The plaiting used to seal the filling inside the dumpling is beautiful, and not easy to replicate! Trust me, I had an Italian nonna berate me in a cooking class for making ugly plaits. The dough is made from a mix of semolina and normal flour, giving the pasta a bit more bite and structure. These pasta dumplings are the best thing I ate in Sardinia, and I made sure to get the recipe before I left Cagliari. Meet ravioli’s curvy cousin: culurgiones. Here are the local specialities you’ll want to get your fork stuck into. Don’t bother ordering just the things you know, because here in Sardinia you can find pasta shapes you won’t see anywhere else! You’re in Italy, and you want to stuff your face with pasta.īut before you go and order your spag bol (which, to be clear, you shouldn’t order anywhere), let’s talk. So, head here to get a little taste of specialty coffee in Cagliari! Craft coffee can be hard to come by in a city that loves its dark-roasted espresso. Caffè dell’Arte Specialty Coffee (Via Caprera, 3).Caffè Svizzero (Largo Carlo Felice, 6).

Caffè Tramer (Piazza Martiri D’Italia, 11).

La Piccola Caffetteria (Via Gaetano Cima, 5).

Think grandma’s pastry shop, filled with delicious Sardinian cakes and cookies.

Dulcis Pasticceria Cagliari (Via Lodovico Baylle, 25).

So, get shoulder-to-shoulder with locals and slurp down your caffè espresso with glee! Where to eat breakfast in Cagliari: There’s no way I’d rather start the day!Īnd most importantly, this is all done standing up! Sitting down for breakfast is a surefire way to mark yourself as a non-local. This little ball of goodness is made from fresh ricotta and orange zest, baked inside a pastry shell. Pardule: The best way to start your day in Cagliari! There are plenty of local, Sardinian pastries to choose from, but I’m partial to the pardule. They might serve this alongside a small pastry or a cornetto-the softer, Italian take on a croissant. Nowadays in Cagliari, most Sardus are fine with just an espresso at the bar. They’d arm themselves with cheese, milk, and pane carasau (a crazy popular Sardinian flatbread more on this later) and that would be it! Traditionally, a Sardinian breakfast reflected the lifestyle of the islands’ shepherds. Lunch is the most important meal of the day here, so breakfast is pretty light. Like many places in Italy, breakfast ain’t a big deal in Cagliari. The island has been ruled by Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Catalans and Italians, and the food reflects this amazing diversity! And with one of the highest concentrations of people over 100 years old, they must be doing something right with their diet. The food here is unlike that of mainland Italy. Whether you’re looking for the best seafood in Sardinia, unique pasta shapes, or weird cheeses, Cagliari has it all.

Sardus love arguing about their favourite places to eat at, so listen closely and you’ll get some great recommendations. It’s the small talk, the big talk, and the table talk of everyday life. There are more restaurants than you could eat at in a lifetime, let alone a vacation! If you can understand Sardo, the local language, you’ll hear locals talking about food all day. If you walk the streets of Cagliari, one thing becomes clear.

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