14 Best Restaurants in Lake Garda
Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy, located in three regions: Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino. Lake Garda attracts tourists searching for a mild climate, relaxation, and equipped beaches. But also those who want to explore a decidedly varied territory, with the mountains close at hand, walk on the lake, the medieval towns that survive the time, the sumptuous gardens of the historic villas overlooking the water.
On Lake Garda, you can find different restaurants: the typical Italian trattoria, the typical farmhouse, the traditional pizzeria, and the classic and starred restaurants. In each restaurant, however, particular importance is always given to the freshness and quality of the products.
Restaurants on Lake Garda are located in very different areas, from the shore overlooking the lake, in the town center or in the midst of olive groves and vineyards.
Below you can find a list of the best restaurants where you can taste the typical dishes of Lake Garda.
Lido 84
It has only one Michelin star, but in a few years, the Camanini brothers restaurant has become one of the most famous gourmet restaurants and is frequented by chefs from all over the world.
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Thanks to the cuisine of Riccardo, excellently assisted by his brother Giancarlo who runs the restaurant. Brilliant in their essentiality, full of historical references, but innovative in the presentation: the dishes of Lido 84 amaze at every experience, also because the menu changes often. Chef Riccardo Camanini proposes a surprising minimalist cuisine and the service is managed practically by all the kitchen staff.
Overlooking the water and surrounded by aromatic plants, the pleasant open space of Lido84 also contributes to making the experience of one of the most interesting restaurants in Italy unique.
Also ideal for docking with the boat. Riccardo Camanini, with the precious collaboration of his brother Giancarlo in the dining room, has made Gardone Riviera a coveted gastronomic destination thanks to the “I Classici” tasting menu, with freshly cooked rose cake. Otherwise, we rely on the “Oscillations of improvisation,” tasting between distinctive tastes and fascinating contrasts.
Esplanade
It is always very popular with those who love to eat outdoors looking at the lake, it is the reference restaurant in the lower Garda area. It is managed by a close-knit couple formed by Massimo Fezzardi (in the kitchen) and Emanuele Signorini (in the dining room and in the cellar).
Although there is a tasting dedicated to lake fish, there is also sea fish, with many crustaceans, starting with the sequence of cold and hot appetizers. A splendid patio, also accessible from the lake, for a table synonymous with class, hospitality, and quality of the cuisine, entrusted to the chef Massimo Fezzardi.
Numerous tasting proposals are available (also a vegetarian menu). Selected raw materials, excellent desserts, rich and important cellar. The menu is very long, with many dishes and two tasting proposals.
Definitely, different dishes alternate, such as mozzarella with pistachio cream; pumpkin tortelli with parmesan and hazelnut sauce; fried shrimp wrapped in spaghetti; shellfish tartare; salmon balls; scallop on cuttlefish ink cream; shrimp, and finally, sole with a bed of gazpacho; baby squid stuffed with onions.
Last but not least, the chocolate sphere that is melted by the hot hazelnut cream poured in a thread, with creamy mascarpone and coffee inside.
Casa Leali
A farmhouse dating back to the 15th century, tastefully restored, in the middle of the olive trees. The environment in which the young brothers Andrea and Marco Leali grew up – the first one is a chef and the second one is a sommelier.
The cuisine looks at the world and the territory, using innovative techniques and original combinations to bring out the best local tradition – in a contemporary key – and Italian dishes without regional borders.
The chef can imagine original combinations among the tasting we have: “Yesterday” (the classics of the house, in the 5-course menu); “Today,” discovering the new, including cod in oil with bay leaf and miso, a spaghetti with butter and sage and a “risi e bisi” with Lake Garda pesto; “Classic”, with five courses; “Andrea & Marco”, where there are six courses; “Welcome back home,” which unfolds in eight courses including some famous dishes such as the toast of prawn and cedar of Garda.
But there is also an à la carte menu: from one to three courses with a fixed price and historical dishes. In the summer you can dine by the pool in the garden.
