The Best Seafood Near Il Grifone, by the Record
-
Rank 1. Acqua Pazza
Mediterranean Seafood
-
Rank 2. Osteria Bartolini
Mediterranean Seafood
-
Rank 3. Ensama Pesce
Puglia Seafood
-
Rank 4. Trattoria Lanzagallo
Seafood
A seafood trattoria in the flatlands outside Ferrara that has been a local fixture long enough to count as furniture. The room has been freshened up without losing its unfussy bones, and the kitchen stays loyal to the classics, raw scampi lightly kissed with lemon zest, turbot under a potato crust. The Michelin Guide gives it a Bib Gourmand, which tracks: this is the kind of cooking where the fish does the talking.
-
Rank 5. Quel Fantastico Giovedì
Modern Seafood
A seafood-forward restaurant that has been around forever and still books out well ahead, which tells you most of what you need to know. The intimate dining rooms feel genuinely warm rather than fussy, and the service matches. Fish comes prepared with a classic sensibility and lighter modern instincts, while a few Ferrarese meat dishes, salama da sugo among them, hold their own on a menu that is otherwise happily pointed at the sea.
-
Rank 6. Makorè
Italian Contemporary Seafood
The kitchen has a window onto the pass, so you can watch the brigade work while the sommelier talks you through the pairings. This is a contemporary seafood restaurant grown out of a partnership with the fishmonger next door, and the menu stays loyal to that origin: fish, shellfish, and vegetables, with quiet nods toward Japan in the marinades and fresh pasta. The room is elegant without being stiff.
-
Rank 7. MikEle
Modern Seafood
Portholes punctuate the walls of this sleek seafood restaurant in Ferrari country, which is either a bold design statement or a gentle reminder that you're nowhere near the coast. The kitchen leans modern but stays honest, letting the catch carry the meal. A daily selection of raw and simply prepared fish anchors the menu, and the tagliolini with langoustine, caviar, and a Martini-spiked cabbage purée shows where the chef's ambitions surface.
-
Rank 8. La Buca
Seafood
The terrace sits right over the canal, close enough that you could theoretically dip a hand in, which is either charming or alarming depending on your relationship with water. This Michelin-starred seafood restaurant in Cesenatico focuses almost entirely on fish, from unfussy raw starters to more composed plates where pickled fruit and citrus show up alongside the catch. The wine list leans heavily into Champagne, which nobody seems to mind.
-
Rank 9. La Zanzara
Seafood
A Michelin-starred seafood restaurant on a tiny islet in the Po Delta, reached by a farmhouse that sits in near-total silence broken only by lagoon birds. The kitchen leans classic, which here means golden-fried seafood, steamed fish salad with house-made squid-ink mayonnaise, and eel cooked over embers the way it's been done in this corner of Emilia-Romagna forever. The caramelized beignets with mandarin sauce are a quiet nod to local pastry legend.
-
Rank 10. Momento al 25
Italian Seafood
-
Rank 11. Osteria Bartolini
Seafood
-
Rank 12. Salsedine367
Contemporary Seafood
-
Rank 13. Osteria Bartolini
Seafood
-
Rank 14. Il Piraña
Seafood
-
Rank 15. SaleGrosso
Mediterranean Seafood
-
Rank 16. Terrazza Bartolini
Seafood
-
Rank 17. Cestello Firenze
Seafood
A seafood restaurant on a piazza anchored by the old church of San Frediano in Cestello, where the room feels relaxed but quietly dressed up. The kitchen leans contemporary and fish-forward, from raw preparations and tasting menus to a daily catch you can walk up and point at. The bar runs a thoughtful cocktail list with tapas pairings, and the wine list keeps serious Italian verticals, Masseto and Ornellaia among them.
-
Rank 18. Maré
Modern Seafood
A seafood restaurant tucked inside a private beach club on the Adriatic, where the dining room opens straight onto the sand and the umbrella rows stretch to the horizon. The cooking is careful and occasionally inventive, leaning into the catch with fresh egg pasta that mimics a risotto in the best way. The wine list leans heavily into Champagne, which, given the setting, feels like exactly the right call.
-
Rank 19. Terre Alte
Seafood