Friday’s Featured Food: Eating The National Dish Rabbit (Coniglia🐇) In Seborga 💙🩵🤍👑

When I finally backpacked across the border from Italy into Seborga, I was in for a treat. This small country had been on my tourist list for a long time and May 2024 was finally the time to backpack across the border from Bordighera in Italy and up the mountains into the Principality of Seborga! On my visit, Seborga had only two restaurants that were open, so naturally I had to dine in all of them. But it wasn’t that simple…

The two open restaurants were Trattoria San Bernardo and Ristaurante Osteria Del Coniglio – Osteria is the only one that was open in the old town on my trip, since Trattoria is up near the bus stop and by the famous cannon square. Another eatery, Marcelline’s Restaurant, was temporarily closed, and Bar Sport (by the national football stadium) was permanently closed. No others were open in the whole country during my stay. In fact, I also pub crawled through every bar in the country – a total of 5 including one that was fake open, one that I invented and one that didn’t exist. I had three days in Seborga as I wanted to do as much as possible in the country. This included trying the national dish, which is known as Coniglia, this is Rabbit.

Day one I popped intill the only open restaurant (at the time) in the walled city centre of Seborga. It’s called Ristorante Osteria Del Coniglia, which actually translates as “Rabbit’s Tavern”; so I’m heading to have rabbit in the Rabbit’s Tavern. It’s in a small square in the main old town of the capital city in Seborga. The exact address is Via Verdi 14. You might think this is easy and standard to get a meal in Seborga, but it’s not. This restaurant has a few rooms, a balcony and a beer garden in a pretty square. BUT, on my visit at least, it was only open from 12.30 p.m. until 15.00 p.m. each day. On my first two days, I was there at 12.25 p.m. waiting!

On day one, I only popped in for a drink, but they were full and very strict, unless I wanted to eat. That day, I had already eaten breakfast and lunch, so a third meal at 13.00 was off limits. I only wanted a beer or a wine. I was told no. Seating is limited. This was crazy, I wasn’t even allowed to have a beer here, or to pay for a beer and take it away! Wild. But as I was writing about Seborga as a blogger, I’d meet the Templars on day two, so I perservered and I knew that on day two or day three, I could eat the rabbit here.

So day two, I headed back here to Osteria Del Coniglia. They are only open from 12.30 p.m. to 15.00 p.m. at least when I was there. I arrived at 12.25 p.m. and AGAIN was told no. This time, not because I only wanted a beer, but because they are full and have no seats! The interior had reservations, it was just after the parade and my guided tour but eventually they agreed that I could eat and drink here! The photos below were from the interior which has a really nice arty design.

I offered to stand, sit at the bar, take away, anything. They don’t cater for travel bloggers obviously. I was denied, again! Maybe mine is the first ever standalone post about this restaurant specifically, unsponsored.

It had turned out a huge Russian group of 15 or so had reserved one big table, there was a procession of the Prince and the other tables, and room, and seating were reserved. So I really have to stress that be prepared that the place might be full – this makes sense given that it was the ONLY restaurant in the old town that was open on my visit and the short opening times! Finally I sat in the beer garden, looked at the menu for 2 seconds and immediately made up my mind on what to order.

I was going for the rabbit – the national dish, known as Coniglia Alla Seborghina, which cost 11 Euros (in local Luigino this would be about 14) but I was paying on Visa Card. As for a drink – beers started at 3 Euros, and a glass of red wine was 4 Euros – then my waitress happened to mention that it is 10 Euros for a 1 LITRE carafe of the red wine, so I went for this! The bar or restaurant would only be open for 2.5 hours so I’d have to eat and drink fast anyway.

The wine arrived within minutes and was a tasty Italian red Cabernet Sauvignon. It came with ciabatta bread. Then after about 20 minutes the rabbit arrived!

I got tore into the rabbit, which I have only ever eaten TWICE in my whole life – once in Malta and now once in Seborga. By no mean coincidence – in both countries it is the national dish.

I enjoy it, but rabbit on the bone is definitely not my favourite dish ever! Then I sit there sipping my wine and a lady from Canada arrives. This is another long term traveller who is called Janet, from Winnipeg, where I visited in 2001 for my cousin’s wedding. Janet she blogs under the moniker of Wandering Librarian. We have a great chat and soon, the restaurant is now closed and I get on with my journey.

Here are the details, and business card of Ristorante Hosteria Del Coniglia:

Service options: Has outdoor seating · High chairs available · Dogs allowed
Address: Via Giuseppe Verdi, 7, 18012 Seborga IM, Italy
Hours:
Opens 12:30 – 15:00 everyday.
Phone: +39 0184 223820

Osteria del Coniglio 🐰🐇
🔸️Tradizione e genuinità dal 1902
📍Principato di Seborga, Liguria
☎️0184 223820
📱3381558896
📧 [email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/250076493/osteria-del-coniglio/

https://www.instagram.com/osteriadelconiglio/

https://www.facebook.com/OsteriaDelConiglio/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g2052406-d2047710-Reviews-Osteria_del_Coniglio-Seborga_Province_of_Imperia_Liguria.html

Here are some videos from my time in Ristorante Hosteria Del Coniglia: