Ristorante Franceschi — Restaurant in Cortina d'Ampezzo

I have travelled the world extensively over 40 years. I ate at all restaurants ranging from pop & mom’s to Michelin three stars. This is my honest review of the restaurant Franceschi.

An exceptional culinary experience right in the heart of Cortina d’Ampezzo. This beautiful restaurant is part of a hotel that looks like a castle, centrally located and surrounded by the breathtaking Dolomites. The dining room features large windows that offer stunning mountain views, creating a refined yet cozy atmosphere.

The service was impeccable — the staff was not only friendly and welcoming, but also extremely helpful, providing detailed answers to our questions and recommendations based on our preferences.

The menu offers a wide range of tempting dishes, combining traditional Italian recipes with creative twists and high-quality ingredients. Choosing was genuinely difficult because everything looked so good. I started with a beef tartare prepared tableside, paired with a touch of burrata stracciatella — delicious, fresh, and perfectly balanced. You can season it to your taste, and the creaminess of the burrata works beautifully with the beef and any spices you choose to add.

As a main course, I opted for the traditional rigatoni carbonara made the authentic Roman way — just pecorino, egg sabayon, and Italian pork bacon. No cream, no butter, and none of the heavy, non-Italian versions often found abroad. It was rich in flavor yet surprisingly light and healthy.

For dessert, I had the Cuor di Malga — a beautiful creation combining Bavarian cream with fresh ricotta, saffron-infused apples, pistachio sponge cake, and red berries. A perfect finale, both visually and in taste.

A special thank you to Mario, the maître d’, and his team for the excellent service and the smooth, well-choreographed orchestration of the dining room — it made the whole experience feel even more refined and enjoyable.

This was the first restaurant I tried in Cortina, so I can’t yet compare it to others — but it certainly felt exceptional. The overall experience — cuisine, ambiance, service, and setting — easily makes it a must-visit. Add to that the very reasonable pricing, and you’ve got outstanding value for money. Highly...

The Chef carries the place / Lo chef porta il posto

​My dining experience at Franceschi left a two-sided impression. While the food was of outstanding quality and far exceeded my expectations, the service was unfortunately disappointing and dragged down the overall impression.

​The kitchen delivered a meal of the highest class. Every dish was tasty and prepared with great precision. The flank steak in particular was perfectly cooked medium rare—juicy, tender, and full of flavor. It's clear that the chef at this restaurant is a master of their craft and truly passionate about cooking.

​Unfortunately, the service did not match the fantastic food. The head waiter seemed absent-minded and unfocused throughout the evening. Here are a few points that illustrate why the service was lacking:

​Four of us wanted to order drinks while we waited for the rest of the party, but the waiter did not take the order.

​We were a party of six, with four arriving first. After the last two had arrived, I pointed out that we were missing two menus. The waiter didn't listen, just rudely replied "relax," and never came back with the two missing menus.

​Several orders were forgotten. Both a drink that someone in the party ordered, and toothpicks after dinner, had to be requested a second time before they were finally delivered.

​The waiter generally had a poor overview of our orders and had to repeatedly ask who had ordered what, whether it was food, drinks, or dessert.

The conclusion is that the food at Franceschi is an experience you don't want to miss and is at a reasonable price, but the service needs a significant upgrade to match the high quality from the kitchen. There is great potential for Franceschi to become a fantastic restaurant if the waiters receive more thorough training in the "finesse" that characterizes...

The ambience at Ristorante Francheschi is truly amazing. The restaurant has been beautifully renovated, with elegant decor that creates a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Service was excellent, with polite and friendly staff who made us feel welcome. One thing we really appreciated was that, unlike many other restaurants, they do not charge a cover fee. We were also pleasantly surprised by the complimentary appetizer—mozzarella with bread and anchovy—which was quite tasty.

From its ambiance and positioning, the restaurant gives off a high-end feel, yet the prices are quite reasonable. With its high ratings and inviting atmosphere, we had high hopes and made the trip to dine here.

Unfortunately, the food didn’t live up to our expectations, which ultimately affected the overall experience. We ordered the risotto with cranberries, the lamb shank (the supposed best-seller), and the entrecôte.

The risotto felt undercooked, and the flavors didn’t quite harmonize. The lamb shank, while slow-cooked for eight hours, was overcooked and lacked tenderness. It also wasn’t served hot enough.

Of the dishes, the entrecôte was the best, but at 29 euros, I expected a higher quality steak. I ordered it rare, but it arrived closer to medium, and it wasn’t hot enough.

What stood out the most for me was the Bolzano red wine, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Overall, while the ambience and service were top-notch, the food was underwhelming and detracted from the experience. We sincerely hope the restaurant can improve its food quality, as it’s a shame that this affected what could have been a perfect...