Il Clandestino

Everything was beyond amazing. Since when does a chef take my order and explain my dishes? Every chef should do this. The absolutely impeccable service was still outshined by the main star of the show...the food!

Now everything is made based on what they get fresh caught from the sea. Seafood only at this establishment. So what I ate, you may not have available unless you run here today (which I highly recommend). Seriously, dishes change daily.

Started with a lobster and red shrimp ravioli with lemon. Absolutely delicious. No cheese, just flavors of the seafood. This was scrumptious. We had an amazing Sauvignon Blanc.

Next was the main course. For my wife fresh amberjack, for myself blue lobster with fois gras. If there is anything I have learned on this trip to northern Italy is that I need to use fois gras more often. My lobster was scrumptious, delicious and I wish I still had more right now. The amberjack was equally amazing, but unfortunately I only had one bite. My wife was enjoying too much to try to take more.

The sommelier gave us amazing pairings from Cinque Terre and a Pinot grigio that perfectly matched wife's fish. Both were perfectly paired.

Cannot say enough about how pleased we were with the service and the experience overall.

Make a reservation.

We had a really good experience. Interesting thematic restaurant, where the chef is also the owner! Chef came to welcome all the new visitors, explained the menu, adviced if needed. We choose menu semi cooked semi raw. All the dishes were perfectly done.

Great service and food!

A truly terrific and special meal! We loved the personal attention and care given to each table in selecting the food and the wine. Everything tasted great and was presented in a lovely way! The atmosphere was charming too!! Highly recommend for special occasions or special dinners commemorating a visit to Stresa or Lake Maggiore.

The Chef’s selection was great! It’s definitely the best meal I had in Italy. The service was also good and it’s a lovely place. I strongly recommend and you’ll never regret.

Amazing seafood, locally sourced produce and line-caught fish. Waiting staff was kind, helpful and polite. Chef personally came out to introduce his dishes to his customers. We look forward to coming back, highly recommended. Thank you for a great evening.

Not just a dinner, an amazing experience! The chef Franco Marasco received us in the most friendly way. All the staff are super nice and we had a great night at Il Clandestino. We ordered the menu degustation "all raw" (80 €) , in which we could try different kinds of seafood and fish, everything raw. The chef was super creative and all the dishes were super fresh. The food was delicious and the service was great. Great choice in Stresa.

This is a great restaurant that would grace any large city. Delicious food and really friendly staff. Very highly recommended.

The chef is creative and very elegant and this has been reflected on the food, one of the most delicious see food I have taste in my life.

As well as the waiter is so professional and kind.

I would highly recommend going there, no regrets :)

I don't like fish but this changed everything!
Marco, the waiter, was so passionate and careful with his presentation of the menu that I thought I am watching a musical performance. The whole experience was extraordinary from the beginning to end. As mentioned before, I am not a big seafood fan, not at all actually, but my partner and her two boys are. So I had to come along. But the Tuna I had was so delicious, it made me reconsider.
The wine, the plate of different desserts in the end, it rounded up everything perfectly. If we come back to this region, we will definitely come again. Grazie mille, Marco and Il Cladestino Team!

Great location. Superb wine and food. Friendly knowledgeable staff. Will be back.

Food was the best we had in Stresa. It's an upscale seafood place, and despite being warned by locals against anywhere that was serving ocean seafood in Stresa, I'm glad we went. I saw someone post that it should have a Michelin star, and I agree.

Another frequent complaint online is the server coming off as pretentious. I totally see why, but I dont think he's got bad intentions. I think he's proud of the restaurant he works at and strives to provide top quality service. He knew all sorts of minutia about the food and the sauces when I had questions and I appreciated his attentiveness.

For antipasti we got a take on a zucchini/eggplant parmesan with a crustacean mouse in place of the tomato and a red mullet fillet on top. Very good/creative. Then a homemade ravioli with lobster filling and a bit of green lemon on top. It was simple and fresh, which allowed us to appreciate the shellfish flavor and texture -- excellent. We then asked if they had any lake fish left and they had one, so the chef prepared a filet for each of us with a small side of spinach and potato. Again simple, fresh, and delish. Portion sizes were perfect. My wife even enjoyed a dessert.

Nice place with delicious food where eating is not everything but just a part of a full experience in which the textures, and the visual part are also taken into account. The service was very friendly and attentive. We forgot our umbrella and they even run after us to give it back.

Another gem in the crown of Lago Maggiore, this place was a little off the main drag. A family business, it featured fresh seafood cuisine that was exquisite. The wine was from the region, and our waiter was knowledgeable and made the meal a most pleasant experience!

Delicious, creative menu - would definitely go back! Great service and a beautiful dinner

Excellent food, we were late for our reservation but they still attended us and made sure we had an excellent dinner!

Excellent food, really nice service, would definitely deserve a recognition from the Michelin guide! The turbo was slightly overcooked otherwise everything was perfect !

we order sea foods and spachetti. all excellent! very fresh sea food, great cooking, very tasty! will definately go back again if we visit Stresa again.

Fine dining at its best! The food was delicious and the service was great. Enjoyed every minute.

A very nice dinner with friends from work. Chefs choice of food and wine was truly excellent.