Down one of the caruggi near the old port, Vico Palla is the kind of osteria that Genoa used to have on every corner: red checked tablecloths, no menu beyond a handwritten daily board, house wine in ceramic pitchers, and fish that arrived at the market that morning. The farinata (chickpea flatbread baked in a copper pan) is excellent, and the fish soup, when available, is a meal in itself.
Arrive early or late to get a table — it fills quickly at lunch. Cash only, no reservations, no website. Find it, eat there, you will not regret it.