Ristorante Posta — Restaurant in Baveno

We arrived in Baveno without a reservation, hoping that an early dinner might earn us a seat. To our pleasant surprise, Posta welcomed us without hesitation. The service from the very start was calm, kind, and quietly efficient — a promising beginning.

The bread arrived first. It was simple, fresh, and continually replenished. There's a €3 cover charge and €2 more for butter and olive oil, but the way the staff kept the table topped up made it feel more generous than transactional.

We ordered a single portion of bruschetta — two slices — and without us asking, the waiter offered to have it split in the kitchen so we could each have a plate. It’s a small gesture, but one that stood out. After years of dining out, I’ve rarely seen that kind of thoughtfulness. The bruschetta itself was crisp, vibrant, and perfectly balanced.

For our main courses, we had pork ribs, a welcome break from the steak-heavy week, and a generous macaroni dish with basil, pine nuts, and a cheese I couldn’t name but would happily eat again. The portions were more than ample, and the flavours were full and satisfying — rustic, confident cooking without the need for embellishment.

Then came the moment that made the evening truly memorable. Hanging on one of the walls was a portrait of Bhagat Singh, the Indian revolutionary. It caught me completely off guard. Curious, I looked it up and discovered that Bhagat Singh had been deeply inspired by Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini, whose writings shaped Singh’s own thinking on nationalism and rebellion. That unexpected link — between India and Italy, between past and present — was quietly powerful. As someone of South Asian heritage, it felt like an invisible thread pulling two worlds together. In a town where I may have been the only brown visitor that day, that connection mattered.

We left Posta full — not just in the stomach, but in spirit. It was more than just dinner. It was history, warmth, and good food — all...

Both our tour guide and hotel recommended this place. We were given menus and seated outside. After fifteen minutes, a waitress finally came to the table. I had questions about the menu as it was in German, I think. She was terribly rude and insulting. We ordered a glass of wine and a beer. Fifteen more minutes go by and I asked, politely, if she knew where our drinks were. She lashed out, "He's bringing them!" I told my wife, "We don't have to stay here and take this." We didn't eat or drink anything except a couple pieces of the complimentary bread which we didn't ask for. We left and went to the street side adjacent restaurant which was great by the way. The waitress comes onto our new restaurant's property and yells, "You pay!" I said, "Pay for what? We didn't have anything. That's why we left." She yelled, "I call police!" In which I say, "go ahead." That wasn't the end of it. The manager comes onto their property two more times and yells at us. The manager of our restaurant had to yell at her to go away. We must not be too bad of guests because they gave us two on-the-house aperitifs. Obviously, I shared this with my tour guide and the staff at...

We had all our favorite meals in Baveno at the Posta. The menu distinguishes itself clearly from its neighbors by being a bit more inventive and much less tourist-oriented. The dishes have enough creative flair to elevate them above the classics being mass-produced at the large restaurants along the promenade, for example. We were never disappointed! I really like how Italian law requires restaurants to declare which specific ingredients they cook from frozen - the Posta stands out has having no such small print anywhere on the menu.

The service was always personable and efficient, and the prices are exactly average for Baveno. The outdoor tables fill up quickly, but you'll always get a table inside without a...