Al Prato Restaurant
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This was a roller coaster of emotions for me. Let me tell you what happened :') but first I want you to remember this... This up there with the best food I've ever tried, period! And I'm one of those people that can love both a Michelin star restaurant or a trattoria! Al Prato hits that perfect mix of local traditional food with Michelin star level presentation and flavor combination! My wife and I loved every plate: the lamb chops, the blueberry pasta with chestnuts and pumpkin, the local fish starter, the dessert. I can tell you the chef knows that he/she is doing 🤗😍 The local wine, both white and red almost makes you cry if you're a wine lover. So, having said that, when it comes to food and drinks, I promise you, you are in for a treat if you go here when you are in Varena. Now, the not so good part. Advise 1, book in advance, this is a busy place, and as you can probably figure out by the review, I believe it is well justified ;) Advise 2, and this is the biggest one for me, and the reason why this was an emotional roller coaster. Dress well!!! Honestly for the first time in my life I felt discriminated against by my appearance. I consider myself very fortunate to earn enough money to spend it in places like these, but I'm simply not one to flash my money and I don't enjoy expensive clothes. Moreover, when I'm travelling, outfits are definitely not my priority. This time, I had a metal concert in Milan, later that night, so I wore a Bad Omens sweater. I must confess, it was not my nicest outfit ahaha but the place is also not one of those etiquete Michelin star restaurants, I mean have I had planned to go there in advance I would probably made the effort of not wearing a metal sweater (not that I believe it's not ok to do it - they don't have explicit dress code stated), but since I had it, cmon it was even under a jacket :') Nevertheless, back to the story... The waitress looked at me when I came in, did not even hesitate, "we are booked and we don't serve outside" (when he saw me looking outside). I honestly found it very suspicious, because there were not a lot of people at that time, they did not have reservations online, and Varena is not the busiest place on April. I told my GF, I'm gonna call to make a reservation, because I'm pretty sure I was rejected because of my appearance. She went there, 1min after, without me, and the same waitress said "let me see if the reservation that I had will not show up", and they called her immediately. I mean, why couldn't that be the answer to me? Or just a friendlier one than just what felt to me like "yeah right, only if you could afford it..." Or like I was going to scare the other customers :( I can only tell you, it felt bittersweet, but I wanted to prove a point that you cannot judge a book by its cover! We live in a world where there are people that just don't care about appearing they earn a lot of money, where also people look and dress differently... that's the beauty of diversity! We were probably one of their best clients that lunch, despite our looks, both in value spent and in friendliness, as we treated every staff, including the one that rejected me, with our highest respect and friendliness. When I go to eat out, more than food, I want to connect with people also, I want to learn from them, interact, feel welcomed :') and happily, one of the waitresses made me feel like that at least ( I hope he appreciated the tip, he was super nice to us!!). For the waitress that rejected me at first, it's all good, no hard feelings, but just advice, treat every customer the same way, and make them feel welcomed, make that experience count for them, they will remember Al Prato not only for the food, but for the staff also. Don't neglect that part. Long story short, one of the best food and wine I've ever had, but some of the staff could use a bit of upskilling when it comes to customer interaction, diversity and inclusion.
Carlos CostaCarlos Costa
20
Hands down one of the most exquisite and artistically beautiful meals I’ve ever had in my life. *Note: if you have a large party, make a reservation. There were several reserved tables on a Saturday afternoon, and they had to turn away larger, walk-in, parties. We started with the burrata with anchovies and zucchini cream. The burrata melted in your mouth and the anchovies were mild and added a hint of salt. Coupled with zucchini cream, tidbits of berries, and a tad of fresh mint- this must be tasted as I cannot adequately describe the sensory experience. We both ordered from the specials menu to continue our culinary journey. Hubby had a pasta with mixed seafood. The broth was a bit tangy and lightly tomato based, with a hint of salinity. ( Make no mistake, it was not at all “fishy”) I had fresh ravioli stuffed with eggplant in a Parmesan béchamel. It was buttery and heavenly, the kind of meal that makes you want to settle in and savor every bite. While very different from each other, I cannot decide which we loved more. I think it was a tie. Though one could say we were well and truly sated, we could not resist when our host (waiter) suggested a pineapple lime panna cotta. It came with an absolutely lovely butterfly tuile. It was a refreshing palate cleanser, with a well selected mix of fresh fruits. This restaurant is a “do NOT miss”❤️ The photos hardly do the meal the justice it deserves, but I tried!
Jennifer Prestwich, RealtorJennifer Prestwich, Realtor
10
This is a must visit!!! There was a bit of a mix up with our reservation - we had a Conceirge book for us, but the owner told me that they only take direct reservations now because too many people do not show up for their reservation when it’s booked through a third party. Luckily, they were able to squeeze us in. And thank goodness they did - they were fully booked for the night and we saw them turn away dozens of people. The food here is absolutely incredible - we leaned into the lake life and went for all sea food. The quality of the food was amazing and the portions were generous. This felt more like eating dinner at a friends house than eating at a restaurant. We didn’t have room for dessert but saw them brought out to several other tables - they looked incredible (especially the cheese cake). This is definitely a spot that should not be missed while you are staying in Varenna!
Kirsten JohanssonKirsten Johansson
10
You must make a booking in advance for a table - we saw many being turned away during our meal. (We missed out the first time because it was full) The food is delicious and they have daily specials too and an extensive wine menu. We ordered the octopus, squid ink pasta, the local fish platter, local fish starter, ravioli, tomato soup. Highly recommend the squid ink pasta it was one of the tastiest pasta dishes I had in Italy. For the desserts we had Panna cotta, tiramisu, affogato and creme brulee. Absolutely get the Panna cotta!!! Think if you are looking for a second, maybe get the tiramisu but it was a special. They gave complimentary bread and fish starter which was really good. The overall experience felt upscale, service is attentive and the prices reflect that. We didn't have wine but had 2-3 courses each and it was about 200 euros for 4 people.
Barb TBarb T
00
We considered ourselves blessed for not being able to secure seats near the lake. We were hungry and tired coming from Bellagio. Imagine our joy when we were told there were seats inside the restaurant. We were won over by the service staff who made us feel welcome. They kept checking on us throughout the meal. We were treated to a tuna appetizer ( on the house! ) I ordered lamb chops (some fancy Italian name) but they came back to inform me it would take some time. So the waiter recommended a local pasta with the lake fish and asparagus. My hubby ordered T bone steak and we both had Garden spritz which tasted great. We also had eggplant with cheese. Everything was fantastic, with fabulous plating too. All in all, it was a memorable experience for us before we left for Como.
CasJan MuiCasJan Mui
10
The Carbonara was decent, although it was way too thick. Whoever the chef was, was a little too generous with the cheese. As I ate here on the tail end of my vacation, having mediocre carbonara was just what I needed to settle me back in to consuming subpar meals at high prices for my return to Canada. The house wine was good, and my partner's gnocchi was good. The cocktails are a bit on the expensive end for the area, but they're ice cold, which was much needed to beat the heat. Only place on the lake that was open past 9pm, so if you and your insignificant other need a late night sobriety meal, this is the spot. It's also great for people watching - a lot of ignorant tourists do stupid things, and it's a lot of fun to just giggle with your company.
The Review ManThe Review Man
00
Nearby Attractions Of Al Prato Restaurant
Villa Monastero
Castello di Vezio
Villa Monastero
Varenna
Hotel Royal Victoria, by R Collection Hotels
Hotel du lac
Riva
Hotel Diffuso Il Portichetto
Bau Bau Beach
Albergo Beretta

