Best Burgers in Genoa: Caruggi to Boccadasse

The best burgers in Genoa are spread between the caruggi, the narrow alleys of the old town, the Porto Antico waterfront redesigned by Renzo Piano, and the districts east of the centre, from Foce to the old fishing village of Boccadasse. Castelletto and Carignano, on the hills above the port, add neighbourhood addresses away from the tourist flow.

Genoa’s everyday bread is focaccia genovese, flat, salty and glossy with olive oil, eaten from breakfast onward, and it is the standard any burger bun gets compared with. Pesto alla genovese is built on Basilico Genovese, a DOP basil grown along the Ligurian coast, with pine nuts, garlic, hard cheese and olive oil. Focaccia di Recco, filled with soft fresh cheese, comes from a town a few kilometres east. Ligurian cooking leans on herbs, vegetables and fish more than on beef, so pesto mayonnaise or a soft-cheese topping is the local twist to look for.

Burgers in Genoa: key facts

• Neighbourhoods to explore: the centro storico (caruggi), Porto Antico, Foce, Boccadasse, Castelletto and Carignano.
• Local specialties: focaccia genovese, focaccia di Recco and pesto alla genovese.
• Key herb: Basilico Genovese DOP.
• Currency: the euro (EUR), used in Genoa as across Italy.
• Getting around: one metro line, plus public lifts and funiculars that climb the hills.

Every guide we publish on Genoa is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. For burgers in the rest of Italy and the world, start from our burger restaurant guides.