Ristorante Locanda dell'Arco — Restaurant in Magliano de' Marsi

Set amongst the postcard perfect backdrop of Monte Velino, this is without doubt a textbook hidden gem quaint town restaurant. If the drive to Rosciolo dei Marsi isn’t spectacular enough, it is matched with an equally spectacular dining experience at Locanda dell’Arco. The cuisine is a far cry from the usual suspects found in most abruzzese restaurants… this is next level. The restaurant is run by a young husband and wife team, with the husband heading the kitchen. The Chef has brought his Piemontese culinary roots into the heart of Abruzzo, with a menu that respects both tradition but also with a flair of innovation. The menu is small and hand written, ensuring it’s align with what’s seasonal and available at its best. The wine is in a league of its own, expect small batch barolo, barbera d’asti and barbaresco, amongst many others, all hand picked by the passionate couple. The chef’s wife, who leads the service, highly recommended the carpaccio di manzo with mandarin and basil sorbet. Let’s just say, I drove 2 hours to arrive at this restaurant and would travel 2 hours again just for this dish. Refreshing, clean and refined, without being pretentious, it set the pace for what was to be a memorable meal. As a Piemontese should be, the chef is famed for his risotto, today it was zafferanno with liquorice, his signature dish I apparently. No this is not something i would ever order without a recommendation, so I’m lucky I asked. This was without doubt the best risotto I’ver ever had, it wasn’t to be expected in a small remote town in the middle of Abruzzo, but this was just spectacular. To finish, another Piemontese classic, bonet. A chocolate and amaretto dessert that was probably the best spoon of food I’ve had in a very long time in an Italian restaurant. Luckily we ordered two of the same as it would be criminal to share. The desserts are truly outstanding and if I was a guts, I’d probably would have ordered two! The experience at Locanda was unexpectedly exceptional. The staff, the meal, the location, this is a restaurant that begs to be revisited and well worth a day dream even from Rome! Thank you Locanda dell’Arco for a...

Locanda molto carina situata in un borgo davvero bello. Leggendo tutte le recensioni positive con 5 stelle, purtroppo, devo dire che forse siamo stati un po' sfortunati, forse abbiamo solo scelto il periodo o il giorno sbagliato. Dopo un bella impressione all'accoglienza ci siamo imbattuti in un menu davvero povero di scelte: tre primi di cui uno con una sola porzione, un tagliere per antipasti con soli formaggi, perché nella zona non ci sono validi salumi, e forse neanche verdure da fare grigliate o altra alternativa, i secondi davvero quasi inesistenti e alla richiesta di qualcosa di vegetariano ci è stato risposto alquanto in maniera scortese che quello era il menù e che non c'era altro al di fuori di esso, proponendoci uno strudel di zucchine davvero deludente. Comunque abbiamo mangiato: formaggi molto buoni, (per chi ha potuto) tagliatelle al ragù di cinghiale e come alternativa una sola porzione (purtroppo) di gnocchi, buoni nel contesto ma con porzioni davvero minime. Direi ottimi i dolci, di tutto rispetto (bravi). Un buon vino della casa, credo toscano. Nota dolente il conto, direi un tantino elevato facendo i dovuti rapporti. Vorrei tanto ritornarci un giorno per essere smentito, e per trovare un menù leggermente più ampio magari con qualche euro di bene. Ultima cosa un elogio per la perseveranza nel tenere vivi questi borghi con le vostre...

We had a totally personalised experience at Lucas restaurant. Luca and his mother were fantastic, generous and kind hosts. Lucas cooking is absolutely delicious, we had wild boar ragu, local beef and chilli chocolate mousse all with delicious wine and finished with a selection of liquors. Reservations...