Veranda #bythesea

Emilia in Portonovo is located right on the seafront, within the Bay and at the foothills of Monte Conero, a natural reserve and protected park. The restaurant’s tables are carefully arranged on the only veranda in the whole bay that faces directly onto the sea. The atmosphere is simple yet elegant and relaxing, where the real stars are the flavors, scents, and colors of the sea. The outdoor area next to the restaurant is the ideal place for breakfast, enjoying an aperitif, or tasting sandwiches, piadinas, takeaway dishes, and fruit. The indoor dining area, with its photo gallery, tells the story of the past Portonovo and offers a cool shelter for those seeking relief from the heat, perhaps for a quick bite.

Veranda #bythesea

#FromSeaToPlate

Our restaurant opened its doors back in 1929 with our grandmother: Emilia. Emilia would come down from Poggio to the sea to organize lunches and refreshments for the first tourists in the area, locals from Poggio, Camerano, and Ancona, who loved spending time at the beach. That’s how it all started. Today, under the guidance of Chef Lorenzo Focante, our restaurant offers traditional dishes like spaghetti with “moscioli”, appetizers, grilled fish still cooked over charcoal, Adriatic fried fish, the catch of the day prepared baked, steamed, or in a light stew, and much more that we invite you to discover in our menu.

The menù

The term “Moscioli” refers to mussels fished in the Portonovo area of Ancona, precisely in the sea stretch from Pietralacroce of Ancona to the Sassi Neri of Sirolo. It has been a Slow Food Presidium since 2004.

Every morning, wild Moscioli from Portonovo are delivered straight to our worktables from the Fishermen’s Cooperative, located right next to our kitchen. Here, each one is carefully inspected and cleaned of its beard. After careful washing, the mussels are lightly steamed until their shells open, releasing all their intense aroma and flavor. Once again, “Moscioli” are inspected to remove any remaining beard, then selected and divided for different preparations: marinara (marinated), au gratin, or chopped to make the famous grandma Emilia’s moscioli sauce, which we serve with spaghetti. And the next day, we start all over again…weather permitting!