Al Prato Restaurant

By far one of the best dining experiences on our tour of Italy. We were made to feel welcome. The menu is varied and we shared an amazing Seafood starter, followed by mains and dessert. It was 1st class.

Al Prato Restaurant in Varenna, Italy, truly surpassed all expectations!

The menu, a delightful showcase of local cuisine, brought flavors and dishes that were both innovative and deeply rooted in traditional culinary excellence.

The staff's attentive and friendly service added to the overall exceptional experience.

Michelin star quality food without the prices. We had a great experience, the food was cooked to perfection. The staff were very friendly and looked after us throughout the meal. Three courses with wine came to just over €100. We booked our table in person at 12pm for dinner with no issues. The only thing that let the place down was the atmosphere. Potentially personal opinion but I like a dimmer light with a candle, the lights were quite bright in there which ruined the ambience. I did ask if they could dim the lights and the answer was no. The food was so good though, so still giving 5*s.

Great place one block away from the usual tourist traps down by the lake shore.
Great no-nonsense food (the plate decorations dangerously close to “tacky” but the food is good so they get away with it), nice presentation and friendly service. Desserts were also really good! Don’t forget to check out the great assortment of Grappa!

Had a wonderful dinner here last week, scored a table when i made a reservation before lunch time…the staff all make you feel at home…all the entrees we ordered were absolutely delicioso…do yourself a favor and dine in this place whenever you are in Varenna

This restaurant serves food that wows the tastebuds.

First thing I noticed was that the restaurant turns away walk-ins, so make sure to book in advance.

Second is that they have English versions of their menus which is very helpful.

The restaurant is italian to its core; so expect service to be Italian paced where staff will come to you, and not called by you.

The food is simple fantastic.
Ordered the
- lamb
- mixed grilled fish
- prawn spaghetti
- seasonal cake

All the dishes not only tasted flavourful but had incredible plating.

Try to get a booking at a most remarkable small restaurant. The meal was divine, the service is outstanding, the decor is lovely. It is a perfect place for a special occasions. Hard to fault. We had a thoroughly wonderful meal. No one could find a fault with the dishes provided. Presentation is wonderful, portion size excellent and the taste REMARKABLE. Could not recommend it more highly.

What a lovely place with superwelcoming staff.The food is to die for - we went lunch and dinner and tried the risotto,blueberry pasta with porcini and pumpkin,ossobucco,tiramisu and cheesecake.All delicious,especially the risotto,and plated exquisitely.Fine-dining experience in an unpretentious setting and atmosphere.

We ordered house lasagna and the lamb. To start we had the goose with cheese brulee. The food tasted good and the service was good as well. It was fully booked out at noon of Saturday. But if you wait for a while, you might be lucky to get a table if some reservations don't really happen.

Al Prato surprised us with the most exquisite and delicious food ! Come here early because they do close at around 2 pm to end their lunch service.

We ordered the octopus to share, and the octopus was cooked to perfection. You could easily cut it with a butter knife.

The truffle beef tartare was one of the best beef tartare we have ever had ! The truffle was so fragrant but also made the beef flavour shine. If you love a beef tartare you MUST ORDER THIS ! The homemade pasta was so refreshing and light.

We highly enjoyed our lunch here after a full day of exploring. Thank you for such an amazing experience.

I came here for a lunch with my family after visiting Villa Monastero. The restaurant locates in a nice area in Varenna, very quiet and not overcrowded. Dishes were very interesting and served beautifully. I really enjoyed my lunch time here. Also, staff were friendly, super relaxed. They spoke English very well, so if you are a tourist visiting Varenna, this might be a good place to try local Italian cuisine

This was another spot my husband and I tried on our honeymoon and loved! The food was excellent and we would definitely go back! Just make sure to make a reservation because they book out quickly!

Hands down one of the most exquisite and artistically beautiful meals I’ve ever had in my life.
*Note: if you have a large party, make a reservation. There were several reserved tables on a Saturday afternoon, and they had to turn away larger, walk-in, parties.
We started with the burrata with anchovies and zucchini cream. The burrata melted in your mouth and the anchovies were mild and added a hint of salt. Coupled with zucchini cream, tidbits of berries, and a tad of fresh mint- this must be tasted as I cannot adequately describe the sensory experience.
We both ordered from the specials menu to continue our culinary journey.
Hubby had a pasta with mixed seafood. The broth was a bit tangy and lightly tomato based, with a hint of salinity. ( Make no mistake, it was not at all “fishy”)
I had fresh ravioli stuffed with eggplant in a Parmesan béchamel. It was buttery and heavenly, the kind of meal that makes you want to settle in and savor every bite.
While very different from each other, I cannot decide which we loved more. I think it was a tie.
Though one could say we were well and truly sated, we could not resist when our host (waiter) suggested a pineapple lime panna cotta. It came with an absolutely lovely butterfly tuile. It was a refreshing palate cleanser, with a well selected mix of fresh fruits.
This restaurant is a “do NOT miss”❤
The photos hardly do the meal the justice it deserves, but I tried!

The best experience in my first two days in Italy so far! Awesome food and the best service. Very welcoming staff, clean toilets.

Delicious food and attentive restaurant crew. They are very kind to preparing sharing cutlery and plates.
Vibey place in a quiet corner away from the touristy crowd.

I come from Menaggio on the ferry just to dine at this restaurant. This little gem is such a great find!!! The food is ALWAYS delicious. The service impeccable. No views of the water. But I am ALWAYS too busy eating and savoring the food to even care! Everyone around us was commenting on how delicious their orders were. We will be back again, and again! and agin!

Sometimes the restaurant is closed for private events. Do call ahead if possible.

The drinks are great too!

It was easily one of our best meal out of our 16 Days Europe trip.

The griiled octopus appetizer was tender and delicious. For mains we ordered the fettuccine pasta and Grilled fish platter which were both delicious and fresh.

The ambience was great and service staff were friendly.

Would recommend if you are looking for a meal in Varenna.

Everything just awesome! The service was super friendly and great, and the food melted in our mouths in each single plate. It was the best choice we could make

We had: ink tagliolini with prawns, cherry tomatoes and stracciatella cheese; beef fillet with truffle; and mixed grilled fish from the area… each plate was better than the previous one, and price was veeeery fair and worth every penny

Definitely recommend reserving a table for dinner. Was turned down on Thursday night as they were fully booked, so we booked right away for Friday. Lovely mood in the terrace, absolutely beautiful plating, and high quality food (fish fresh from Lake Como). The twist was that my pasta was better than the grilled fish platter 😂 But one of the most memorable nights in Varenna. Highly recommend!

Exceptional food and service. Super nice staff! Loved the Tuna (best I’ve had)