The 11 Best Restaurants in Riccione for Fish, Fresh Pasta and Dinner by the Sea
Riccione has no shortage of fish restaurants. The real challenge is finding the places where the Adriatic still tastes like the Adriatic, avoiding endless menus, anonymous raw-fish platters and restaurants that expect the sea view to do all the work.
The city still has plenty of tables where fresh Adriatic seafood arrives with minimal interference, handmade pasta is dressed with clams and shellfish, the grill is treated seriously and the wine list has been assembled by someone who actually drinks wine.
Alongside the historic restaurants that grew up with the Riviera and have served several generations of diners, a more contemporary scene is developing. Techniques have changed, Mediterranean and international influences have become more visible, but Riccione’s best restaurants still follow one elementary rule: fish needs flavour, texture and credible provenance.
We selected 11 of the best restaurants in Riccione, ranging from elegant seafood institutions and intimate bistros to beach restaurants, family trattorias and places designed for large groups. For each one, here are the dishes worth ordering, what you should expect to spend and the real reason to book.
Ristorante Carlo: Riccione’s Grand Seafood Classic
Carlo belongs to the history of seaside Riccione. For more than sixty years it has occupied a privileged position on the waterfront, between beaches 72 and 73, preserving the elegant, reassuring style of seafood dining that once defined summers on the Riviera.
The kitchen has little interest in trends or acrobatic plating. The catch of the day remains central, chosen according to availability and served raw, baked or grilled. Start with oysters, shellfish and carpaccio, then move towards tagliolini, seafood risotto or whole fish.
When the raw material is this good, covering it with elaborate sauces would be missing the point.
The cellar is considerably more ambitious than the average seaside wine list. Champagne, Burgundy and serious Italian whites can turn dinner into a major occasion, although they can also accelerate the bill very quickly. Service retains a degree of old-school formality that has almost disappeared from the Riviera, without becoming stiff.
Why choose it: for a classic, elegant seafood dinner backed by one of Riccione’s deepest wine lists.
Price: around €80–€130 per person, excluding wine.
Strong point: seafood quality and cellar.
Rating: 9/10
Ristorante Patty da Diego: Oysters, Raw Seafood and Dinner on the Sand
Patty da Diego is one of Riccione’s strongest addresses for anyone serious about raw seafood. The restaurant sits directly on the beach, but it does not depend on sunsets and tables facing the Adriatic to justify the reservation.
The raw selection includes French, Irish, Spanish, Croatian and Italian oysters, alongside shellfish, tartare and carpaccio. Seasoning remains controlled, allowing tuna, amberjack, prawns and other fish to retain their individual flavours rather than disappearing beneath the same citrus dressing.
Among the pasta dishes, look for the fish-filled caramelle and the house signature penne with seafood finished with curry. The spice gives the dish more personality than a conventional seafood pasta while preserving the natural sweetness of the shellfish.
Special menus push the kitchen further, bringing in caviar, King Crab, croaker, mackerel and premium crustaceans.
Patty works equally well for a romantic dinner or a long seafood lunch. Just order with some discipline: oysters, raw platters, pasta and Champagne can make the final bill move surprisingly fast.
Why choose it: for oysters, shellfish and raw seafood served directly on the beach.
Price: around €65–€110 per person, excluding wine.
Strong point: oyster selection and raw seafood.
Rating: 8.8/10
Da Fino: Homemade Pasta and the Old Maritime Soul of Riccione
Da Fino began in 1958 from the old fishermen’s club and remains one of the restaurants most closely connected with Riccione’s maritime memory.
Its position on the harbour is not manufactured scenery. Boats, fishermen and seafood cooking belong to the same history here.
The menu follows a recognisable Romagna line. Pasta and piadina are made in-house, while Adriatic fish appears in pasta, grills and straightforward traditional preparations. Tagliolini allo scoglio, dry passatelli, mussels, clams, sardoncini, skewers and mixed fried seafood form the backbone of the kitchen.
Da Fino does not try to transform every traditional dish into a contemporary composition. The pleasure lies in deeply flavoured sauces, generous portions and fish that remains identifiable beneath the seasoning.
The atmosphere preserves something of old Riccione as well: lively, familiar and less polished than the dining rooms of luxury hotels.
Why choose it: for a traditional harbour dinner built around fresh pasta, fish skewers and Adriatic seafood.
Price: around €45–€70 per person.
Strong point: Romagna seafood cooking and genuine harbour atmosphere.
Rating: 8.7/10
La Moule: Seafood Passatelli and Fresh Pasta on the Beach
La Moule is a small restaurant directly on the beach, more intimate than Riccione’s large seaside dining rooms.
The kitchen combines Romagna recipes, fresh seafood and homemade pasta while keeping prices comparatively sensible for such a desirable location.
Starters include octopus with soft potato, crisp courgettes and basil sauce, marinated salmon with robiola mousse and guacamole, mussels alla marinara and a gratinated seafood selection of scallops and shellfish.
The dish to order is the passatelli alla Moule with mussels, calamari and baby cuttlefish. The passatelli retain their Parmigiano and nutmeg character, while the seafood provides iodine and sweetness without drowning the pasta.
