View of wooden table with people sipping drinks and eating snacks for aperitivo. Bowls of chips and olives and squares of pizza.

WHERE TO EAT on GIGLIO ISLAND

By / December 20, 2023

A small gem in the Tyrrhenian sea off the southern Tuscan Coast, Giglio Island has 9 square miles of dramatic scenery, idyllic coves, mesmerizing clear water, and charming towns to explore. 

Not only that, there’s also wonderful food and wine!

Here are my tips on where to eat: from someone who goes to Giglio Island numerous times every year. Between the Italian side of my family, which has a small house there, and our friends and family who come to visit, we make it our business to eat all over the island!

From picnics and sandwiches for the beach, to fine dining, here are my picks for where to eat on Giglio Island. Food options are clustered in the island’s three towns. 

All of the restaurants featured here are places I have been to, or have been enthusiastically recommended to me by friends or family members I trust.

Learn about:

  • special dishes
  • local Giglio Island wine
  • my picks for each town on the island: Giglio Porto, Giglio Castello and Giglio Campese
  • the best places on Giglio Island for aperitivo, restaurant meals, and gelato

Buon appetito!

WHAT TO EAT ON GIGLIO ISLAND

Not surprisingly, seafood and fish are the star of Giglio Island menus! 

You’ll find the classic dishes popular up and down the Italian coasts, like spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams), risotto ai frutti di mare (risotto with shellfish), fritto misto (mixed fried seafood: usually calamari and shrimp) and pesce grigliato (grilled fish). 

On Giglio Island keep an eye out for the following local specialties:

  • Panficato: a traditional sweet chewy cake, similar to Christmas panforte from Siena, made with figs, walnuts, honey, wine and grapes.
  • Zuppa di pesce fish stew 
  • Scaveccio fried fish soaked in vinegar
Plate of seafood pasta.

WHAT TO DRINK ON GIGLIO ISLAND

GIGLIO ISLAND’S LOCAL WINE

The local white wine of Giglio Island is called ansonaco. In the past, it was a rustic family wine so acidic that only the locals could knock it back. 

The island’s tiny vineyards are eked out of small patches of land and terraces on the steep rocky cliffs. Production almost died out, but a new set of passionate, dedicated producers started bringing ansonaco back in the early 2000s. 

Today’s winemakers have smoothed ansonaco out and made it more palatable. In fact, it’s become somewhat of a niche wine for aficionados.

Look for ansonaco on restaurant menus, local caffés, local shops like Il Saraceno in Giglio Porto, and at Bar Balocchi di Bibi Graetz wine bar in Giglio Castello. 

Cantina Castellari offers wine tastings at its spectacular vineyard on the cliffs overlooking Campese bay.

WINE FROM THE NEARBY TUSCAN COAST

Some of Italy’s most prestigious red wines come from the Bolgheri area along Tuscany’s Etruscan Coast, on the nearby mainland. If ansonaco isn’t to your taste, try a Vermentino from the Tuscan coast. 

Tables with umbrellas and shade set up at outdoor bars on the water in Giglio Porto in Tuscany.
The bars lining the harbor of Giglio Porto are great for aperitivo in the evening, as well as coffee and pastries in the morning. 

APERITIVO

A pre-dinner aperitif, or aperitivo, is a must on Giglio Island. You’ll see plenty of bright orange aperol spritzes, as well as mojitos.

Aperitivo time starts in the late afternoon. Your aperitivo drink is served with snacks like potato chips and olives. Some bars offer more elaborate finger foods like pizza bites and cured meats.

My favorite places for aperitivo are Giglio Porto and Giglio Campese (read my top picks below). Bustling Giglio Porto is good for boat- and people- watching. At Giglio Campese you can have an aperitivo at a beachfront bar while you watch the sun go down over the water.

GELATO ON GIGLIO ISLAND

Our favorite gelateria (ice cream shop) is Gelateria Artigianale da Nilo hidden in a small cobblestone alley in Giglio Porto. They have the popular classics, but keep an eye out for their semifreddo, and flavors that use local ingredients, like fico del Giglio (Giglio Island fig).

It has stood the test of time over the decades my Italian family and I have been going to Giglio Island. It’s my kids’ favorite!

WHERE TO EAT IN GIGLIO PORTO

Giglio Porto is the harbor town where the ferry brings you to the island from the mainland. 

Giglio Porto is the best place for dinner on the water and an evening stroll admiring the boats, lighthouses, and charming little shops.

