Osteria Chiara — Restaurant in Circolo di Locarno

For quality measures the review is separated in three main topics: Staff, Location/Ambience, Food/Price

Staff: The staff were friendly and even though we didnt have a reservation they gave us the option to be seated at their terrace. The waiter was a friendly and attentive person even though they seemed to be rather stressed.

4.5 out of 5.0

Location/Ambience: The restaurant itself is pretty difficult to find as it is rather well hidden but the terrace is located just next to the lake which offers an amazing view. The ambience there gave of a calm and sorta romantic vibe and was very atmospheric and nice.

5.0 out of 5.0

Food/Price: For the food we had the homemade gnocci for 20.- CHF and the homemade maccaroni for 21.- CHF. For the drinks we had a hugo for 8.- and a white merlot for 6.- CHF. The plate of the food was hot which is very good as it kept the food warm. The pasta both were definetly homemade and fresh and tasted very very good. They seemed to be cooked on spot and therefore tasted amazing. They were not grease and perfectly spiced and just very amazing. The portion size was also very fair and you got quite a lot pasta definetly worth the price as quality and quanitity matched. The menu didnt have too many dishes on it but the dishes seem to be very well made and fresh.

5.0 out if 5.0

To sum it up the total rating is 4.8 and therefore very good! I would definetly recommend going there if you like good pasta and all the other great dishes they offer. If you like a bit more privacy I recommend making a...

177.- down the drain.

Let’s get the good out of the way first; the food, what it was and what there was of it, tasted good. However we where not satisfied and cannot recommend this place to most people. We where greeted with what looked like home made grissini but on further inspection proved to be soggy and bland dough-sticks. Every two minutes the serving staff would press us for our order, we didn’t even have 5 minutes to go over the menu. We each had a starter and a main course. The starters looked and tasted great. This is where I can recommend this restaurant, if you’re a ‘social media influencer’ you can get value out of this place from their appetizers. The main courses where the penne with pulpo and the risotto with beef. 32 pieces of penne and 4 tiny pieces of pulpo where a major letdown. If I have to go fishing for the pulpo, then there’s not enough pulpo. The risotto was yellow yet it did not taste of Safran... All in all we spent almost 200.- to leave hungry and in-impressed. If you’re looking for a good selfie with some food art maybe give this place a go, if you’re looking for a place to eat, stay away! Afterwards we went to the la Tegola. Just not to go...

This "osteria" serves fairly sophisticated Swiss Italian food at typically inflated prices for the town of Locarno. We ate on their very nice terrace. The homemade breadsticks were exceptional, crunchy and interestingly shaped. The pasta with lobster and and the chef's daily special pasta with olives, tomato and capers were fresh and good, but not exceptional. The service was very good, with one glaring exception. Instead of providing a wine list with the menus, we were asked immediately if we wanted glasses of Franciacorta to start (sparkling dry, white wine.) Foolishly, I did not ask for a wine list before saying sure, two Franciacortas, which were very good. We order another glass each during the meal. It turned out the wine was more expensive than the food entrées, at €56. Although I should have asked the cost before ordering, I left with the distinct feeling of being hoodwinked into ordering the €14 glasses, casually without the benefit of a wine list. Lots of restaurants serve a sparkling aperitif on the house, so I was...