La Cucina della Marianna — Restaurant in Griante

We walked by this charming restaurant and decided to see if we could have lunch … not knowing anything about it. La Cucina della Mariana is everything you could wish for to have the perfect lunch. The most delightful family owns the restaurant. The father and daughter are the chefs and a son supports their efforts. The father “Ty” greeted us. Immediately friendly and jovial. When we asked about lunch he said “of course … but we are an undemocratic restaurant.” He explained that this means they only cook one menu a day and there are five courses. We could choose to have two, three, four or five courses. They offered for us to even spilt some courses if we wanted to. But we had to be interested in what was on the menu for that day. The setting was so beautiful … under a vine arbor … right on the lake … beautiful Italian linens on the tables … we had already decided and didn’t care if the food was good or not. We would “eat the view”. Well … the meal we had was worthy of as many Michelin stars as possible. Each course was better than the last. When we finished we told Ty that not only was the food mouth watering good but that we could tell he and his daughter loved cooking. He told us that their food was good because they did love cooking but they also took the time to prepare each dish with a lot of thought about the details. He said most recipes today take 20 minutes to make because everybody is in a hurry. Obviously, not the way they cook. Two hours later we knew that we found an authentic Italian, family owned restaurant with amazing food … the view was secondary. La Cucina della Marianna will be one of our first stops when we return...

Lovely restaurant perched on the side of Lake Como between Menaggio and Tremezzo. Convenient parking across the street and up the hill.

It was a Tuesday and the theme of the evening was honey - and our hosts delivered on the theme with a pikeperch and honey tartar that was citrus sharp, apple sweet, and fish tender, subtle and tasty.

The fresh raviolis that followed were stuffed with salty gorgonzola, nutty crushed walnuts and a hint of honey. They just melted in the mouth and were beautifully presented.

A secondi of thinly sliced orange-marinaded duck with some gently cooked spinach completed the savory courses on a high.

Dolci was a honey Panna Cotta that was creamy and soft, another standout.

Recommended for anyone looking for a meal that reflects the best local and seasonal ingredients, cooked expertly and...

How this place is not on more “best restaurants” guides is beyond me.

We loved our meal so much that we went back the following night — and we saw that two other tables did the same!

The food was fantastic (think professional chef cooking at home for their family) and the service was so friendly and thoughtful.

Combine that with the most beautiful lakeside terrace and fair prices, and you’ve got what, for us, was the perfect package.

If you’re looking for an authentic and elevated — but not at all pretentious — meal on the shore of Lake Como, don’t miss La Cucina...