Il Genovese, Traditional Ligurian restaurant in Centro Est, Genoa, Italy.
Il Genovese is a Ligurian restaurant in central Genoa, serving house-made pasta and regional dishes rooted in the cooking of the Ligurian coast. The menu is short, with a focus on vegetables and seasonal ingredients sourced from the surrounding area.
The place opened in 1912 as a bakery called RAGGIO, where farinata was baked in a wood-fired oven. Over time it became a full restaurant, but the transition kept the original structure and the oven in place.
The cooking at Il Genovese follows the logic of Ligurian home food, where vegetables, olive oil, and fresh herbs shape every dish. Basil pesto is made by hand in the kitchen, following a recipe that has stayed the same across generations.
The restaurant has few tables, so booking ahead is strongly advisable, especially in the evenings and on weekends. Without a reservation, finding a seat is difficult and visitors may be turned away at the door.
The wood-fired oven still used to bake farinata is over 100 years old and dates back to the days when this was a bakery. It is rare to eat somewhere that a working oven of that age has been kept in daily use.
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