Ristorante Il Gabbiano, La Maddalena
On the waterfront Lungo Mare Mirabello, Il Gabbiano has been feeding sailors, fishermen and discerning visitors for decades with the kind of straightforward, ingredient-led Sardinian seafood cooking that never needs a concept. The menu changes with what the boats bring in — on a good morning that means ricci di mare (sea urchin) on bruschetta, grilled dentex and spaghetti alle vongole that tastes
What to Order
Start with the antipasto di mare — a rotating spread of marinated anchovies, bottarga shavings on butter-toasted bread, octopus salad with celery and lemon, and whatever shellfish arrived that morning. It is generous enough to be a meal in itself but resist the temptation to stop there.
The house pasta is malloreddus (Sardinian gnocchetti) with clams and bottarga, a dish that sounds simple and tastes extraordinary when the pasta is hand-rolled and the clams are same-day fresh. Pair it with a cold carafe of local Vermentino di Gallura — the crisp, saline white wine grown just across the water on the Gallura coast is the natural partner for everything on the menu.
Setting and Timing
The terrace tables face directly onto the small-boat harbour; you eat watching dinghies bob and the occasional dolphin fin arc past in the channel beyond. Book a table for 13:00 — the Italian lunch hour — when the kitchen is at its most energetic and the light on the water is blinding and beautiful.
Dinner is equally good but reservations are essential in July and August; walk-ins at lunch are more forgiving outside peak season.
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