Terrazza 241 — Restaurant in Como

I celebrated my birthday at this Hilton three times because I like this hotel, so I'm quite familiar with Terrazza. Here's my review of my last visit.

TL;DR: Come here for drinks and the view. The food is lacking. Service can be poor. It's pricey.

Service: 2/5

This is the most important aspect for me. I can return to a place over and over again solely because of the people who work there.

You'll receive nice service if you're lucky. Most of the staff are really welcoming and helpful, but some are not.

The day before my birthday, we were served by a girl who was as cold as ice. Unfortunately, I can't remember her name, but she had nice eyebrows. ;) The guy at the table next to us was celebrating his birthday and received such awkward congratulations that they can only be described with one word - cringe.

The strangest thing happened when we were served by a guy in glasses and without a beard (Alfredo?). He was nice and helpful on my birthday; we talked about cocktails, and he explained a lot about ice and ingredients. But the next day, he was not welcoming at all. He sighed at us and seemed irritated. Was he unhappy because we took too much attention? Because this time we were with our 1-year-old daughter? Doesn't he like kids? In any case, it's completely unacceptable and unprofessional.

Other staff, as I mentioned, were very friendly and welcoming. We had a small chat with the bartender Marvis, and we liked him!

Food: 2/5

This is one of two available restaurants in the Hilton Como hotel. Basically, the Satin restaurant is used for breakfast, and for lunch and dinner, everyone goes to Terrazza or the city center. Unfortunately, the food here is far from perfect.

During my last visit, I tried the scallops twice - for lunch and dinner. I liked them the first time, but at dinner, the same dish looked and tasted totally different. How is that even possible? It was strange.

The lobster spaghetti was too salty. The carbonara was the same. I read a couple of reviews here from people complaining about this carbonara being too salty over and over again, and nothing changes.

It's better to take pasta from the kids' menu. It's really good. Just add salt and pepper to your taste.

The food menu is really small, and after two visits, you simply don't know what to get, especially if your previous meals were far from good.

The menu has basically stayed the same for three years in a row.

Drinks: 4/5

One of the two reasons you should visit this place. Most of the drinks are great and are what this place is all about. You'll also get a nice complimentary set of finger snacks if your waiter isn't a jerk.

The Terrazza Aperol wasn't too good, though. Too watery.

Atmosphere: 4/5

The second reason you should pay a visit here. The view of the lake is outstanding, and you pay for it.

The live music during my last visit wasn't really good; I could hardly distinguish it from recorded music.

Many beautiful people come...

I usually like super expensive restaurants, because you get super atmosphere, super service and incredible food. Terrazza was a disappointment in most every category. But first let's cover what is great: the view. If you want a great venue to impress a date with view, music & expensive drinks, this place is great for you. We were hoping for an intimate, elegant, and gourmet dinner. We barely sat down and couldn't hear each other over the music. The menu was poorly executed multiple PDF downloads on your phone. Although I saw another guest get a printed menu... with LOW VISION on it (kind of insulting). While we were trying to figure out their menu, the waiter kept bugging us to order; he got annoying quickly. I got "Spicy Baby Chicken" which was bland, dry, and pasty. Even the spicy sauce was bland... not at all spicy by any definition. The side dish of potato churros was good. The Parmigiana Ravoli was ok: great ravoli, but tough eggplant and tomatoes. The guests next to us had to leave the table to find their waiter to ask for the bill... and were taken back to their table to pay. After waiting a while, we were able to flag down our waiter. Probably the worst part (and hopefully one that would not affect many others) was that the floor in my area flexed whenever someone walked by -- making my chair rock a lot. And our table was on the way to the bar, so there was a waiter or guest walking by often! It was like having a chair with a missing foot, and you can't control the rocking. Finally, for those sensitive to cigarette smoke, you should hope the wind blows the right way, since smokers are close by on the outside deck. It was noticable, but not...

The view is amazing but besides that there are many things that can be improved. The quality of the food is quite good, the dishes are creative and modern. The servings are pretty small - which is ok, if you want to have a full Italian menu - but the prices are too high for the quality. Before the starter they put bread (only) on the table - the number of slices is not varying with the number of people that are placed at one table. We had to ask for oil and salt. No one asked if we needed more bread. No one refilled the wine / water glasses. The table was rocking - the waitress recognized that but did nothing to adjust the table. We always set for 10-20 minutes in front of our empty plates between the courses. No one recognized when our drinks were empty nor asked us if everything is ok or if we want to make an order once in a while. Not surprisingly we never received everything we ordered - thy always forgot about something. Plus, the service didn't memorize who ordered the respective drink / dish. They had a DJ with a saxophone - the sound was too loud to talk during the whole time (and I am not sensitive for loud music).

You get the impression that they rest on their unique selling point - the view. But to be a great restaurant / hotel it takes more than that. Unfortunately, we recognized the same service problem during our stay at Hilton Como.

Terrazza 241 is a good place, if you want to enjoy a great view with good drinks and are willing to pay the surcharge for the view. I would not recommend it for dinner because the price-performance isn't fair and there are way better restaurants in Como in the same...