Lovely waterside dinner here- worth the trip over by boat to this small island. Had the 4 course…read morePiedmont dinner with wine pairings. The tiny ravioli course in butter and sage was a standout. Nice service as well.

Absolutely every moment from start to finish at this restaurant was amazing! The service was…read morefantastic. The location was so beautiful and the food was absolutely delicious. We both got the four course menu with the wine pairings. I got the Lake menu and my son got the piedmont menu. Both Fantastic!! I posted all of the food pictures. If you are on Isola Pescatori. You must go to Verbano!

Excellent gem of a true Ticinese Grotto with attentive service set off the beaten path in a forest…read moreon the west side of Lugano. Definitely will try a visit!

I visited this place 11 years ago by chance and loved it. Came back, and it's still just as good…read more Looking forward to coming again!

This is a fine restaurant off the beaten path right down the road from TASIS in Lugano. Get a…read morechinotto and dine "al fresco" out in back under the trees. They will accommodate vegetarians and gluten free "sensa glutina ". The amuse bouche was very thinly sliced veal. We followed that with 2 appetizers; a salmon like a gravlax melts in your mouth and a melted cheese artichoke with carmelized balsamic vinegar. Two of our party thought the salmon was the best the had ever had. Main courses included risotto, calamari, gluten free spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce, and vegetarian risotto. Decided to have desert. Italian style creme brûlée with berries. Best we've had and this included many fine and notable other places. Excellent service.

We tend to only write reviews these days when there is something remarkable about our experience…read more We've just been in Lugano for five days and ate at many recommended restaurants. Santabbondino was our clear favourite and the only one we're reviewing. The food was incredibly good, across the board. We particularly loved the antipasti of polpo and eggplant tart. That being said, we had a four course celebration dinner and all courses were truly excellent. The place itself is wonderful. We loved the formality of the dining, which suited the food, in a relatively informal environment. It is the perfect mix. A delicious and refined experience without an uptight attitude. That's hard to find! Our waiter was fantastic, so friendly and made excellent suggestions for food and wine. He recommended a bottle that was truly exceptional. To the waiter, chef and owner - thank you for a memorable experience! We recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting the area and hope to return one day.

If you are in Lugano, you should not miss this italian style restaurant. The location is in…read moredowntown in the Galleria. You'll be seduced by the setting before even ordering! The service is very friendly and efficient. Try a pizza buffala or a tartare of tuna. The quality of food is impressive... and guess what? The price is still affordable. Definitely worth a try!

One of the best pasta I've ever tried.. a must while in Lugano . Excellent quality of ingredient…read more Nice ambience .

While traveling to Lugano there's a multitude of restaurants to appease my cravings. Walking…read morethrough street after visually appealing street, I walked by so many potential options. I couldn't decide on where to park myself to enjoy some delicious food. In a piazza to overlook the streets and people watch or a cozy restaurant/bar? I opted for neither and decided on this underground level restaurant that exuded authenticity and also solitude from the world in motion just above. Once again my appetite got the best of me so I ordered enough for two. The appetizer of salami and fresh bread was a perfect starter to the spaghetti with al dente noodles and a delicious ragu sauce. I cleaned my plate but I wanted to also try their Osso Buco. After some internal deliberation of my lack of stomach real estate, I ordered it and also finished it with no regrets. Such tender meat and the polenta was so creamy. Overall a superb dish. The staff are very pleasant, attentive and welcoming. I came shortly after opening so I was the only diner for the first 30 min. It slowly became a lot busier but since it was the off-season, Im glad I didn't have to wait nor make any reservations.

We didn't have reservations so were seated at a big round table with 3 sets of other people. It…read moreended up being nice meeting them. Two of us ordered the Osso buco with polenta. It was very tender and tasty. One of us ordered the risotto with porcini and he enjoyed it. We had salads that were average and had too much dressing. The crème caramel was also just okay. The ambiance is nice and the service was very good.

We had a late lunch and it was spectacular. I had the lasagna and my son had the beef and potatoes…read more Fresh bread and great service. They have outdoor and indoor with air conditioning which help the ambiance

The food was good. Antipasti was just ok verses what it cost. Prices were high but most places in…read moreLugano have high prices. Service was good. Ambiance could have been better except for all of the cigarette smoke. Sat outside but still.

A departure from the plethora of ristorantes where Pizze dominated the menu…read more This brightly light restaurant tucked in a building behind a strip of shops dishes out lighter Mediterranean fare with octopus salad, warm grilled veggies with bufala and ricotta appetizers, and housemade pasta. Also on the menu are fish and meat dishes. Go for the Duo di bufala and the Ravioloni. Desserts looked good, but I was too stuffed.

Amazing! My wife and I walked in while on vacation in Lugano. The food was fantastic - true Italian…read morewith homemade pasta and local ingredients. The staff was so helpful despite our speaking no Italian or French. They helped us through the menu and were very attentive. Highly recommended!

Almost hidden in the hillside neighborhood of Moltrasio, this spontaneous find was a lucky lunch!…read more Outside patio adorned quaintly with flower boxes and greenery. We dined inside ~ a touch of rustic old country; beautiful. The server saw that we were obviously tourists and struggled with the menu. She took the initiative and confidently proclaimed, "I pick, you eat!" with an Italian finger kiss! Our group roared together yes! Simply said ~ everything homemade, everything delicious, everyone eating to gluttony. Felt like your talented aunt cooking all your favorites and making sure you leave with food coma ;) Moltrasio marvelous.

Pro-tip: Arrive at least 30 minutes prior to closing to ensure you have the full menu to enjoy…read more Service: 5* Price: 5* Taste: 5* Ambience: 5* Family run trattoria. Fantastic food, we had the oso buco with polenta, salami fresh, tagliatelle with boar, cannoli, and lasagne. All were excellent. Well seasoned, good portion size and hot and fresh. The lasagna was great, wonderful bechamela sauce. Canoloni with red sauce and cheese was baked to perfection and clearly hand-made. The service was very nice and helpful. Our broken Italian and her English was just fine. Toward the end of the meal, what I believe was the mother came out and asked how everything was. Tuto bene? (Is everything good?) She asked, we replied tuto molto, molto bene (everything was very, very good!) . She smiled and patted us on the shoulders as a thank you. We plan to return before leaving this area.