Restaurants
Sardinian cuisine
Traditional Sardinian cuisine is mainly meat based - “porceddu” (roasted suckling pig) is the main dish.
Sardinia cuisine is good but not as richly flavoured as that of some of other Italian regions in my own view, and is more meat based as locals were shepherds not fishermen.
I personally would rate Sicilian and Emilia Romagna cuisine as superior. I tend to avoid fregola (one local pasta) while the others are alright.
La Maddalena offering
There is a large selection of places where to eat during the tourist season. Prices have increased significantly over the past few years and they are now in line with places with higher decor and located in more expensive locations such as Milan.
Fish
A serving of fresh fish baked in the oven will cost 30+ EUR per person, can easily go to 40 EUR pp. It is generally cooked with tomatoes, potatoes and a white wine sauce.
If you want to avoid Seabass and Sea bream (they are good but probably farmed anyway) I suggest you try the “Cappone” (Red gurnard) which is locally sourced. (You can also find it in the fish market and supermarkets and cook it at home).
The waiter generally brings you a selection of fishes on a tray for you to decide.
TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor can be of help in selecting the best places to eat outside in La Maddalena if you have time to go through the comments.
I just add a few notes on the places where we have been; please do not take our experience as the truth nor as an exhaustive list, there are certainly many excellent places that I have not tried as we love eating at home on the terrace watching the sea.
Wine
Typical sardinian wines are Cannonau (red) and Vermentino (white).
Mirto is a popular liquer.
Some restaurants will offer you a glass of Mirto at the end of the dinner without extra charge.
My experiences
Dolci distrazioni (ice cream, open only during high season). Ice creams of good quality. The long queue is just the consequence of their success.
Noir Lounge | Restaurant & Cocktail Bar. This restaurant has dishes of high quality and well presented but you will pay 60 EUR for a two course meal (each dish is 25/30 EUR). It is probably the best place where I have dinner in Maddalena. They have a bar lounge on the ground floor; the restaurant is on the first floor.
Trattoria l’Aragosta. In my opinion it has the best quality/price ratio. Do not expect highly refined or complex dishes as prices are among the lowest in La Maddalena and it is in a touristic area on top. It is a trattoria/pizzeria, not a restaurant. As an example, their seafood mixed starters - good size but raw seafood pieces, not much processing. Most of the time I take their seafood or black risotto (very few restaurants serve a seafood risotto for one client only.)
La Baracca. It is an informal trattoria always busy with locals, close to the gas station. The area (Moneta) is not touristic and is run down. It used to serve very good food and with good quality/price ratio and to be our first choice when we were looking to eat outside and avoid the hustle and bustle of the centre. However, prices are now in line with the center town. Except in peak season you do not need to book in advance. The service has improved considerably (used to be very slow). Dishes are generously sized. I like their seafood starter selections and seafood pastas. Their menu is far too wide. They are friendly and they will offer you a free glass of mirto at the end.
Trattoria da Bocchetta. (open only during high season) It has a nice terrace on the pedestrian area, in front of the ice cream shop. We have been to this place for 9 years and we always ate reasonably well – it is a safe place to go. Prices are not low but commensurate with the décor and premium location. If you like to dine in the terrace it is best to call and book in advance (just call them).
Ristorante La Terrazza. Nice terrace and reasonable food. It has recently changed management but seems to have maintained a reasonable standard. Ask if you can get a table with view on the main road. Do not recall how expensive it is vs. other places.
Ristorante l’Avventura. A restaurant located on the sea front. It is positioned on the refined side, but I find Noir Lounge more convincing.
Ristorante Perla Blu. It has a nice terrace with view on the port and that’s probably their strongest selling point. They are also pizzeria.
L’agriturismo. (This may be closed now). Just outside Villaggio Piras. You need to book and the menu is fixed. You will be served lots of very simple starters, 2+ pastas and then Porceddu (roasted suckling pig). I only went once. The Porceddu was very burnt, but by the time we got there we were already stuffed and unable to eat more. We felt the price was high for a fixed menu, some TripAdvisor reviews seem to agree with this.
Locanda del Mirto. Located on the hill not far from Villaggio Piras. I went only once. Some celebrities seem to go there when they arrive with their yachts and it is on a recommended list of the only 5* hotel on the island so it cannot be a bad place. We ate well and they certainly have a large selection of Sardinian dishes. However, the bill was also quite high given it is not a luxury restaurant.
Pizzeria Sergent Pepper. They make very good pizzas but they do not take reservations, you have to show up and wait for a table.
If I bring pizzas home I use Pizzeria I Quattro Venti (just in front of the PAM supermarket located in Via Cala Chiesa) – they make good pizzas, you do not have to wait and it takes 4 minutes to bring them back home.
La Scogliera (Porto Massimo). Never been there but heard the prices are Porto Cervo-style. Beware! If you venture check the prices before you order.