Ristorante La Grolla Menaggio — Restaurant in Menaggio

Discover a hidden treasure of a restaurant in Menaggio! Everybody congregates in the Piazza of Menaggio, but that is not where you should look for an outstanding restaurant. While the main square of Menaggio is very crowded, I recommend you take a seven minute stroll along the lake by the Grand Hotel Victoria and toward the Minigolf. Somewhat hidden behind the Minigolf is the restaurant La Grolla that offers lunch and dinner during the summer season (April to beginning of November). The view of the lake from the outdoor garden section of La Grolla is unique with the Alps in the north and Varenna and Bellagio across the lake. - Many tables outside of the enclosed restaurant are right at the lake.

Since my first review La Grolla has changed in a couple of good ways: First, before the 2024 season the restaurant went through an extensive refinishing process: the old bathroom was gutted and replaced with two modern bathrooms: One simple bathroom with a sink. On of the bathrooms is equipped for handicapped patrons. Visitors with babies will find a changing table. Also, the dining area in the building has been refinished into an open area. On three sides large windows and glass doors let diners enjoy the view of the lake and mountains of the area.

The other major change is a new head of the kitchen. Now Giuseppe Odda runs the show, offering a nice choice of appetizers, salads, first and main courses, as well as desserts (s. photos below). Both my visitors and I have found that just one appetizer or a first or main course are sufficient by themselves as a meal but I'm not a growing teenager. Pizza has been eliminated from the menu. Waiting staff has always been attentive and helpful. The menu features a large variety of fish dishes. Fregola, a Sardinian dish featuring a variety of seafood (shellfish, shrimps, a whole crab) on a bed of special pasta has become a favorite among my guests at La Grolla. Other dishes are on the menu, with Sea Bass, Turbot, even Lobster, some with meat. If you wish to eat a plain dish of pasta with a tomato sauce you can just ask for that. It isn't on the menu but some of my guests were asking for it and the kitchen obliged. (Be patient if the restaurant is very crowded if you ask for something that is not on the menu.) In my experience - and I've been a frequent visitor of La Grolla over the years - has been that special preferences due to allergies have been complied with graciously. While I usually don't drink wine, my guests have always been very happy with the selection of the wines. Wine is offered by the bottle or by the glass.

Little secret: The bread offered by La Grolla comes in small round pieces with a soft part inside and a crunchy crust. Ends of the long loaves aren't normally served. My wife and I love bread crusts; hence I requested to be served just ends of loaves.

I can't wait to return...

Wir hatten nicht reserviert und haben an der Seite einen Tisch für vier Personen bekommen. Die Tische direkt mi Blick auf den See waren alle „reserviert“, sodass man dort nicht Platz nehmen durfte. Während der 1,5 Std. die wir da waren kam allerdings niemand der sich dort hingesetzt hat. Wahrscheinlich für Pärchen, die bereit sind mehr Geld als eine Familie auszugeben, gedacht. 🤷‍♂️

Wir bekamen die Karte und suchten verzweifelt die Getränke. Diese sind nicht aufgeführt. Warum wird einem klar, wenn man die Rechnung erhält 🤪. Wir bestellten das Essen und warteten ca. 10 Minuten. Warum das so schnell ging wurde dann auch klar. Die Lasagne war bereits in einer Auflaufform vorgebacken und durch Mikrowelle nochmal erhitzt worden (Sowas sieht man, wenn man das zu Hause selbst schon gemacht hat). Der Ceasarsalat mit Hähnchen hatte ganze 5 Salatblätter, drei Tropfen Dressing, ca. 5.146 Mio. Croutons und fünf Stück kalte Hähnchenteile (die ich, nachdem ersten Stück probieren, für meine Gesundheit dann mal aussortiert habe).Das restliche Essen ging in die gleiche Richtung und war nicht besser. Am Nachbartisch saßen ca. 7-8 Personen, dort ließen mehr als die Hälfte das Essen zurück gehen, weil es noch nichtganz durchgegart war. Im Ergebnis bleibt festzuhalten, der Laden hat einen tollen Ausblick auf den See, das Personal ist Normal freundlich das Essen ist …, sieht alles besser aus als es ist. Kurz vor Touristenfalle.

We hadn't made a reservation and were given a table for four at the side. The tables directly overlooking the lake were all "reserved", so you weren't allowed to sit there. During the 1.5 hours we were there, however, no one came to sit down. Probably intended for couples who are prepared to spend more money than a family. 🤷‍♂️

We were given the menu and frantically searched for the drinks. They are not listed. You realize why when you get the bill 🤪. We ordered the food and waited about 10 minutes. It then became clear why it was so quick. The lasagne had already been pre-baked in a casserole dish and reheated in the microwave (you can tell when you've done this yourself at home). The ceasar salad with chicken had 5 lettuce leaves, three drops of dressing, approx. 5,146 million croutons and five pieces of cold chicken (which I sorted out for my health after trying the first piece) and the rest of the food was along the same lines and was no better. There were about 7-8 people at the next table and more than half of them returned the food because it wasn't fully cooked. The bottom line is that the place has a great view of the lake, the staff are normally friendly, the food is ..., everything looks better than it is. Just before a tourist trap.

Non avevamo prenotato e ci è stato dato un tavolo per quattro a lato. I tavoli che si affacciano direttamente sul lago erano tutti "riservati", quindi non era possibile sedersi lì. Durante le 1,5 ore di permanenza, tuttavia, nessuno si è seduto lì. Probabilmente è destinato a coppie che sono disposte a spendere di più rispetto a una famiglia. 🤷‍♂️

Ci è stato dato il menu e abbiamo cercato freneticamente le bevande. Non sono elencate. Ci si rende conto del perché quando si riceve il conto 🤪. Abbiamo ordinato il cibo e abbiamo aspettato circa 10 minuti. Poi è diventato chiaro il motivo per cui è stato così veloce. Le lasagne erano già state precotte in una casseruola e riscaldate nel microonde (si capisce quando lo si fa a casa). L'insalata Ceasar con pollo aveva cinque foglie di lattuga, tre gocce di condimento, circa 5.146 milioni di crostini e cinque pezzi di pollo freddo (che ho eliminato per la mia salute dopo aver assaggiato il primo pezzo) e il resto del cibo era uguale e non migliore. C'erano circa 7-8 persone al tavolo accanto e più della metà ha restituito il cibo perché non era completamente cotto. In conclusione, il locale ha una splendida vista sul lago, il personale è normalmente cordiale, il cibo è..., tutto sembra migliore di quanto non sia. Poco prima di una trappola per...

I really tried to like this restaurant, but just couldn't. The food was mediocre at best. They brought me out a turbot with a sauce to hide the gaminess of the fish. I sent it back and asked for a simple piece of grilled turbot. They brought it back so over salted I couldn't eat it, and then they had the audacity to charge me for it. Some of the food was okay. My wife ordered linguine with clams, not only very small clams but worse, half did not open. Lovely setting on Lake Como and the wait staff was nice and mostly accommodating. My worst criticism is that when I asked that the accrid fish be tasted, the waiter said the chef felt it was not salty. This does not speak well of their palate. I try to be fair with my interviews and not overly critical, but in this case, I had to give it a thumbs down. 2 stars was probably too...