For more activities, read What to Do on Giglio Island.

Giglio Porto harbour lit up at night. Boats fill the harbor and colorful buildings are lit up in background.

WHERE TO GRAB A PICNIC MEAL

If you want to grab food to bring to the beach, Giglio Porto has:

  • alimentari (small food shops) where you can get supplies. You can get sandwiches made at Alimentari da Morena
  • L’archetto has a takeout counter with a variety of pizza a taglio (pizza squares)
  • Our favorite for bread, focaccia, takeaway pizza a taglio (pizza squares) and sandwiches is Panificio di Cristina. There are two stores, one in Giglio Porto and one in Giglio Campese. Try the pizza gigliese (Giglio Island pizza), a pizza pocket filled with caramelized onions, tomato and anchovies.

WHERE TO HAVE A RESTAURANT MEAL

Giglio Porto is our favorite town for a restaurant meal and an evening out. Picturesque restaurants line the harbor, and some are even perched right above the water, where you can look out at the boats while enjoying delicious food. 

After dinner take a stroll along the harbor, window shop at the cute little stores, and enjoy the one-of-a-kind nighttime ambience.

Here are the restaurants that have become my favorites over the years. They all specialize in fish and seafood. 

I highly recommend reserving your table at least a few days in advance, especially on the weekends and during the summer.

Boats docked in water at Giglio Porto. Buildings on right painted in pastel colors. Flowers in foreground.
The view of Giglio Porto at dusk from our dinner table at Ristorante Doria.

WHERE TO HAVE AN APERITIVO

Giglio Porto is bursting with bars offering aperitivo. It’s hard to go wrong, but our favorites include Bar da Rosa (fun cocktails if you don’t mind loud music) and Ferraro (very nice staff).

WHERE TO EAT IN GIGLIO CASTELLO

Castello literally means castle. Giglio Castello is a medieval maze of cobblestone streets that stands guard on the island’s highest peak. There are caffés, restaurants, shops and small piazzas hidden among the winding paths.

Giglio Castello is the best place for a meal with incredible views. 

In my opinion Ristorante da Santi is a cut above. The restaurant is refined, the food excellent, and the location is breathtaking. You’re on top of the world, with sweeping views and a front row seat at sunset. 

Make sure to reserve well in advance, especially on weekends and in the summer.

Stop in at winemaker Bibi Graetz’s intimate Bar Balocchi in the heart of Giglio Castello to taste his ansonaco wine (the much celebrated Testamatta Bianco). 

Sunset at private beach in Italy. You can see pedal boats in water, sailboats in distance. On beach, boy carries an inflatable dolphin past closed beach umbrellas and sun loungers.
Sunset on the beach Giglio Campese

WHERE TO EAT IN GIGLIO CAMPESE

Giglio Campese is the town at the island’s largest beach. There are restaurants and stores scattered in various clusters among the houses and along the shore. The main attraction is the long, wide sandy beach that faces west on the majestic bay.

Giglio Campese is the best place for a sunset aperitivo.

WHERE TO GRAB A PICNIC MEAL

If you want to grab food to bring to the beach, Giglio Campese has:

  • various alimentari (small food shops) where you can get supplies and sandwiches
  • Our favorite for bread, focaccia, takeaway pizza squares (pizza a taglio) and sandwiches is Panificio di Cristina (they have a store in Giglio Porto as well). While it’s not exactly cheap, it’s very flavorful and there’s a good selection as long as you get there early. Try the pizza gigliese (Giglio Island pizza), a pizza pocket filled with caramelized onions, tomato and anchovies.

WHERE TO HAVE A RESTAURANT MEAL

La Miniera is great for a reliable seafood lunch during the day. Its large covered veranda looks right out on the beach.

The atmosphere is casual, so you can show up in your bathing suit and a t-shirt/cover up during the day. 

There are pizza and salads, in addition to seafood and fish. La Miniera has a bar, and is open for breakfast and dinner as well. 

People dining outdoors in a covered restaurant. Turquoise sea and boats in background.
Our lunch on the veranda at La Miniera in front of the bright blue sea.

WHERE TO HAVE AN APERITIVO

A sunset aperitivo is a must at Giglio Campese. The sun goes down right over the bay! Don’t forget your sunglasses.

Aperitivi (pre-dinner drinks) are served with great snacks at our favorite beach spots:

For accommodation tips, read Where to Stay on Giglio Island.