We came by for an early dinner after checking into our nearby Airbnb. The staff were welcoming and…read moresat us immediately on the patio. The patio had a great view of the water and nice breezes. Food was wonderful, we all ordered our own pizza and there were no leftovers! Great service, wonderful location and happy bellies!

Locally made fresh pizza. One of the rare places that are open on Monday it seems. Good beer…read more(Schneider weisse) and a vast selection of pizzas.

A great local eatery! We stopped in here for dinner, our first restaurant in Lugano after a train…read moreride from Zurich. The pizza is perfectly baked, a thin tasty crust with crispy edges, likely baked from a brick/stone oven. Fresh melted toppings (we had Parma ham) and cracked ground pepper adds the finishing touch to each bite. We also ordered a Carbonara pasta which was equally delicious- served hot with a flavorful creamy sauce and cooked perfectly al dente. This local place is quaint and cozy but lives up to fine Italian standards. Also a good selection of wine and beer. We were happy to stumble on this place early on a Sat night as the place quickly filled up after 7pm.

Although a visit here will be MUCH easier if you know italian we still managed to get the food we…read morewanted. We stoppede by on our way to Italy. The weather was amazing and we immediately made use of their 'porch'. The food was great. We weren't that hungry and simply shared a pizza and each got a salad. When ordering a salad look for the word 'insalate', I got no clue what my friend ordred, but she ended up with a salat ON TOP of a pizza-bread. (Perhaps that was why the waiter was a bit confused by us sharing the other pizza - they probably concluded she was very hungry and/or greedy with her food). All in all, the food was good (the pizza more than great - had tomate, mozzerella, zucchini, aubergine etc) and definitely worth a second visit - maybe on our way back home.

Brilliant pizzas just off the motorway, worth stopping by if you want something tastyread more

100 m from the lake you find this restaurant a little hiddend in the narrow alleys of Ascona. There…read moreis one menue with many courses typically for traditional italian cuisine. Service is very friendly and efficient - ambiance is nice and simple (not up scale) and prices are reasonable. I like that restaurant.

Went for lunch at This restaurant. The restaurant was a little old it was More Italian than Swiss…read more. Definitely needs sprucing up and cleaning showed a lack of care. The food was average the best.. The meat was good the the ravioli was average it was average. Not impressed by how they served it out of a bowl from table to table and the girl following with a bag of cheese . The bag looked like it came from the department store. The lemon cello was good And the dessert average. Not my favorite grotel, comma Ascona has so many Great Grottos to choose from.

- Bruscetta/Crostini: Absolutely perfect! - Pasta: Great…read more- Location: close to the lake. I will go there again for sure!

aaahhh....Romantic dinner on a quiet night! Our waiter was superb, and recommended two excellent…read moredishes. My dish was prawns in pasta with tomato curry sauce. It was so unique, and addicting! My boyfriend got the chicken marsala which was amazing! The sauce was nice and rich. The dessert was the best passion fruit panna cotta we've ever had. I definitely want to come back. Our waiter was so sweet, he came by with a balloon as a gift!

You'd expect to have good Italian food when you come to a small town in Italy. Zenzero exceeded all…read moreof my expectations. The evidence is in the kitchen- the chefs in the small and quiet town of Porlezza take caution in adding little dabs of olive oil here and there along with fresh herbs and ingredients. Don't believe me? Walk in and look in the kitchen. Quite frankly, this was some of the best Italian food I have had as of yet. And the scenery, being lakeside, is an added bonus. Ambience: This place is off the beaten path, tucked away in Porlezza, a quiet city by Lake Lugano. That being said, it's worth ever extra ounce of gas spent to get there. Gorgeous lakeside view with outdoor seating and avoids being packed with tourists. Today was the first time I heard another American in Porlezza. Food: Italian restaurants in America need to get there act together. This was, by far, the best Italian food I have ever eaten. Fresh ingredients, superb execution and made from scratch. The evidence in in the kitchen- you can walk in and see it past the counter. I had the housemade gnocchi which was creamy and soft, melting away in your mouth. The salmon for my second course was just as good- perfectly mixed with olive oil, seasoned well and baked enough just to fall apart with my fork. Creme brûlée with berries to finish- not much else to say other than it fell in line with how good the rest of the food was. Drinks: It's Italy and so comes along the 2 euro glasses of wine. Love it. Service: Our food was a little slow to the table but now I know why. Well worth the wait to have fresh food. Other than that, we were very content with our service. Friendly and welcoming to all the guests, including the ones that are criminally pitiful at speaking Italian.

The staff was nice, but didn't understand english. We ordered and got the wrong drinks to start the…read moredinner. The food was OK, but nothing I would recommend, due to the price and the amount of food we were served. The place has a great view and is very close to the "center" of town, so I guess that was pretty nice.

Had dinner here while being on a conference in Ascona. Menu consisted of a glass of wine, pepper…read moreveal with polenta ticinese and a veery weird desert: Cassata Siciliana, a hard ice cream / cake with cashew nuts and pieces of fruits. While we all enjoyed the main courses, noone really liked the desert :D Atmosphere was great; one could hear Zurich German being spoken throughout the restaurant (even if we were in TIcino). Staff was friendly. My feel is that this is one of the most well known Grotto's in the area, so if you happen to be around, I strongly recommend to pay it a visit!

Great food here. Tons of options on what to eat and the portions are even good enough for this…read moreAmerican to smile at!