Al Cervo — Restaurant in Malcesine

We visited the Al Cervo on June 22, 2024, coincidentally on the evening when the 2024 European Championship match between Belgium and Romania took place. A brief summary beforehand: We ate poorly and were poorly served. But let's go in order: We arrived at the restaurant around 8:30 PM (about half an hour before the start of the football match). We hadn't made a reservation, but we were still given a table by the very friendly waiter. Our drink orders were taken soon after, and shortly thereafter another server took our food orders. After quite a long wait, two of our drinks arrived, and after reminding the staff about the third drink, it arrived fairly quickly as well. I had to return my open white wine because it tasted like a musty cellar. I was then given a glass from a bottle, and that wine was fine. At some point, the football match had already started (kick-off was at 9 PM), a basket of bread was placed on our table. Then nothing happened for a while. The first half of the match had already ended, and the second half had already begun. To our surprise, a waitress took the bread basket from our table, and shortly after, we were given the dessert menu without asking. Someone must have noticed our puzzled reaction because the staff's response suggested that they had forgotten about us. The second half of the match was well underway when our food was finally served: two pizzas and gnocchi with a saffron cream. The Buffalo pizza had barely any mozzarella, the tomato sauce had the consistency of tomato soup, the rare case of a soggy pizza. The saffron cream showed no trace of saffron, the yellow color came solely from food coloring. Saffron is indeed a very expensive spice, as evidenced by the price of 15.50 euros for the dish, which would have been reasonable had saffron actually been used. For gnocchi with food coloring (not a very tasty combination), it was rather inappropriate. We couldn't determine whether this treatment was reserved for tourists or also for regular guests. As mentioned: The service was friendly but seemingly overwhelmed. And the kitchen seems not to care much for passing tourists. There are indeed people who can distinguish between food coloring and saffron and can recognize bad wine (from a barrel, as we were told). Anyone on the brink of starvation might consider a visit to Al Cervo, but everyone else should look for a more reputable restaurant.

... Turmeric also makes a very nice yellow - but it has nothing to do with saffron either ...

And I forgot to mention: There was actually a complimentary limoncello as a farewell. Unfortunately, not the kind the country can be proud of ... rather the...

WHAT A LET DOWN!!! This experience was incredibly disappointing. We've frequented this restaurant several times, including on the eve of our wedding in Malcesine 11 years ago, and we were optimistic after hearing about the new owners from local friends. Unfortunately, we should have listened to our instincts.

We made a reservation and were promptly seated and ordered a drink; but after more than 25 minutes with no one taking our order, I felt the need to speak to the manager, Valeria. I pointed out that two tables seated after us were already being served, to which she replied dismissively, "As you can see, we are busy," before finally taking our order. To add insult to injury, she pointed out that our five-year-old daughter had brought her own water bottle. I was gobsmacked, how rude from an actual owner???

When the food arrived, my wife's spaghetti was visually appealing but alarmingly small. The pizzas were decent, but the portion sizes were equally inadequate. Valeria wrote “sorry” on the bill and offered us a mere 20 euros off.

It’s a real letdown, especially since I have such fond memories of this place. We settled the bill, left, and will not be returning. It’s...

Hidden gem. Family owned restaurant, local and well thought dishes for great prices and great service. You can feel the love and effort in every detail.

I'm sad to see some negative reviews even recently, because for us, it was the best places we visited in this area. And we eat out a lot, including high end restaurants. I think either the people have no idea what they are talking about or the restaurant really takes every review into account and improved massively, which again, shows a lot of love and effort.

In my opinion, places like this are very rare and special, no matter where in the world you are. We wish you the best and if we're around again, we will definitely be visiting again. And recommending it to everybody who goes to Lake Garda.

Last but not least, there is a great parking and if you have a proper meal in the restaurant, the parking is free. This is how we found this place, because we couldn't find a spot in the whole Malcesine. Amazing. And cute mini horses are a cherry on top 🙈😍

Love,...