VARESE
Montorfano

Montorfano

Viale Del Santuario, 74, 21100 Varese, Italy, VARESE

Caffè • Pasta • Italiano • Mediterraneo


"The drive up Sacro Monte ti get to the restaurant needs to be taken calmly, especially if you're unused to steep twisting, narrow roads. It's nothing to be took concerned about, just don't rush into the corners Once you get to the to you'll see parking on the (right hand) side of the road. Be careful to pay attention to the parking signs as the section closest to the top is not for casual visitors, just disabled and locals. Get a parking ticket. The 400-500m walk up and over the crest of the hill followed by the slope down to the restaurant is on cobblestones so if it's wet or you're unsteady make sure you get some support. The view is worth the effort. The outside deck of the restaurant seats about 25-30 people and commands a beautiful view. One of our party was sensitive to the warm sunshine so we sat itside (but, of course, took the obligatory photos from an empty space between the occupied tables. Simple, but effective, dishes with locally sourced fresh ingredients were the stand out. Truffles, wild boar (cinghiale), with pasta or polenta were the reason we came, and have been coming back for whenever we come back. The atmosphere was, as always, convivial and bustling. My suggestions- a bit more seasoning might have brought out more of the flavours; and were the place just a little busier then even the only (excellent) waitress would not have been able to keep up. As always, an excellent overall experience. Will be back again"

Hermitage Del Passatore

Hermitage Del Passatore

Via Conte Biancamano 41, 21100, VARESE, Italy

Vino • Pesce • Dessert • Italiano


"The location of this restaurant is splendid, it has an amazing view over Lago di Varese and is a perfect spot for a romantic dinner or a shady lunch in the summertime. I attended a special event held by the restaurant that was a wine and food tasting combined with an art exhibition and jazz piano concert. As it was a tasting event, we did not order from the menu, however I can strongly recommend the bread salad with mussels excellent, the fish 'soup ' with shaved mushrooms and the roast beef perfectly cooked. The 'gnocci fritti ' were light and charming the pasta (large shells with lightly sautéed zucchini and mushrooms) was on the bland side for my taste. My husband has lunched there before and he particularly enjoyed the tartare. The dessert offerings were so so, I much preferred the large plates full of fresh, perfect cherries that were offered after the meat. The wines were presented by Albani Casteggio Vineyards. I tasted two of the three wines available and they were two of the most excellent glasses of wine I 've had here in Italy. The first was a sparkling rheinish riesling that was in fact the best glass of Italian bubbly that I 've had. A middle spectrum dry it did what Italian wines do at their best, it took an excellent grape and let it shine without any extra fussiness. The second was COSTA DEL MORONE 2004 reserve...dense, interesting, provocative, I kept my sips small to enjoy exploring the different flavors. It 's rare that I 've tasted a wine that offered so many surprises and held my interest so thoroughly from first to last. The music was jazz piano by Paolo Paliaga, truly enjoyable though a bit hard to hear well as he was playing on the outdoor patio area. The 6 paintings on display in the first room were eye catching and looked great with the rest of the decor and continued to be worth additional viewing over the course of the evening. The most attractive area in this season was the outdoor patio/seating area. Beautiful, cool and inviting with a romantic view; I also saw several large families and their children enjoying the space to run and play that was adjacent to the seating. Still, with all of the activity it was nonetheless easy to hold a conversation and be heard so I would recommend it as both a good bet for families and couples. My husband enjoyed it previously as a location for business lunches. Price/Value ratio certainly good."