Villa Monastero
4.6
(3.1K)Click for details

Castello di Vezio
4.6
(2.6K)Click for details

Villa Monastero
4.6
(2.5K)Click for details

Varenna
4.5
(846)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Al Prato Restaurant
Bar Il Molo
Bar La Cambusa
Caffe Varenna
Osteria Quatro Pass
Albergo del Sole Ristorante Pizzeria
La Veranda dei Pescatori
Il Cavatappi
Ristorante Borgovino
Ristorante VarennaMonamour
ALMA

Bar Il Molo
3.6
(1.6K)Click for details

Bar La Cambusa
4.6
(931)Click for details

Caffe Varenna
4.2
(658)Click for details

Osteria Quatro Pass
4.4
(547)$$$
Click for details
Basic Info
Address
Piazza del Prato, 6, 23829 Varenna LC, Italy
Map
Phone
+39 348 712 4389
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Reviews
Overview
4.7
(689 reviews)$$
Ratings & Description
attractions: Villa Monastero, Castello di Vezio, Villa Monastero, Varenna, Hotel Royal Victoria, by R Collection Hotels, Hotel du lac, Riva, Hotel Diffuso Il Portichetto, Bau Bau Beach, Albergo Beretta, restaurants: Bar Il Molo, Bar La Cambusa, Caffe Varenna, Osteria Quatro Pass, Albergo del Sole Ristorante Pizzeria, La Veranda dei Pescatori, Il Cavatappi, Ristorante Borgovino, Ristorante VarennaMonamour, ALMA

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