Food and Restaurant Guide

Home-made Lasagna and Melanzane alla Parmegiana/Cooking Lessons

Maria Antonia can prepare and deliver to the house freshly made lasagna or melanzane alla parmigiana. She needs one day notice for this. The price is 15 euros per person. A salad is included.

Maria Antonia can also come to our house for a lesson in traditional Sardinian and Italian food, for example ravioli followed by tiramisu. Or make your own suggestions of what you would like to cook. You prepare the dishes under her guidance and then eat them. 30 Euros per person with a minimum of four people or 120 Euros.

Contact Jonathan to book either.

Chocolate and Ice Cream

At Cioccolateria Masala, Via Lamarmora 58, Valeria makes handmade chocolates of the highest quality. Both classical and some quite daring, like chocolate with different Sardinian cheeses and chili peppers. Two years in a row, she won the prize for the best chocolate makers in Sardinia. She also make her own ice cream in the summer season. One can also order ice-cream cakes, or Semifreddo. Highly recommended.

Home-made Thai Food

After many years in Milan, Joy and Cristian moved to Cuglieri. For Joy it is many miles back to her origin in Thailand but for Cristian it was returning home to the place he grew up in. And now we are fortunate to be able to offer Joy's genuine Thai food. Contact Cristian +39 328 139 5903 (Whatsapp, SMS or telephone) and he will send you the menu a few days in advance.

Joy can also come and cook a whole meal for you in our house. Ask Cristian.

Panadas and Traditional Sardinian Biscuits

Cuglieri is one of the three villages in Sardinia that is officially acknowledged as a centre of panadas. Although stemming from the time of Spain's control of Sardinia hundreds of years ago, the word ‘Panada' is derived from Latin word panada panem meaning food wrapped in bread dough. Each village has a different traditional way of making them. In Cuglieri, they contain both pork and veal, artichokes, peas, beans, saffron, and nutmeg. They make them without meat too. Oros de Domo, Corso Umberto 97-99, have won many prizes for their panadas. They also have an excellent selection of traditional Sardinian biscuits.

Restaurant Guide

You can get a decent meal at many restaurants but some restaurants that are better than others, and a few rely on tourists who either know no better or are not expected to return.

We have chosen to only mention the restaurants that we have tried several times and enjoyed. A few, not mentioned, we do not wish to return to. Many remain to be explored. Enjoy yourself. We have. Please let us know if you discover a place worth going to.

During the high season, it is often necessary to pre-book a visit to restaurants both in Cuglieri and in the surrounding area. On the other hand, during the low season it is worth checking that they are open.

Most restaurants are aware of gluten- or lactos-intolerance or other dietary requirements. To make thing easier for them, it is best to inform them about your needs when booking.

In Cuglieri

Desogos, Vico Cugia 6

A home-away-from home. The heart of the village. Pina serves traditional straightforward food. The antipasti and ham are great, and the home-made ravioli fantastic. The main dishes can be a bit crude. Wild boar and donkey stews are not to everybody's taste, although we like them. Sometimes they also have giant shrimps on the menu. Off-season there is no menu. You get whatever is being served.

Her daughter Giulia is in charge of the kitchen, and her husband and son-in-law sometimes help out. Her family has run the restaurant for seventy years. In the dining room her mother's portrait looks out over the guests.

Closed on Mondays.

Meridiana, Via Giovanni Maria Angioy 11

Traditional Sardinian food is great, but sometimes it veers on the heavy side. There is no such risk at Meridiana. The food is light and very fresh. Carefully innovating, Angela has created some elegant re-interpretations of traditional fish and shellfish dishes. Her tempura is the best we have tasted. Her daughter Nicoletta's service is knowledgeable and considerate. Prices are cheap for the quality of food served. We have been positively surprised all the times we have been there.

It can be difficult to find, but don't let that put you off. People in Cuglieri will kindly point you in the right direction if you ask. There is a menu to choose from.

They are closed on Wednesdays.

S'Ispiga, Località Tega, Strada Statale 292

Lilly and Antonangelo and their family run this agriturismo. An agriturismo is a restaurant that mainly uses raw materials from the farm where it is placed. This ensues seasonal dishes. At S'Ispiga everybody arrives at the same time and eats the same seemingly endless amount of dishes, which are paraded out one after the other. All of them fresh and tasty. The service is very kind and attentive.

They also sell their home-made pasta, cheese and honey.

Open for dinner most days, but for lunch only on the weekends.

Pizzerias

There are many pizzerias of varying quality. They are normally only open in the evening.

Da Gigi in Tresnuraghes (15 minute drive away) has excellent pizzas in an intimate atmosphere the year round. Booking is essential.

In Cuglieri, Da Michele, Via del Orzo 1, is only open during the weekend except during the high season. They have decent pizzas for eating there or take-away. Sapori del Eden, Corso Umberto Iᵒ, 115, only does take-away pizza and other dishes. Mamacita is just off the main road between the beaches of Santa Caterina and S'Árchittu. In the summer it is pleasant to sit outside in the garden which has a good view over the sea and the pizzas are unusually experimental. Also it is very child friendly, they even have a play park for children. They also serve pasta and other Italian dishes.

Fine dining further afield

If you wish to try some Italian fine dining, and are prepared to drive 30 to 45 minutes, we recommend these restaurant:

Su Cardeleu, Abbasanta

After an extensive renovation, Chef Roberto Serra reopened a stylish restaurant. The food remains rooted in the local area, but just like the restaurant decor has been elevated to a high level with clear distinct tastes succeeding one another. Classic Sardinian food gently modernized.

Su Murruai, Riola Sardo

A beautiful warm and welcoming modern style contrasts harmoniously with what was the interior of an old flour mill. Similarly the food, while using local raw materials, leans more into modern innovation than other restaurants. Su Murruai is Sardinian for the scent that can only, but not necessarily, be achieved by Vernaccia wine that has been aged at least ten years. The exploration of this sensation by Chef Ivan Matarese and the impeccable service presided over by his partner Jessica earned them a mention in the Michelin Guide.

Locanda di Corte, Bosa

Situated in a small piazza in the beautiful historic centre of Bosa, the setting could not be more idyllic. The food is excellent too. However, Avoid it during the high season in August when the staff is rushed off their feet.