Also excellent are the lemon and ricotta ravioli with shellfish bisque and raw Mazara red prawn, a richer dish that still maintains enough acidity to stay precise.
The menu is short enough for the kitchen to remain in control. This is not fine dining, but La Moule has a clearer personality than many beach restaurants carrying twice as many dishes.
Why choose it: for fresh pasta and seafood directly on the beach in a relaxed, intimate setting.
Price: around €45–€65 per person.
Strong point: seafood passatelli and the balance between quality, location and price.
Rating: 8.6/10
Green: Contemporary Seafood Beyond the Riviera Formula
Inside Hotel Atlantic, Green represents the more elegant and contemporary side of Riccione dining.
The sea-facing dining room, polished service and technically ambitious menu make it a good option for anyone who wants something beyond the usual progression of raw seafood, tagliolini and grilled fish.
Chef Pasquale Riccio combines Adriatic ingredients with Asian influences and Romagna references. Roasted lobster cappelletti with lemongrass foam take traditional filled pasta in a fresher aromatic direction, while grouper-filled pappardelle with red-plum sauce plays with sweetness and acidity.
The fusillone with cuttlefish, peas and Sorrento lemon stays closer to Mediterranean flavours.
Among the mains, the sea bass with foie gras and sour cherries is the boldest plate: rich, sweet and deliberately opulent. Diners who prefer a cleaner style can turn to the catch of the day or a skewer of prawns, sea bream and anchovies.
Not every combination has the same immediacy, but Green deserves credit for pushing hotel dining beyond predictability.
Why choose it: for an elegant seaside dinner with contemporary technique and combinations that move beyond classic Riviera cooking.
Price: around €70–€100 per person.
Strong point: modern cuisine, dining room and service.
Rating: 8.5/10
Passport Bistrot: A Small Seafood Restaurant with a Strong Personality
Passport Bistrot is one of the most interesting addresses in Riccione’s newer restaurant scene.
Small, informal and far removed from the monumental scale of the large beach restaurants, it concentrates attention on chef Cosimo “Mino” Basile and his personal approach to seafood.
The seafood carbonara has become one of the restaurant’s most recognisable dishes: creamy, savoury and generous without reducing fish to a gimmicky variation on the Roman original.
Spaghetti with clams, tartare, shellfish and precisely cooked fish are also worth attention.
The kitchen has a Mediterranean character with a noticeable southern Italian accent and no fear of strong seasoning. This is not a restaurant for tiny portions or Nordic minimalism. Basile cooks with energy, mixing the Adriatic with southern Italy and enough personal ideas to keep the menu recognisable.
The dining room has very few tables, giving the restaurant an almost domestic scale.
Why choose it: for personal, generous seafood cooking that feels less predictable than Riccione’s large historic restaurants.
Price: around €45–€70 per person.
Strong point: seafood pasta and the chef’s distinctive style.
Rating: 8.5/10
Canasta: A Viale Ceccarini Classic That Has Learned to Move with the Times
Canasta has been serving Riccione since 1960 and occupies one of the city’s most visible positions, where Viale Ceccarini meets Viale Dante.
It could easily survive on location alone. Instead, the restaurant has gradually modernised the menu, dining room and wine list.
The kitchen covers seafood, meat and pizza, but the marine side is the most interesting. Strong dishes include cappellacci filled with whipped salt cod with Piquillo pepper cream, celery and plums, linguine with cacio, pepper and clams, and seafood risotto with raw red prawns, tuna, mussels, clams, plankton and bisque.
These are more elaborate dishes than the Riviera classics, but the flavours remain readable.
Canasta is also particularly useful for groups with different appetites. Seafood, dry-aged meat and pizza can coexist at the same table without anyone feeling that they settled for the secondary part of the menu.
Why choose it: for dinner in the heart of Riccione with a broad, carefully managed menu suitable for mixed groups.
Price: around €45–€75 per person.
Strong point: location, versatility and seafood pasta.
Rating: 8.3/10
Osteria dal Minestraio: Fresh Pasta, Emilia and the Adriatic at the Same Table
Osteria dal Minestraio began with the idea of bringing the great tradition of Bolognese minestre and fresh pasta to the coast.
Over time, seafood became an increasingly important part of the menu, but handmade pasta, filled shapes and Emilia-Romagna recipes remain the restaurant’s defining feature.
Start with the pasta: tortellini, tagliatelle, ravioli and other fresh shapes arrive with both meat ragù and seafood sauces.
The restaurant’s double identity feels natural rather than forced. Riccione belongs to Romagna, but Bologna is close enough for its pasta culture to enter the menu without requiring an explanation.
The seafood section concentrates on raw preparations, shellfish, antipasti and fish cooked with traditional techniques.
The result is a smaller, less obviously tourist-oriented osteria than many restaurants on the seafront, ideal for anyone who wants a serious Emilia-style pasta before moving on to fish.
Why choose it: for fresh pasta and a kitchen capable of bringing Bologna and the Adriatic together naturally.
Price: around €40–€60 per person.
Strong point: soups, filled pasta and intimate osteria atmosphere.
