You'd expect to have good Italian food when you come to a small town in Italy. Zenzero exceeded all…read moreof my expectations. The evidence is in the kitchen- the chefs in the small and quiet town of Porlezza take caution in adding little dabs of olive oil here and there along with fresh herbs and ingredients. Don't believe me? Walk in and look in the kitchen. Quite frankly, this was some of the best Italian food I have had as of yet. And the scenery, being lakeside, is an added bonus. Ambience: This place is off the beaten path, tucked away in Porlezza, a quiet city by Lake Lugano. That being said, it's worth ever extra ounce of gas spent to get there. Gorgeous lakeside view with outdoor seating and avoids being packed with tourists. Today was the first time I heard another American in Porlezza. Food: Italian restaurants in America need to get there act together. This was, by far, the best Italian food I have ever eaten. Fresh ingredients, superb execution and made from scratch. The evidence in in the kitchen- you can walk in and see it past the counter. I had the housemade gnocchi which was creamy and soft, melting away in your mouth. The salmon for my second course was just as good- perfectly mixed with olive oil, seasoned well and baked enough just to fall apart with my fork. Creme brûlée with berries to finish- not much else to say other than it fell in line with how good the rest of the food was. Drinks: It's Italy and so comes along the 2 euro glasses of wine. Love it. Service: Our food was a little slow to the table but now I know why. Well worth the wait to have fresh food. Other than that, we were very content with our service. Friendly and welcoming to all the guests, including the ones that are criminally pitiful at speaking Italian.

The staff was nice, but didn't understand english. We ordered and got the wrong drinks to start the…read moredinner. The food was OK, but nothing I would recommend, due to the price and the amount of food we were served. The place has a great view and is very close to the "center" of town, so I guess that was pretty nice.

Very tasty Italian food! We went for the classical dishes (pasta vongole, lasagne, pizza, meat..)…read moreand everything was very tasty. Great for kids who can play outside. May be good to reserve even though we were lucky to get a table outside.

Excellent spot for great tasting and high value Italian food. Beautiful terrace overlooking Lake…read moreLugano, and the visiting donkeys were a great hit with my kids. We liked it so much we came back a second night and again had a great experience.

Previously, I was taken here by locals and the cuisine lived up to the hype. When I had some spare…read moretime in Lugano, I could not think of a better venue for lunch. Dine outside, if the weather permits, and enjoy the view of lovely Lake Lugano and the rolling house-speckled hills in between occasional interruptions by the armored G-wagons and super cars that the residents use to put around this picturesque town.

I loved this place didn't felt authentic and not touristy...the food was delicious though and not…read morefar from the train station right along the water...

Great food, nice ambiance. Intimate. Server Clemente was attentive, personal, and funny. Black…read moretruffles the specialty were amazing.

This intimate restaurant was highly recommended by a local shopkeeper and did not disappoint. They…read moreseated our party of eight without a reservation. We enjoyed a nice bottle of wine, two antipasto plates, a simple salad, and a variety of pastas. The mushroom pasta was the best dish of my entire trip!!

We had our lunch here while in Menaggio. I am not sure about other meals but pizza is very good…read morethere. Me and my husband we shared 1 pizza. And we had some drinks, unfortunately they didn't had the drink I wanted but I choose Limoncello spritz, which was very strong by the way. My husband took local wine and it was pretty good. The waitress gave us good recommendation on that. The service there takes time and i had to go to pay to register because they keep forgetting even we ask 3 times. Overall good inexpensive lunch place.

Found this place because it was on the Michelin guide in the area. Really fun takes on traditional…read moreItalian dishes. My favorite dish was the "liquid caprese"

The service tonight was delightful. We had the pork cheek, the risotto and spaghetti. All of the…read moredishes are highly recommended. The views were spectacular and you just can't go wrong. Servers Ricardo and Floriafano were excellent servers. Very attentive. Very Curtius. Very professional. Travelers close and afar, visit here for a great experience.

