Where to eat fish in Imperia (and around)

Fish, here, runs on a precise schedule. In the early afternoon the fishing boats come back into the port of Oneglia, unload their crates, and the auction takes place right on the quay: the morning's catch changing hands there, a few metres from the water it came out of. It's something people around here take for granted, but they shouldn't: it means that at dinner, in many of the places I'm about to tell you about, the fish on your plate was still in the sea that morning. You won't find a shorter journey from sea to table than that.

This is the twin of the guide for the land: up there I headed into the valleys looking for meat and ravioli; here I stay down by the sea, where the cooking is what Oneglia has always done. And here I owe you a confession: I don't eat fish. For this guide I don't trust my own taste, but that of my points of reference at the table: Alessandro, my chef friend; the other Alessandro, a lawyer with a fine tasting palate; Claudio, a lifelong friend I've shared a thousand tables with; and my father, who knows food and restaurants from a lifetime's passion. These are the places they swear by. It isn't a ranking, and these aren't reviews: you'll find them all below in the block with addresses and details; here I'll tell you about them quickly, and for the ones that deserve a story of their own I'll link as we go.

We start at the port, because that's where the heart of Oneglia's sea cooking beats. Under the arcades of Calata Cuneo there are two places the connoisseurs don't miss. The first is Chez Braccioforte, the classic: the same restaurant since 1892, the same family for five generations, proper tablecloths and fish bought every morning at the auction right in front. It's one of my dad's favourite places, and it's where he loves to return whenever we're down in Oneglia. A few steps further on is Hostaria Besugo, which is the sea cooking of old done properly: buridda, cuttlefish zimino, the freshest crudo, inside a room of stone walls and vaults with an open wood oven.

The fishing boats at the port of Oneglia, where the fish auction is held every afternoon

Then there's the real occasion, the dinner you remember. In Oneglia, my own neighbourhood, there's Salvo Cacciatori. The family's story begins in 1905, and for over sixty years it's been one of the names the Michelin Guide keeps on its list in Liguria. They don't mess about here: the Oneglia-style stockfish, the flagship dish of my home, and the cappon magro, that cathedral of fish and vegetables that is a feast turned into a dish. It's not an everyday dinner, nor a beach-budget one, but if you're after the right place to celebrate something, this is it.

If instead you want something more easy-going but well made, cross the stream and head to Porto Maurizio. Across from the Teatro Cavour there's Osteria Didù: it's in the Michelin Guide, Bib Gourmand, but don't let that scare you off, it's an osteria, simple, with land and sea on the same menu. And a little further on, in Borgo Marina below the Parasio, there's Osteria dai Pippi: a very short menu chalked on a board, homemade bread, and when there's seasonal fish it's among the best things you'll eat in town. It's tiny, so book.

A plate of red prawns, like the Sanremo ones served down on the port

Let's go back to the port for a moment, because down there, on the Calata Cuneo front that looks over the boats, there's also Damare Terra e Mare: tables outside over the water, crudo, the catch of the day and Sanremo red prawns. It's the right place for the evening you want to eat fish with the sea in front of you without driving anywhere.

And then, if you fancy moving around, the coast nearby offers two good excuses to get in the car. To the west, about ten minutes, is San Lorenzo al Mare, and next to the little harbour the Baia delle Vele: a beach club by day, by night a fish dinner almost with your feet in the water. To the east, again a quarter of an hour, is Cervo, the medieval village perched above the sea: up there Serafino has a 180-degree terrace over the gulf that's worth the booking on its own, and brings you fish with the sunset included.

Finally, for the brave who like longer outings: half an hour west is Sanremo, and in the centre, on corso Mombello, El Billi does fish and Mediterranean cooking (and pizza, for when you're in mixed company). It isn't Imperia, but if you push that far for the Casino or the flower market, it's a good address to keep.

Local honesty: good fish is never cheap, and some places change their hours out of season, with one closing day during the week. You always make a phone call before heading down. But that's exactly the charm of this rhythm: the sea sets the pace, the boat comes back in, and you sit down at the table with whatever it brought.

When the craving for meat comes back, for ravioli, for an olive mill at the end of a valley — and it will — the guide on where to eat on land is right there waiting for you. And for the evening, Calata Cuneo after sunset is another story still, one to drink slowly down on the port.