Al Prato Restaurant — Restaurant in Varenna

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...

I visited the same restaurant twice, and both experiences made me appreciate it more.

First Visit

From the start, the bread selection stood out. The purple bread surprised me with an intense sesame flavor and a hint of nuts inside—I totally expected taro or sweet potato at first. Both the wheat and white bread options were also delicious, making me want to try baking bread at home.

We began with ravioli filled with cheese. The filling was rich and flavorful but not oily, so it didn’t feel overly heavy. The accompanying mushrooms and sauce partnered perfectly with the ravioli, making this dish a clear favorite.

Next came chicken with potato. The potatoes were exceptionally good and caught me off guard with how tasty they were. The chicken, cut into four portions, was soft, juicy, and tender—the meat easily separated from the bone and the cartilage was a treat.

For dessert, we tried the tiramisu. The cream was impressively light and fluffy, but the traditional finger biscuit was swapped out for sponge cake, which wasn’t really to my taste, though it was still decent.

Second Visit

This time, we received an appetizer of fish salad, which paired incredibly well with the bread.

We ordered beef tartare, ink seafood pasta, and grilled fish. I’d been eyeing the beef tartare since my last visit. Unlike Korean yukhoe (usually thinly sliced), this tartare was minced, offering a different texture. The truffle butter on top was a revelation, especially when piled onto the crispy bread—an absolute flavor bomb. Having so much freshly sliced truffle was new for me; it takes some chewing to fully release the flavor, which was interesting.

The grilled fish—especially the pink trout—was tender, nutty, and savory. A minor downside was not remembering all the types of fish served, and a few pieces had small bones.

The ink seafood pasta was also a highlight. The cheese complemented the pasta, the shrimp tasted super fresh, and the yellow pepper and tomato on the side added nice bursts of flavor.

Both experiences left me impressed and eager to return. There’s genuine skill and creativity in every dish, with standout bread and a great balance of flavors across the menu. If you’re into fresh, flavorful food, this place is definitely...

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,...