Where to Eat in Ponza

October 03, 2014

Where to Eat in Ponza

The island of Ponza is an extraordinary place. It has a wild, rugged charm with it's limpid blue water, fiery sunsets and rocky paths to empty beaches. By comparison, the food in Ponza is creative, refined and incredibly fresh. Read on for my list of where to eat in Ponza.

CLOSED FOR THE 2016 SUMMER SEASON
The beach club is open and serves freshly made sandwiches and salads, ice cream bars and drinks.

~~SOLA A VELO (DA ENZO A FRONTONE)~~
Spiaggia di Frontone
+39 3392060408/ +39 3383182188

A short boat ride from Ponza's main port is a place that has kind of a split personality. By day a casual chic beach club and once the sun sets it transforms into candlelit romantic hideaway. Cozy nooks and seating areas make this a perfect spot for private canoodling over the freshest seafood and perfectly chilled wine. The restaurant (known also as Sola a Vela) Da Enzo's owner has partnered with local fisherman and has his own garden plot above the restaurant where he grows vegetables and herbs making your meal truly zero kilometer. Dark eyed Enzo with his infectious energy declared that the Gamberi Rossi on my plate had been swimming in the sea that very morning.

IL TRAMONTO
Via Campo Inglese
+39 0771 808563
Years of dedication and loyalty lead to Ivan Altieri running Il Tramonto restaurant in the Campo Inglese neighborhood in Ponza. With sunset view that starts with a ethereal soft blue that then turns from pink to blazing orange as the sun sinks behind Palmarola island He could probably serve mediocre food and get away with it. He does not do that. Start with a chilled flute of prosecco to accompany the sunset and then spend the next few hours slowly enjoying things like battered and fried local seaweed, stuffed squid, tender octopus salad and seafood pastas. The dessert selection impressive with rich chocolate, tart lemon and flaky pastry offerings. An icy sip of house made digestivo made from local wild fennel is the only way to end such a feast.

ORESTORANTE
Via Dietro la Chiesa

+39 0771 80338 or + 39 338.83.180.03.

Now a well known celebrity chef who make regular appearances on Gambero Rosso TV and on the pages of glossy magazines, Oreste Romangola endured a few seasons of empty tables until his vision of modern Ponzese cuisine took hold. With his elegant wife, Valentina Riccioni by his side with her encyclopedic wine knowledge he has created a mini empire on this small island. We had dinner at the more formal Orestorante and were treated to plate after plate of the freshest seafood and handmade pastas that married local ingredients, traditional recipes and innovative twists. I particularly enjoyed the cubes of tuna that came atop a sizzling stone and a modern mix of fresh marinated anchovies, creamy burrata and wild fennel fronds. If you a wine lover, the impressive collection is kept in a Bourbon era cave underneath the restaurant turned wine cellar. Oreste's innovation goes beyond the kitchen. When his popular cookbook went out of print and a second printing was deemed too expensive he created a mobile app.

PIZZERIA NAUTILUS

Via Banchina Nuova, 24

Fresh out of the oven slices of pizza stuffed with sautéed greens make a perfect beach snack or boat picnic lunch.

BAR MAGA CIRCE

Via Vicoletto Carlo Pisacane

From early in the morning to late into the night this spot in the port area of Ponza is always busy. There are lots of tables, wifi and an excellent spritz.

ALIMENTARI
Corso Carlo Pisacane (next to Bar Tripoli)

We stocked up and filled our Ponza villa refrigerator at this friendly grocery shop with milk for morning coffee, fresh Pontine mozzarella and island tomatoes, local wine, cold beers and juicy cherries.