Dan and I spent 10 days in Italy in late September/early October 2024 with Dan’s aunt and uncle, who had not really traveled extensively in Italy. Our first stop was the gorgeous Cinque Terre, and this post details our first dinner in Cinque Terre at L’ancora della tortuga!

L’ancora della tortuga, or the Turtle’s Anchor, is located inside the sea walls of old Monterosso. L’ancora della tortuga is well regarded in the Cinque Terre and specializes in the area’s famed seafood. The restaurant also offers great gluten free options, which was necessary for one member of our group. Access to the restaurant is by literally walking down a set of stairs build into the old fortifications of Monterosso.

I visited Monterosso in September with 4 people, so I made an advance reservation by calling the restaurant (about 10 times, when they finally answered). The person answering the phone spoke English well and did not seem too put off by my American accent. I made this reservation about a week in advance for reference.

To reach L’anocra della tortuga, you first need to walk to New Town and then walk toward the tunnel connecting New Town and Old Town Monterosso. There is a stone path just to the right of the tunnel before entering to walk to Old Monterosso, just next to the large anchor statute. The restaurant is located down a set of stairs literally inside the old Monterosso sea walls. I under stand that you can even sit outside during nice weather.

Once inside, L’ancora della tortuga is done in a seaside style, very on point for Monterosso al mare. It’s quite cute; make’s you feel like you are at the seaside in Europe! I honestly love this style of restaurant. So cute.

A lovely waitress brought out a bread basket and then menu almost as soon as we sat down. The bread basket included a lightly fried bread, which we all decided was similar to zeppole in the US, and a harder bread with pumpkin seeds. Both breads were excellent.

In addition to the menu, and at our request, our waitress explained the dishes that were either gluten free or could be made gluten free. For those eating here, the menu offers a 6 course tasting menu for 60 euros per person or a full a la carte menu. We opted for a la carte, especially since we had just arrived and not really slept. I would also point out that you absolutely do not have to order multiple courses per person. As you will see, we each ordered a pasta and split a starter and a dessert.

VINO ROSSO!

We ordered the house red wine, which seemed to be house branded. And pro tip for those visiting Italy, house wine is almost universally passable and generally a good idea for those who do not know their wine. It’s also inexpensive and is often served in carafes or half-carafes. This one, however, was served in a 12 euro bottle. It was pretty tasty – we ordered a second bottle.

PRIMI!

As I mentioned, rather than everyone ordering multiple courses that we would never have finished, our group started with a whipped cod concoction topped with a couple well-fried potatoes. This dish was really good and entirely gluten free.

SECONDA!

For our main courses, one of us ordered a fish dish, and the rest went pasta! First, a Fall forward cheese ravioli served in a walnut sauce and local Pesto. This was insane. Really, really great.

We also ordered the tagliatelle with butter, Parmigiano Reggiano and black truffles. SO GOOD. This spectactular dish could also be made gluten free. Perfect for our GF travel partner. Both pastas were excellent but between the two, I preferred the tagliatelle. I think Dan preferred the ravioli, ha.

DOLCE!

While we were quite full, it was our first night in Italy, so we simply needed to order dessert. I am somewhat obsessed with peaches, so I, of course, ordered a cheesecake topped with caramelized peaches and a bit of crunch. As you can see from the picture, this was neither an American cheesecake nor an Italian cheesecake (or what we call an Italian cheesecake in America – with ricotta) but a perfectly sweet custard that tasted a lot like a traditional American cheesecake, yet smoother. This dish was fantastic! Our travel partners ordered a gluten free lemon sorbet served in a martini glass, which I sadly forgot to photograph. We all paired our dessert with a sip of limoncino – Cinque Terre’s version of lemoncello.

We loved our dinner at L’ancora alla tortuga. I definitely recommend it for those in Monterosso al Mare. Our server spoke perfect English, she was incredibly helpful with gluten free options and the restaurant easily accepted credit card.

STEAL OUR CENA

L’ancora della Tortuga: Salita Frati Cappuccini, 4, 19016 Monterosso al Mare SP, Italy. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Open Wednesday – Sunday 12:30 – 15:00 and 19:00 – 21:30. Reservations suggested and can be made by calling +39 0187 800065 (you may have to call many times…).