Il Fagiano del Grand Hotel Fasano
Inside the Grand Hotel Fasano, the luxurious hunting residence of the Austrian imperial family in 1888 in Gardone Riviera, the Il Fagiano restaurant with chef Matteo Felter deserves a stop, to dine among refined boiserie and period paintings for a menu that embraces Italy, France, and some Asian inspiration.
It is the gourmet restaurant of one of the most beautiful hotels on the west coast of the lake: ten tables inside and a terrace overlooking the lake.
The chef has a great passion for the products of the earth to serve in a modern version. From the skilled hands and creativity of chef Matteo Felter come dishes that have as their starting point the gastronomic tradition of the lake, revisited and made contemporary by a subtle and skillful game of flavors and textures, which enchants and conquers.
There is a lot of creativity with the menu that starts from Garda and touches the world, with good contaminations such as the smoked and glazed Whitefish with Teriyaki sauce, its tartare, and hazelnut carrots. In the summer, dinner is served on the terrace: caressed by the green of the park and its fresh scents, choosing from delicious seasonal proposals.
Villa Giulia
The restaurant is located inside the Hotel Villa Giulia, in Gargnano (in the province of Brescia) and overlooks Lake Garda. The restaurant offers typical Italian cuisine with a breathtaking view of the lake. Villa Giulia is a well-kept four-star restaurant that directly overlooks the water.
You dine on the terrace, surrounded by a romantic Italian garden. Che Maurizio Bufi led the restaurant to win a Michelin star in 2017 for cuisine that blends lake ingredients and Mediterranean suggestions.
In an environment that tells of a bygone era, you can enjoy contemporary and international cuisine entrusted to the chef who stands out for his minimalist and refined style.
The starters on the menu include foie gras paired with hazelnut, papaya, and rocket or amberjack with lettuce, avocado, and pistachio, while the first courses include pike, peppers, lime and lemon balm, and rabbit and bacon ravioli.
Not least the second course among which the tuna belly with veal marrow, sweet and sour onion, chard and goat cheese stand out; risotto with lemon, burrata, and licorice or suckling pig with celeriac, plums, and mustard.
At the end of the meal, you can choose between the refreshing sorbets or the interesting dessert based on chocolate, caramel, mint, and apricot. The service is professional. The cellar is rich, with national and international wines.
Tancredi
Chef Roberto Stefani leads this minimal-style, glazed restaurant to enjoy the Garda when the splendid terrace is unavailable. Its cuisine is not linked to the territory but has a great balance.
The tasting “Under the earth and under the water” includes six courses and is oriented towards a cuisine mainly based on fish. Do not miss the dessert proposal, refined and delicious.
You can eat by the lake at the Tancredi restaurant in Sirmione, lapped by the garden plants—tasting Italian and foreign wines paired with the dishes. There is a tasting itinerary; otherwise, choose à la carte.
Taste the new egg ravioli glazed with herbs, salmon, and grape must, with a liquid zabaglione filling. Or the double risotto with Acquerello rice aged seven years. Enjoy a lobster or basil risotto sprinkled with lemon and basil powder.
Fatulì is instead the name of the Valcamonica cheese; it makes its appearance in the creamy state in Fusilloni di Gragnano with anchovies from the Cantabrian and the sweetness of the melon of Romagna.
You can also eat at Tancredi for non-sweet pastries, such as the surprising cucumber and yogurt dessert. Also good is the dessert Dolce Limone del Garda, a lemon curd that tastes a lot of flowers, with leaves of aromatic herbs, crunchy meringue, and Garda caper.
Capriccio
Giuliana Germiniasi and her young daughter Francesca Tassi form one of the best-known couples in local restaurants. They do an excellent job, taking advantage of a unique setting: refined inside, with a huge outdoor terrace overlooking the entire lower Garda area. Michelin star since 1999, it boasts a large cellar, with a wide selection of spirits.
The cuisine is characterized by delicacy, abundance, and elegance, and in the menu, we always find fish and shellfish in light dishes such as Mackerel in carpione with crunchy vegetables.
