La Barrocciaia

While in Livorno we came here for lunch as the reviews looked really good. The inside is very rustic and intimate, definitely a nice vibe. The only issues inside the restaurant were the area was cramped, as there were too many seats and not enough places to walk around the tables. The bigger issue was their automatic lighting in the watercloset – It would literally turn off within a minute after you got into the toilet area and wouldn’t turn back on. The menu is nice, has many options on it. Service was slow and very impersonal. The items we ordered tasted great, but took a while to come out, even though they were relatively simple, pre-made items. The sauce with their meatballs was very nice. The lasagna was really creamy, cheesy, and tasty. Overall, it didn’t wow us the way we hoped based on the reviews we read.

Small restaurant with lively, friendly service. No menu, the server tells you what’s available and you decide on the spot, but she’s very patient and explains the different dishes well. You can try the famous Livorno soup here, but we opted out since it was such a hot day and just got pasta with mussels and a baked fish. It was all so fresh and cooked to perfection. At the end we were offered a sort of caffè corretto - ponce alla livornese, and it was quite good! Extremely reasonable prices, top quality food!

Amazing ingredients. Proper Slow Food.

We went for dinner and the terrace is just caotic, the waitresses are always in a rush with horrible table service. They brang us the wine 15 mins late, 5 mins later the glasses for the wine and dirty, so useless On the other hand, the quality of the food is awesome, the quantity could be better...

I loved this place. Had perfectly cooked branzino, lovely vegetables, a fabulous antipasto, and a nice little "while you wait" appetizer. And the price for that plus a espresso and a "punch" (see below), was 23€, an insane bargain from my perspective. Very friendly, welcoming staff with good English. The menu is not printed and seems to change daily, so listen closely (or just ask them to choose for you - and *go with* whatever they bring). The changing menu is likely due it's proximity to the "pop-up" fresh vegetable and fish market which, at early lunchtime, hides the place somewhat. and, no doubt, to the changing menu and quality of the food. As a solo diner at this family style place, I was seated at a table for six with another solo and two sets of friends (fine with me and turned into great fun). After lunch, at coffee time, one of my seat mates introduced me to the local specialty coffee called "Ponce Livornese" (Livorno punch): strong espresso, rum, a liqueur, plenty of sugar and a bit of lemon peel. Great, but, like true love, not for the faint of heart (h/t Avatar Meher Baba). I can't imagine a better way to get a taste of the local flavor, in both senses of the phrase.

This place is worth the wait. Select menu that seems to change frequently. Delicious food. Staff were friendly. Thank you!

Edited: Traditional soup was very flavourful. Meatballs were good but a little cold.

The food is amazing, great place great price. The staff is very friendly. I would suggest the pasta (any) and the cheesecake, is amazing.