If you've never been to Lake Como before, I can't high recommend it enough. It is one of the most beautiful places I've been to in the world. In terms of sheer natural beauty, there is nothing more spectacular than a view of the gorgeous lake on a clear sunny day where you can see across to the other cute towns. Simply stunning. I recommend staying away from the madness of Bellagio (way too many tourists and was my least favorite part of the region) and stay somewhere slightly less crowded like Varenna. It was perfect there - a few shops and restaurants but overall super quiet. The best part is that the train station is located in town, so it's easy to get back to Milan from here.
The only downside to Lake Como is that I would say the food scene is not as great as it is in other parts of Italy. Let's face it, you're coming here for the scenery and not the food. That being said, the food is decent, just not spectacular. We went to this local joint our first night in Varenna as it was recommended by our Airbnb host. It's a quaint neighborhood restaurant with a few local specials. Every restaurant in town boasts about their "lake fish" entrees - I believe it's literally fish they pluck from the lake. I'll be honest and as someone who loves fish, lake fish isn't the tastiest.
I started off with a basic beef tartare - it's was pretty good except there weren't any capers or raw egg with it. It was very plain and simple but good enough. Next I got the mixed grill of lake fish - it was a variety of different grilled fish fillets prepared a few different ways. None of it was really mind blowing. Kinney got the fish pasta and it is actually wasn't very good - I have never really been a huge fan of mixing fish and pasta but this one just had that extra fishy taste to it. Others at the table got the special ravioli with ricotta cheese, which I was told was pretty good. So while I would usually tell people to get the local delicacies, I'd maybe steer people away from the lake fish and stick with the pastas in Lake Como. As with everything in Lake Como, prices are a bit higher than in other cities because of the high influx of tourists. Total bill: $344 for 6 people with tax, tip and wine
Photo Credit: Yelp
Hotel Restaurant Azalea Via Portici S. Pietro, 1, 22019 Tremezzo CO, Italy 3.5 Forks
The best thing about Lake Como is the ability to hop around the lake and visit a bunch of gorgeous villas. I now know why so many people get married here and why George Clooney has a house here. We decided to take a boat ride to the town of Tremezzo to visit one of the villas and then stopped by this place for a leisurely late lunch.
There aren't a ton of places to eat in this area so when we spotted an outdoor restaurant with a lake view we were sold. It's attached to a mid-scale hotel, so we weren't expecting great food. It was just nice to sit outside and enjoy the scenery. I was feeling like I needed something healthy so I got the shrimp salad but then for an entree all they really had were pastas and pizzas, so I went for the 4 cheese pizza. I actually hadn't gotten pizza on this entire trip so I felt like it was ok to finally get it. The shrimp salad felt like it was defrosted frozen shrimp and it came with strawberries and balsamic vinegar which was kind of a weird combination but it strangely worked for me. The pizza was actually really tasty - nice thin crust and it was super super cheesy. Yumm! Everyone else also got some kind of pizza and Will got the rabbit which he said was really good.
The service was a bit off - although there was only 1 guy there so I did feel bad. Several people came after us and even sat down with menus but then he told them that there was no more food? or that the kitchen was closed? Either way, we got there in the knick of time. Again, similar to our meal the night before, the food wasn't some culinary wonder but it did hit the spot after a long day wandering around the lake. Total bill: $186 for 6 people with tax, tip and wine
Photo Credit: Discovercomo.com
Hosteria del Platano Via Statale 29, 23829 Fiumelatte, Italy 4 Forks
This was the most surprising restaurant of the trip. It was our last meal of the trip (sob!) and I'm not really sure how we even found this place but it was a bit of a hike outside of Varenna. While it was beautiful to watch the sunset while we walked along the road, it was along the highway and it wasn't really the safest of walks but if you're in a group, it's not too bad.
The restaurant is in this random place off the road, not near anything. We walked in and it felt kind of weird - there weren't a ton of people there and it didn't have this cute cozy feeling that we had in a lot of other places and at first glance the menu was less than inspiring. But this is where looks can be deceiving because the food was excellent. The clientele is definitely much more local and there wasn't a single American tourist in sight which is always a good sign (although there might have beens some European ones around).
We started with a vegetable puff pastry, sort of like a spanakopita, that was a nice palate starter. We then had the fried zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta which was sadly kind of meh - it didn't have a ton of flavor to it. Luckily the main entrees made up for the lack luster appetizers. Despite proclaiming I was sick of pasta, I split the deer ragu pasta and it was fantastic. The pasta was perfectly al dente and the deer was not gamey tasting at all. For my other main, I got a beef fillet and it was perfectly pink and tasted fantastic as well. In the end, you can never go wrong with a pasta and meat dish, even if they aren't the most creative of dishes. The dessert here was also shockingly delicious. We got a refreshing mango and blueberry gelato - two very unusual flavors but really good at the same time. The cream brulee was also a nice end of the meal - a good glazed top and creamy sweet inside.
The service was painfully slow but it was just 2 women managing the entire restaurant and they were incredibly nice and sweet to us, so it was hard to be mad at them. While it wasn't a fancy blinged out way to end the trip, it was all about being with friends in a cozy environment that made it a great night and fitting way to end our trip. Total bill: $342 for 6 people with tax and tip
Photo Credit: TripAdvisor
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