The new town around the station and the seafront has a good density of no-frills trattorias and panifici (bakeries) catering to locals, railway workers, and French day-trippers looking for a quick lunch. The thing to eat is focaccia — Ligurian focaccia is nothing like the thick slab you get in most of Italy; it is thin, oily, salted, and either plain or topped with olives, rosemary, or onions. Focaccia al formaggio, the cheese-stuffed version from Recco, often appears on menus here. Pick it up warm from a bakery for a few euros.
For a sit-down lunch, look for the menù del giorno boards in the trattorias along the main streets. A two-course meal with wine and water usually costs €12–18 and will typically include a pasta with pesto or pansoti (pasta stuffed with wild greens), followed by grilled fish or the day's meat. These places do not keep long hours and often close once the day's food is gone, so aim to arrive for lunch by noon.