La Foresta Ristorante — Restaurant in Sirmione

We started with the beef tartare, which was tasty and well-seasoned. Unfortunately, everything went downhill from there.

I ordered grilled fish, which was listed on the menu as fresh lake fish. Instead, I received three different fillets – one of them clearly salmon – along with two small sardines. The plate felt like a random mix of leftover fish rather than a thoughtfully prepared dish. None of the fillets were seasoned, and the overall flavor was bland. This was definitely not the lake fish that was promised in the menu.

The dish came with no sides – no potatoes, no salad – and the waiter didn’t inform us about this in advance. I only found out after I asked and had to order a salad separately. That kind of information should be provided up front.

We were seated right next to the register, and the waiter stood nearby for most of our meal. There was no real interaction or engagement – just the uncomfortable feeling of being watched the entire time.

The grilled meat was also disappointing – undercooked and nearly raw in the middle, with a huge piece of cartilage that made it impossible to eat. No one asked us how the meal was, not even at the end.

Overall, it felt like the only safe choice in this restaurant is pizza or pasta – which is what every other guest around us was eating. If you’re hoping for anything more – sadly, we can’t...

DO NOT BELIEVE THE REVIEWS - TOURIST TRAP. Unbelievable they have gotten so many positive reviews. I rarely do this, in fact i have never written a negative review before at all but this was such a bad experience i felt like i had to.

No hello, no welcome, no smile, no goodbye, nothing from the staff. And we came early so not busy. No hospitality at all. The server seemed very annoyed and didnt even look at us when he took the order. Three different pasta dishes, carpaccio and one margherita - all completely tasteless. I regularly eat better pasta in sweden and have had better experiences in Italy for a fraction of the price. That says it all. Nobody asked if it was ok or even took away the plates. We got completely different dishes on the bill than we ordered and when i questioned it the boss at the counter was a bit rude although they gave me a correct bill in the end. Either he swore at me or the staff, not sure. They did however charge full price for childrens portions so have that in mind.

One positive thing is they have good parking though. Thats somehing i guess.

DO...

ℹ️ We were almost put off by the reviews below stating bad service etc. I’m glad we chose to form our own opinion.

🧍🏻‍♀️The service was excellent, accommodating and charming even with a complete language barrier. Service was very continental which is where some Britons may have fallen down.

We had two attentive waiters who saw tonour every need. This was coupled with an appropriate amount of checks through the meal. A slight languge barrier (to be expected) which they were charming at overcoming to assist us.

🍝 The food was good and well priced, myself and my partner both had seafood dishes which were fresh and large dishes. We also had desserts which were also well priced, the apple tart won over the chocolate cake.

🏠 The venue was the most exciting we saw in lake Garda, two internal trees stand as pillars to a large wooden roof. This is offset by a spectacular amount of fairy lights. Tableside manner was good and the table was well dressed. The spicy olive oil was amazing.

🏧 £££ Higher prices but fantastic all-round business should charge...