Rating: 8.2/10
Gambero Rosso: Seafood at the End of Riccione’s Molo Levante
Gambero Rosso occupies one of Riccione’s most spectacular restaurant positions, at the end of Molo Levante.
The sea is not a minor detail here. Water surrounds the restaurant and gives the entire meal a strong maritime setting.
The kitchen follows the classic Riviera repertoire: raw seafood, hot and cold starters, tagliolini allo scoglio, charcoal grills, fried fish and the catch of the day.
These are direct dishes for diners who want fish without committing to a tasting menu or an evening of technical constructions.
Order sardoncini, shellfish, grilled fish and a good Romagna white and the restaurant makes perfect sense. The kitchen is strongest when it remains close to the Adriatic rather than complicating ingredients that do not need help.
Why choose it: for seafood directly on the harbour, with one of the strongest maritime settings in Riccione.
Price: around €45–€70 per person.
Strong point: location and classic Riviera seafood.
Rating: 8/10
Da Lele: The Restaurant for Big Tables and Serious Appetites
Da Lele is one of Riccione’s best-known and busiest restaurants.
The dining room is large, the pace is energetic and portions follow the Romagna conviction that nobody should leave the table hungry. This is not the place for intimacy or chef-driven minimalism. Da Lele is built for generous seafood dinners with friends and family.
The menu covers seafood antipasti, fresh pasta, risotto, grills and fried fish.
The smartest approach is to stay with the classics: mussels, tagliolini allo scoglio, mixed fried seafood, skewers and grilled fish. Wood-fired pizza makes the restaurant particularly useful for families and groups where not everyone wants seafood.
Da Lele handles large tables well, an important quality in a holiday town where dinners frequently involve extended families and groups of friends.
Why choose it: for an informal group dinner, large portions and enough choice to keep everyone at the table happy.
Price: around €35–€55 per person.
Strong point: abundance, organisation and convivial atmosphere.
Rating: 7.9/10
Fattoria del Mare: Seafood, Pizza and Large Tables Directly on the Beach
Fattoria del Mare is one of Riccione’s larger beach restaurants.
Its tables sit directly by the sea and the broad menu is designed around families, groups and diners who want the freedom to move between traditional Romagna cooking, seafood and pizza.
Expect seafood starters, pasta allo scoglio, grilled fish, fried seafood and the catch of the day alongside pizzas from the wood-fired oven.
This is not the restaurant for an intimate tasting menu or particularly experimental cooking. Its strength lies elsewhere: space, flexibility and the ability to handle large numbers without losing control of the kitchen.
The simplest dishes are the ones to choose. Mussels, clams, tagliolini, sardoncini, grilled fish and fritto misto fit both the setting and the style of the restaurant.
Its beach location makes Fattoria del Mare particularly practical for summer lunches and dinners with children.
Why choose it: for a meal by the sea with a large group and several different appetites to satisfy.
Price: around €35–€55 per person.
Strong point: space, beach location and family-friendly menu.
Rating: 7.8/10
Which Restaurant Should You Choose in Riccione?
For an important seafood dinner, Ristorante Carlo remains the strongest traditional reference. The quality of the fish, formal service and serious cellar place it firmly at the upper end of Riccione dining.
For raw seafood, oysters and shellfish, choose Patty da Diego, particularly when dinner directly on the beach is part of the plan.
To understand Riccione’s historic maritime cooking, go to Da Fino. La Moule offers a smaller and more intimate seaside experience, with excellent seafood passatelli and handmade pasta, while Gambero Rosso has one of the most impressive locations in the city.
Among the more contemporary restaurants, Green provides the most elegant and technically ambitious experience. Passport Bistrot is smaller, more spontaneous and more personal, with particularly strong seafood pasta.
Canasta is the most versatile option in central Riccione, especially for groups divided between fish, meat and pizza. Osteria dal Minestraio is the place to remember for fresh pasta, while Da Lele and Fattoria del Mare remain dependable choices for families and large groups.
The Best Restaurants in Riccione at a Glance
Ristorante Carlo — 9/10
Excellent seafood, raw fish, classic service and one of the Riviera’s strongest wine cellars.
Patty da Diego — 8.8/10
Oysters, shellfish and raw seafood served directly on the beach.
Da Fino — 8.7/10
Romagna seafood, homemade pasta and an authentic harbour atmosphere.
La Moule — 8.6/10
Seafood passatelli, shellfish ravioli and an intimate beachside setting.
Green — 8.5/10
Contemporary cuisine, technically ambitious dishes and an elegant sea-facing dining room.
Passport Bistrot — 8.5/10
A small seafood bistro with powerful pasta dishes and a strong personal identity.
Canasta — 8.3/10
A Viale Ceccarini institution balancing seafood, meat and pizza.
Osteria dal Minestraio — 8.2/10
Fresh Emilia-style pasta, seafood and a more intimate osteria atmosphere.
Gambero Rosso — 8/10
Classic seafood in a spectacular position on Molo Levante.
Da Lele — 7.9/10
Generous portions, seafood, pizza and an excellent formula for large groups.
Fattoria del Mare — 7.8/10
A beach restaurant designed for families, groups and informal seafood dinners.
