviche appetiser which was very generous).

Highs: The waiter was lovely and attentive. The decor is beautiful and really imaginatively done The wine is excellent and the waiter recommended great wines to go with the fish. The first amuse bouche and the last (a selection of tiny pattiserie to be eaten in a specific order) were really outstanding and delicious. The gurnard cerviche with grapefruit juice was the one time when the intense flavour contrasts worked brilliantly. It was  impressive and delicious.

Overall, if you have money to burn and you want a bit of an adventure, then maybe this will be fun. But if you want to to guarentee enjoying everything - go somewhere more affordable which cooks things more simply and traditionally in a way which emphasises the flavour profile of the fish and almost certainly gives you more than a mouthful of...

L’Acciuga Osteria is a true culinary gem. Every course – from the delicate langoustine to the beautifully balanced anchovy pasta – was refined, creative, and bursting with flavor. The presentation was stunning, the ingredients top-notch, and the attention to detail impeccable. Honestly, I’d easily award them a Michelin star.

And the dessert? The cherry on top – the perfect finish to an unforgettable meal.

Let me know if you’d like it in a more casual or more formal tone for specific platforms like TripAdvisor, Google,...

Lovely, comfortable room that strikes a great balance between stylish and relaxing. Food is similarly very well judged in its updating and refinement of classic Italian fish cooking.

We had a cacio e pepe risotto with a layer of smoked eel lying in wait at the bottom of the plate. Amazing way to infuse the whole dish with a punch of salty, smoky flavour.

We followed that with a pan of triglie and mixed vegetables. Subtle, all elements perfectly cooked, and just the prettiest fish dish I've ever...