The terrace with a view is breathtaking, perfect for a summer lunch or an atmospheric dinner. The restaurant also boasts a beautiful garden surrounded by greenery overlooking the lake, for an unforgettable experience, perfect for those who love fish, including seafood. Fish prevails on the table, mainly from the sea, with the opportunity to taste dishes that have made history of a restaurant in business since 1965, such as Carnaroli rice creamed with Bagoss.
Senso Lake Garda
The new gourmet restaurant of Chef Alfio Ghezzi is located inside the recent five-star hotel Eala. The enchanting location and menu were designed specially to pay homage to Lake Garda as per the title of the tasting menu: asparagus, sesame, and sardine powder; lettuce, peas, and licorice tench broth; carpione of radishes.
Eala is a new, luxurious design hotel overlooking the lake, and the talented chef Alfio Ghezzi takes care of its catering.
The Senso restaurant proposes the gourmet formula by offering a single-tasting menu consisting of balanced dishes, attentive to the ingredients’ seasonality, allowing ample space for vegetable elements.
Senso is the evening restaurant, where the taste experience and thoughts of the chef emerge more immediately. The philosophy interpreted by the menu is Italian style, simplicity, and taste. The menu is based on a single-tasting proposal called “La Cucina del Senso” with the possibility of taking a shorter route called “Anthology”, choosing four courses.
There are also 3 different drink pairing paths: “Nostrum” is the pairing of four Trentino wines; “Terra” is the combination of five wines “according to nature”; “Senso” is the combination of five drinks including fermented ones, a beer, and a natural wine.
Regio Patio – Regina Adelaide Hotel
The restaurant is located inside one of the town’s historic hotels. You eat under the Liberty patio overlooking the lake, overlooking a garden a few meters from the water. The internal room is frescoed and opens onto the garden with an elegant loggia.
The very good service and the classy atmosphere provide an elegant dining experience. The restaurant is the realm of chef Andrea Costantini. Great attention is given to local products: lake fish, Grisa hen, Brogna sheep, cheeses from Lessinia, and extra virgin olive oil from Lake Garda are interpreted with a contemporary taste.
There is also plenty of room for vegetables. Try the “almost sweet”, interesting research between sweet and savory. The chef convinces with his light and tasty cuisine. Varied menu ranging from a Provencal sheep tartare to a saffron risotto with apple.
The Regio Patio offers contemporary Italian cuisine that interprets the typical dishes of Lake Garda with flavors amplified by the rigorous freshness of the ingredients: the chef personally selects them, favoring small producers and local realities. To taste the “Oyster” of the lake containing all the Garda flavors. Or the cauliflower and hazelnut, with sea urchin and apricot butter.
The wine list has more than 350 Italian and international labels, with particular attention to those of the territory.
Vecchia Malcesine
The Trattoria Vecchia Malcesine restaurant is located in the splendid medieval town of Malcesine in the province of Verona. The restaurant offers creative cuisine with roots in the Venetian tradition in an elegant and hospitable environment in a place that enjoys a wonderful terrace overlooking the lake.
Michelin-starred restaurant on the Veronese shore, it is led by chef Leandro Luppi, who is very attentive to the territory, especially to lake products, not just fish. The modern and well-kept restaurant has a beautiful view of Lake Garda and an important cellar.
The menu is restricted to historical dishes (including the famous Carbonara di logo) because the new ones are for the stimulating tasting of five, seven, and nine dishes. In addition, there is a vegetarian menu with five courses.
The original presentation of lake fish dishes. Good foie gras with roasted quail. Other dishes on the menu include trout, melon, black pepper; eel, pears, and lemon; warm carpaccio, cheese, and pepper; shrimp and scampi cocktail; beef, red shrimp, black onion; lamb with yogurt; prawn tartare with passion fruit and lime. Also, try the snails with garlic butter and parsley, stewed and roasted with lard.
La Speranzina
The Antica Trattoria La Speranzina restaurant is located in the historical center, inside the Scaligero castle, in the ancient medieval town, directly on the lake with a wonderful view.
The cuisine is of a high standard and features sophisticated and creative dishes, perfectly balancing Italian traditions and typical Garda flavors.
