Romolo Mare

Where the Ligurian Sea Meets the Table

Stand at the edge of Bordighera's Lungomare Argentina on a clear afternoon and the line between the Mediterranean and the sky collapses into a single strip of blue. Romolo Mare sits directly in that view, positioned within a private beach club on the seafront promenade, close enough to the water that the distinction between being in a restaurant and being at the sea feels genuinely thin. The setting is the first argument for coming here, but it is not the only one.

The western stretch of the Italian Riviera, known as the Riviera dei Fiori, has long maintained a quieter culinary profile than the Ligurian coast further east around Portofino and Cinque Terre. Bordighera itself sits near the French border, drawing a clientele that mixes Italian weekenders with visitors crossing from the Côte d'Azur. The dining culture here skews local and ingredient-led rather than theatrical, and Romolo Mare fits squarely within that sensibility. Michelin awarded it a Plate recognition in 2025, the guide's signal that a kitchen is cooking to a consistent standard without the formality of starred service.

The Case for Eating Raw on the Riviera

Raw fish preparation has deep roots in the Mediterranean, but on the Ligurian coast it tends to appear more quietly than the elaborate crudo presentations that define restaurants further south along the Italian Adriatic or at high-profile addresses like Uliassi in Senigallia. What Romolo Mare does is position raw dishes at the centre of the menu rather than treating them as a prelude. That choice reflects a specific philosophy about seafood: the leading argument for the quality of what comes off a local fishing boat is to serve it with minimal intervention.

Raw preparations demand a rigorous supply chain and consistent knife work. An oyster presented poorly, a crudo sliced too thick, or fish served at the wrong temperature immediately exposes the weakness of both the sourcing and the kitchen. For context, that volume of reviews for a mid-range seafood address on a Riviera promenade represents a meaningful cross-section of returning local diners, seasonal visitors, and Michelin-guided travellers.

Daily fish specials supplement the raw menu, reflecting what the local catch delivers rather than what a printed menu demands. This is the working discipline of any serious coastal kitchen: the menu follows the sea, not the other way around. In practice, it means that what arrives on the table in July will differ from what is available in October, and regulars plan around that variation rather than against it.

Where Romolo Mare Sits in the Regional Picture

The Riviera dei Fiori produces few restaurants at the level of Italy's most decorated addresses. That tier, which includes Osteria Francescana in Modena, Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, or Le Calandre in Rubano, operates at price points and formality levels that sit well above the €€ bracket. The restaurant occupies a different position entirely: it is a mid-range coastal address with Michelin recognition, oriented toward accessible quality rather than fine dining architecture.

Within Bordighera specifically, the restaurant sits alongside Magiargè Osteria Contemporanea as one of the town's more noted dining addresses, though the two operate with distinct registers. Magiargè takes a contemporary Ligurian approach; the restaurant stays focused on the seafront and the sea.

On the question of Italian seafood at a higher technical register, the comparison set stretches beyond Liguria. Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone on the Amalfi Coast, Alici on the Amalfi Coast, and Gambero Rosso in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica each demonstrate how Italy's coastal kitchens approach seafood across different regional traditions. The restaurant does not compete in that starred tier, but it operates with the kind of focused intention that Michelin's Plate designation is specifically designed to acknowledge.

The Wine List and the Local Argument

Liguria's wine production is small by Italian standards, and its output reaches few lists outside the region. The DOC zones of Rossese di Dolceacqua and Riviera Ligure di Ponente, both within short distance of Bordighera, produce wines that pair tightly with the local seafood tradition: light, mineral whites from Vermentino and Pigato, and the low-tannin red of Rossese that locals drink lightly chilled alongside grilled fish. A curated selection of these local labels appears on the list at the restaurant, which is especially sensible complement to a menu built around raw preparations and daily catches. Matching a Pigato from the Ponente hills to a raw crudo of local fish is a regional pairing with genuine logic behind it.

At the starred end of Italian wine-driven dining, addresses like Piazza Duomo in Alba, Reale in Castel di Sangro, Dal Pescatore in Runate, Enrico Bartolini in Milan, and Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico each operate with deep wine programs at considerably higher price points.

Planning a Visit

The restaurant is located at Lungomare Argentina, 1, in Bordighera, a short walk from the town centre along the seafront promenade. The €€ price range places it comfortably within the mid-range tier, appropriate for a lunch or dinner without the financial commitment of a tasting menu format. Tables during summer months and weekend lunches fill on shorter notice than one might expect for a Riviera coastal restaurant. Arriving outside peak season, particularly in late spring or early autumn, gives more flexibility while the raw fish programme remains fully operational and the seafront setting remains appealing. Booking in advance, especially for dinner or weekend visits between June and September, is the practical approach.