Monterosso's signature ingredient is the acciuga — the anchovy — and the ones caught in these waters are considered among the finest in Italy. They appear on every menu in multiple forms: marinated in lemon, stuffed and fried, packed in salt, or layered with herbs. If you eat nothing else here, eat the anchovies.
Beyond the anchovies, the Ligurian kitchen is present in full: fresh trofie pasta with pesto made from local basil, focaccia baked soft and glistening with olive oil, and plates of fried fish from the day's catch. To drink, look for Sciacchetrà, the local sweet wine made from sun-dried Bosco, Albarola, and Vermentino grapes — it's produced in small quantities from the steep terraced vineyards above the village and rarely travels far. A glass at the end of a meal is the correct way to finish.