Tavernetta Al Molo

Very good seafood and reasonably priced. Definitely recommend the mixed grill. The harbor view is also very beautiful.

- boring engineer -

Great place to visit if you love seafood and are visiting Miramare castle. The food was really excellent. The poor reviews here are due to the service - our bread took a while to arrive and the staff were a bit surly at first, but we got a smile towards the end when we tried out our limited italian. We were seated just before 1pm, and the restaurant was soon completely full, mostly with locals, which speaks volumes.

- Trevor Andrews -

We shared the egg noodle seafood dish. Was wonderful. Friendly staff Lovely sea views Good wine. Worth the drive from Trieste

- Andrew Riley -

I had the chance to dine here twice during my 2-week stay in Trieste for the ICTP school — once on my very first night, and then again on my last night. Conveniently, the restaurant is located right beside the Adriatico Guesthouse of ICTP, where I stayed, making it an easy and pleasant choice for dinner. On my first night, I ordered the seabass ravioli. The pasta itself was outstanding — clearly handmade, with excellent texture and craftsmanship. The seabass filling, while decent, could have been more flavorful, but overall it was still enjoyable and fair for the price. On my last night, I tried the pappardelle with prawns. Once again, the pasta was superbly made, but this dish stood out even more. The sauce was rich and balanced, the prawns were fresh and well-cooked, and the flavors came together beautifully. I can honestly say it was one of the best dishes I had in Trieste. The portion sizes were just right — satisfying without being overwhelming — and the pairing with a glass of white wine made the experience even better. Overall, this restaurant delivered consistent quality pasta and left me with a very good impression. A wonderful way to bookend my stay in Trieste, and the perfect dining option if you are staying at ICTP’s Adriatico Guesthouse.

- Elrick Inocencio -

I’ve been to this restaurant many times (the first few times in the summer of 2018 before the pandemic, the second batch of visits during the summer of 2021 during the pandemic, and most recently the summer of 2024). I always make sure I come to this restaurant whenever I’m in Trieste; in fact, this restaurant is one of my reasons for returning to Trieste, and I find myself oftentimes thinking about the food at Tavernetta al Molo in the three years between my visits. A few disclaimers: you will see some photos containing sandwiches that are actually food photos from the restaurant next door. This restaurant al Molo does not serve sandwiches, the restaurant next door does. Another disclaimer: this restaurant does not like walk-ins. If you’re a walk-in customer, even if the restaurant is not completely full, they may not take you. This restaurant mainly serves the locals and they have a loyal local customer base, so they do not pander to tourists. If you want authentic Italian homemade style cuisine with superb quality seafood, you should definitely try this place. You might not get a waiter who can even remotely speak English (in fact I’ve never had so much trouble communicating in English with my waiter anywhere else in Trieste, but there you go). The food is definitely worth the language barrier! If you love fresh seafood, you’re gonna love this place. My favorite dishes are: raw mixed marinated seafood (I love this one even more than the best raw seafood mixed appetizer I had in Palermo, Sicily); scallops with pesto pine nuts sauce; warm fish (I think it’s baccala?) salad appetizer; seafood risotto (for 2 people only); octopus carpaccio; zuppe di frutti di mare (seafood soup, this one is so amazingly fresh it’s like drinking the Adriatic). To be fair, their prices in 2024 in perhaps triple their prices in 2018, but I still think this is the best seafood restaurant I found in Trieste and even in Italy outside Sicily. Their cooking style is home style: simple and down to earth, let the ingredients speak for themselves, like how your Italian grandmother/grandfather would make it if they had the freshest ingredients. They have a beautiful terrace right by the pier and you can watch the beautiful Adriatic gently rocking the yachts. This restaurant is about 10-min walk from the beautiful Miramare castle (3-min walk from the castle grounds entrance), which is one of the most beautiful castles in the entire Europe (if you like castles by the sea).

- u.g. Lodwig -

Delicious food and excellent service with a beautiful view of the water! This family owned spot is a must do if you’re planning to visit Miramare. The pasta with prawns was delicious and so fresh, and the house wine paired with it perfectly. Highly recommend!

- Hayley Alícia -

First a manager warned us at the entrance that it is a RESTAURANT. Maybe our garment wasn't appropriate (motorcyclists many days on tour) or maybe he just wanted us to know in advance that table cloth is paid 4 EUR each as well as time to wait for the dish is longer than in a bar ;) Nevertheless, they're excellent as for food from fish and sea fruits! And this easy-going location, calming mood with waves and sail boats waggling in the port.

- Artur Biedroń -

This is one of these places where I don’t know if I want to write a review because the experience was so lovely I don’t want it to be overrun and ruined. What a location; right by the sea. Delicious fresh sea food. Order the house wine. Casual, low key, excellent. And - lovely people working there who went out of their way for us and ran to the boat dock to find out when the next ferry would go. Thank you. This was my birthday lunch and they made it special without knowing. All in a day’s work.

- Shirine Pont -