Where to eat in Lecco and the surrounding area: the best restaurants

Lucia's Old House – Lecco (Acquate)

A well-known family-run trattoria, also included in the Slow Food guide. It's located in an old 17th-century building in the Acquate neighborhood, where Lucia from The Betrothed is said to have lived (though who knows if she actually existed). It was opened in 1983 by Carlo Piras, who quit the boiler factory where he was working and decided to launch this venture. On the walls are paintings of Angelo Gaja and an old review (beautiful, as always) by Gianni Mura.

A short menu with starters such as “brisaola” (that’s what it’s called in Valtellina) from Chiavenna del Curto (12 euros), cooked ham from Marco d’Oggiono (12), missoltini with polenta (13, they’re lake fish, rather tricky). First courses include tagliolini with missoltini ragù (14 euros) and paccheri with sausage ragù (11). Second courses include veal with tuna sauce (15) and boneless guinea fowl stuffed with polenta (16 euros). An excellent selection of cheeses with mustard (14 euros). Wines by the glass start at 4 euros. Outside, a splendid wisteria pergola.

Via Lucia 27, Lecco (Acquate district) 0341 494594.

L'Ek Bistrot – Lecco

A contemporary bistro in the centre of Lecco, an oasis in a landscape of too many tourist restaurants of dubious quality. For lunch, among the classics of the cuisine, the gourmet pizza with San Marzano tomatoes (12), the focaccia with red prawns (28), the Gillardeau oysters (5 each), the culatello di Zibello Spigaroli. Among other dishes, rice in cagnone with lake fish, tortello di magro with pesto, chirashi, duck, chanterelles and rennet apple, lake fish & chips, sliced ​​beef breast. One course, including water and cover charge, is 16 euros, two courses 25, two courses and dessert 30. Nice formula, nice atmosphere. In the evening, the dishes become even more gourmet and the prices go up. Tasting menu at 60 euros, scallops (25), snails (18), foie gras (20), pumpkin with taleggio (18) and much more. Excellent wine list, with many natural wines.

Piazza XX Settembre 50, Lecco, tel 0341 169 3747.

Pontile Orestino Restaurant – Lecco

Right across from the lakeside pier, a restaurant that looks like it's straight out of the '70s, with its double tablecloths, bare dining room, painting of Renzo and Lucia, and a menu of classics at more than affordable prices. It might not be particularly cheerful, but it's a sincere, traditional place, founded in 1950 and still delivering good quality, even now in its third generation. The menu, wrapped in plastic and without a word, gives a good idea. We ordered the pumpkin cappellacci, a bit too buttery, but just the right amount of rustic (€12).

And an extraordinary boiled meat, served directly from the very well-stocked trolley (16 euros, practically a gift given the quality). The wine isn't great; even the good Lino Maga was a friend of the owners and is eyeing a Barbacarlo as a reminder of times gone by. Among the desserts, the pineapple in maraschino liqueur (5 euros) is truly delicious: where else do you find that anymore?

Pontile Orestino Restaurant, Lungolario Cesare Battisti 5, tel 0341 362380.

Olga's Restaurant – Lecco

We are in the Maggianico district of Lecco. Osteria Olga is an informal restaurant with two rooms, one on the ground floor and one on the first floor, and a garden. Its cuisine combines Larian and Tuscan recipes, with lake fish and meat. Starters range from 10-13 euros, including prawns with fennel puree, anchovies with tomatoes, and flavoured Tuscan lard. First courses include ravioli with cacio e pepe and bottarga (14 euros), tagliolini with missoltino ragù (14). Second courses include sliced ​​beef (16) and Milanese cutlet (18).

Via Poncione 7, Lecco tel 0341 422030.

Nicolin – Lecco

Quality cuisine, with ingredients from Valtellina and Valsassina and a slow food inclination. Dad Dino set up the restaurant way back in 1964 and some recipes have remained the same: like the historic Lombard meat pâté, seasonal forest gems with sautéed mushrooms and Russian salad. The prices are higher than other restaurants, but the quality is there. The chef and owner is Giovanni Cattaneo. On the menu, raw seafood (40 euros), seared scallops (20), cacio e pepe risotto (20), onion soup, pumpkin malfatti and paccheri with broccoli (all 20). Among the second courses, turbot, sea bass, boneless quail, suckling pig and priest's hat stew (all 25). Land menu at 65 euros and seafood at 75 euros.

Nicolin, Via Amilcare Ponchielli 54, Lecco. Tel. 0341 422122.

Salt and Tobacco – Mandello del Lario

On the hill overlooking Lake Como, this osteria takes its name from the tobacconist it once housed. Opened in 1999 by the Lafranconi family, it's a welcoming and informal establishment, serving traditional local cuisine. Lake fish (whitefish and missoltini) and fresh homemade pasta are the signature dishes.

Osteria Sali e Tabacchi, Piazza San Rocco 3, Mandello del Lario.

Texture – Mandello del Lario

A truly beautiful restaurant, featuring gourmet cuisine by Stefano Binda, a young chef with extensive experience under his belt, from Enrico Crippa to Norbert Niederkofler to Antonino Cannavacciuolo. He earned a star at Dacatrà, then opened Texture after it closed. A restaurant with a beautiful courtyard and a frescoed portico. There are three tasting menus, priced at €65, €75, and €85.

Among the appetizers (all €20), "Non è un panino" (It's Not a Sandwich), which isn't a sandwich at all, but a crispy potato with cooked vegetables and a honey-mustard emulsion; then, the mousse, a rabbit pâté, purple fennel, and cooked must.

First courses (all €20) include Cacio e Pepe(roni), gold-drawn "Verrigni" spaghetti, cacio e pepe sauce, pepper powder and caviar. Also excellent is the Sardinian fregula pasta with shellfish sauce, purple shrimp, clams, chanterelles, and chestnuts. Second courses (€25) include fish (amberjack tataki and grilled octopus) or meat (duck cooked twice, lamb, and eggplant).

Texture – Piazza Roma 14, Mandello sul Lario, tel 371 429 0689.

From Tusett – Pian dei Resinelli (Ballabio)

Traditional cuisine with a creative touch, that of the young chef Nicolò Tosetti, originally from Piacenza. And in fact the dishes oscillate between Lombard and Emilian traditions. Moderate prices. Among the starters are taroz in a speck crust (11), among the first courses pizzoccheri (11 euros), tagliatelle with venison ragù and formaggella (13), then polenta taragna and sausage (11) and venison fillet with Barolo sauce (24). Tasting menu at 30 euros.

Dal Tusett, Via Piani Resinelli 51, Ballabio. Tel. 0341 590103.