A wonderful place that we somehow found, as its one of those with a sign on the road near a few…read moreparking spots, then you walk down that stairs to the place which is right on Lake Como. Probably easier to find by boat and sail up to the dock! Needless to say, the weather was perfect so we ate outside and overlooked Lake Como. Our meal was perfect. We split a first plate which was the black pasta with a type of octopus, smaller than usual. The sauce was yellow tomato sauce, really very good and very different flavor. My entree was a perfectly cooked monkfish in a iight red sauce, with broccoli and potatoes, equally delicious.

I love seeking the hidden gems, and this is certainly one in Locarno…read more It's Michelin listed but not rated - but then, who cares? Sometimes Michelin rated means dropping a few hundred francs for a beautiful atmosphere while still feeling hungry... A group of us ordered various dishes and every single dish I have eaten/tried are simply very fresh, ingredients meticulously blended, and nicely decorated. They even proudly claim their local tomato served in their tomato/mozzarella dish is the best - and amazingly it really tasted as if it was freshly picked. The serving sizes are perfect and I'd recommend ordering from their menu of the day - you get a special pricing based on how many dishes from the selection you want to order, and this ensures you are eating the freshest dishes from the menu. With pasta cooked and seasoned to perfection, lamb that is perfectly cooked, fresh succulent tomatoes, perfectly cooked risotto served with local egli filet, one can't go wrong eating here. The service is very helpful and the chef comes out to meet everyone after the meal. Set your GPS and find this place. It's located on a small corner across from the Migros Garden and Coop - so not too hard to find. Reasonably priced meal for a Michelin listed restaurant.

Beautiful setting, hidden location away from tourists, very good food and wine by the glass. I had…read morethe veal raviolli (excelent) and calamari con pomodori (too big). Not to miss.

Such a delicious and beautiful spot for lunch. 2 of us had…read morepizzas which were very generous servings and 2 had carbonara which was delicious and a favorite for sure! Made our trip to Ascona even more memorable.

Great food with a beautiful view!…read more Ascona is absolutely beautiful and this restaurant sits on one of the prettiest streets I've seen that overlooks the entire lake and mountains and it's a beautiful sight to see. During the day you can sit outside in the mornings or afternoons and share a cup of coffee or nice glass of wine and just enjoy the sun shining over the lake and the peace and tranquility and beauty of Switzerland from this great restaurant. At night the restaurant lights are dimmed low and the dinner is enjoyed by glow of candlelight. It makes for a wonderfully romantic evening. The wine list is pretty extensive and they also have a nice selection of Ticinese wines that you cannot find outside of Switzerland. The staff is very friendly and welcoming and our server was happy to go over the wine list with us and made some excellent recommendations for local wines to try. They have a pretty good extensive menu for food as well, they have everything from pizza to salads to pasta and grilled shrimp and everything is pretty affordable especially for being in Switzerland. One of the best dishes I had was the mushroom risotto it was very very good and full of flavor. It was also nice that you could order the smaller or larger portion size which is always a great option for groups who like to share and try several plates. I highly recommend trying some of their deserts they are all very good as well. They had some deserts on the menu that I've never had anywhere else before and some I've never even heard of so we decided to try them since our server recommended them so highly and said they were some of the restaurants specialties and they were all very unique and very very good. Overall it's a great place, if you're in the area and looking for a nice place to enjoy the view and get some great food I highly recommend checking this place out morning or night you will not be disappointed!

Simply outstanding pizza-centric restaurant like no other. Service was prompt, knowledgeable and…read morehelpful. Other non pizza options are available and quite good but don't miss the center of attraction - Pizza!

We're visiting from the U.S. and staying at the Palace Hotel. The concierge recommended Pomodorino,…read moreso we made our way there at 7.30pm. The service was great, we ordered a Diavola pizza to share, I had the lobster linguini and the hubs had a meat platter--ribs, lamb and Italian sausage. Shared a tiramisu too. All in all, it was another awesome dinner in Italy!