There are thus more classic dishes such as the “Acquerello” risotto with field aromas, Gragnano capers, and sardines and the Olbia sea bass in a salt crust alongside pleasant dishes such as Tortelli with gorgonzola and mascarpone and with Breton lobster and walnuts, or Chateaubriand in Bernese sauce and turbot with asparagus and saffron in licorice and creamy Hollandaise sauce.
Speranzina’s cuisine is, therefore, refined and delicate, oriented towards balanced and wise experimentation. All the raw materials are of the highest level, carefully selected, with seasonal inclinations that reflect the freshness of the ingredients.
Within the menu, local meat and fish, local vegetables and mushrooms, and Garda DOP oil are particularly important. Special mention deserves bread and sweets, handcrafted in two independent laboratories.
The walnut bread, artisan pastries, and fragrant dark chocolate dome with a heart of lavender are noteworthy. The wine list is also excellent, including various fine wines.
La Baia D’Oro
On the shores of Lake Garda, in Gragnano, in the province of Brescia, stands the La Baia d’Oro restaurant. It is a romantic, elegant, and well-decorated environment. In addition to the internal part, the structure also has a magnificent outdoor area, where it is possible to dine in front of the lake. It is certainly one of the most original restaurants on the lake.
The menu is entirely dedicated to the Mediterranean culinary tradition and features a good selection of fish-based specialties. The desserts are also very good, strictly homemade. Definitely try the spaghetti with clams, the risotto with truffles, the Sicilian sea bass, the veal, and the chocolate and rum semifreddo.
Among the other dishes, we have: a dish with oyster, red shrimp, scampo and carpaccio, all accompanied by Gargnano lemon and sea asparagus; Venetian-style prawns with brandy, Vesuvius tomato, and parsley, grilled octopus tentacle with purple potato purée and red wine; artichoke salad with lemon emulsion and 36 months aged parmesan flakes; tagliatelle with porcini sauce and scallops; egg tagliolini with truffles; seafood risotto with shellfish sauce and pesto; risotto with porcini mushrooms.
Villa Feltrinelli
Villa Feltrinelli, a luxurious starred restaurant for special events, offers excellent service and haute cuisine. The location is among the most beautiful on the lake. Polychrome windows, large mirrors with gilt frames, inlaid wooden ceilings, and soft padded armchairs reminiscent of the noble salons of the late nineteenth century.
An 80,000 square meter park is complete with a private dock, swimming pools, a golf course, and a wonderful lemon house. Villa Feltrinelli in Gargnano, on the Brescia side of Lake Garda, is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in Italy.
For lovers of gourmet restaurants, Villa Feltrinelli is a must, not only for the incredible cuisine of chef Stefano Baiocco. He has won 2 Michelin stars but also for the exclusive location.
Ideal for a luxury dinner, Villa Feltrinelli offers a real sensory experience and is worth a visit, because, in addition to the chef’s dishes that offer unique emotions, it welcomes guests in a location that seems to have remained unchanged over time.
This is a place that oozes history and it is certainly no coincidence that the hotel attached to the restaurant was awarded the title of the best luxury hotel in the world.
Ristorante Villa Fiordaliso
Overlooking the western shore of Lake Garda, in Gardone Riviera, Villa Fiordaliso is an elegant building full of charm and history. A private residence until the mid-seventies, it was later transformed into a small luxury hotel. Of the five lake-view suites, two still retain their original 1930s furnishings.
The residence also offers a fragrant garden of essences where you can relax, sunbathe, have lunch or swim in the warm waters of Lake Garda. The restaurant can also be reached by boat. Surrounded by a verdant park and stretching out over the blue expanse with a pier, its cuisine is placed in the wake of modernity.
This former starred restaurant has an excellent level of dishes and service. The chef is comfortable with both fish and meat. His unlimited cuisine ranges from meat to lake fish and can thrill with simple ravioli in bagoss style, as well as with grilled porcini with celeriac and foie gras vinaigrette, or even with the incredible goodness of suckling pig, whole cooked veal liver or razor clams, and clams soup, for a truly unforgettable lunch or dinner. The wine list is also very rich and varied.
