Restaurants on Lake Maggiore: our honest selection
The short answer: in Maccagno itself you can walk to dinner – pizza by the lake, simple local cooking, a grill up at Lago Delio. Ten minutes south lies Colmegna with two places right on the water, and just beyond it Luino, which has everything from a fish trattoria to a steakhouse. Further south, between Germignaga and Caldè, evenings are quieter than on the waterfront, and Laveno has the only starred restaurant in the area. If it gets too hot down here, drive up into the mountains – to Passo Forcora, to Dumenza, or all the way to Monteviasco. And if you want the other side of the lake, take the ferry to Cannobio – 15 minutes across the water instead of 50 minutes around it.
Where to eat well around Maccagno – sorted by town and by occasion, with no paid recommendations.
By town: Maccagno · Colmegna · Luino · South of Luino · Laveno-Mombello · Cannobio · Up in the mountains
Maccagno – walking distance from the camp
You can reach all of these without a car. That is the real luxury here: you can share a bottle of wine and still walk back to your tiny house.
Ristorante Pizzeria Lido di Maccagno
Pizzeria on the lake
The busiest place in the village, right on the water. Pizza and Italian standards, large terrace. Full on summer evenings – book if you want a table. Google Maps
La Concordia
Ristorante-pizzeria
A classic pizzeria with regional dishes alongside. Unshowy, solid, open year-round. Google Maps
La Gabella
Ristorante-pizzeria with terrace
A wide menu and a terrace looking out over the lake. Good when everyone in the group wants something different. Google Maps
Ristorante Maccagno
Ristorante-pizzeria
Smaller and quieter than the Lido. More of a dinner for two than a table for ten. Google Maps
Giona Beach Lounge
Beach spot
Right on the beach at the mouth of the Giona. Aperitivo, a snack and the sunset rather than a full menu. Google Maps
Il Cinzanino at the Palestra di Roccia
Simple and inexpensive
The little restaurant at the climbing wall. Short menu, fair prices, plenty of locals – the right place after a day on the rock. Google Maps
Ristoro Lago Delio
Grill in the mountains
Up at Lago Delio, the reservoir above Maccagno. Grilled food, simple and cheap. Worth it as the destination of a walk or a drive, not as dinner around the corner. Google Maps
Colmegna – 10 minutes, on the way to Luino
A hamlet of Luino about five kilometres south. Two places on Via Palazzi, both right on the water – and the reason to stop here instead of hunting for parking in Luino.
Miralago Colmegna
fish and pizza, terrace on the water
It faces the lake, as the name says. Lake and sea fish, plus pizza. Around 20 to 30 euros a head. Book in summer if you want the terrace. Google Maps
Tiffany Restaurant, Relais Villa Porta
upscale, with a shoreline park
Previously known as the Camin Hotel Colmegna. Regional ingredients, lake fish, terraces almost at the water and an old wooded park along the shore. The place for an evening that is an occasion. Google Maps
Luino – 10 minutes by car
Luino lies about 6 kilometres south along the same shore. It is the largest town nearby and the place where you actually get to choose. Wednesday is market day – the streets are packed and parking is a fight; for dinner the day of the week does not matter.
Trattoria da Elia e Ugo
Fish
A small trattoria serving fish from the lake and from the sea. Few tables, so book early. Google Maps
Osteria Al Cantinone
Lombard cooking
Regional cooking in the oldest wine cellar in town. The address for finding out what people here actually eat. Google Maps
Ristorante Pizzeria Il Vecchio Granaio
Pizza
A pizzeria with remarkably consistent reviews. The uncomplicated family evening. Google Maps
Due Scale
Mediterranean, upscale pizza
Inside the historic Palazzo Due Scale. A step up from an ordinary pizzeria without being stiff. Google Maps
Steak House Ristorante Trippolini
Meat
For everyone who wants a steak after a week of fish and pizza. Google Maps
CUBO Cucina e Bottega
Light cooking
Lighter and more modern than the rest of the list. Pleasant at lunchtime. Google Maps
Trattoria Pizzeria Manzoni
Pizza
A down-to-earth trattoria-pizzeria, big enough for groups. Google Maps
South of Luino – 15 minutes by car
The stretch most people drive straight through: Germignaga, Brezzo di Bedero, Porto Valtravaglia, Caldè. Which is exactly why dinner here is calmer than on the waterfront in Luino. Every one of these places has a station on the line to Laveno.
Ristorante al Cortiletto
Brezzo di Bedero
Number one in its village and steady for years. Classic cooking, an unusually long wine list. Closed Sundays. Google Maps
Ristorante Montesole
Porto Valtravaglia
Open since 1985, lake fish and pizza, with a view. The busiest house in town. Google Maps
Agriturismo La Betulla
Brezzo di Bedero
A real farm with cows and goats, dogs welcome, handmade ravioli. With children, the best afternoon around. Google Maps
Soul Kitchen
Caldè, on the harbour
You cannot get closer to the water on this stretch. Fish and pasta, closed Wednesdays. Google Maps
Laveno-Mombello – half an hour, or take the train
About 22 kilometres south, reachable on line S30 without a change in a good twenty minutes. This is where the only starred restaurant in the area is, and from the cable car station at the top you look out over half the lake.
La Tavola at Hotel Il Porticciolo
one Michelin star
Fish from Lake Maggiore in two tasting menus, starred since 2017. Book early. Google Maps
Locanda Pozzetto
Italian, fish
More than five hundred reviews and still steadily good. Closed Mondays. Google Maps
Il Chiosco di Cerro
terrace on the water
Terrace directly above the lake, lake fish, sunset. Seasonal only. Google Maps
Ristorante Funivia
Sasso del Ferro, above 1,000 m
At the top station of the cable car, with a panorama terrace. The cable car does not run in winter. Google Maps
Cannobio – 15 minutes by ferry
Cannobio sits on the opposite, Piedmontese shore. By car it is roughly 48 kilometres and just under 50 minutes around the lake – by ferry from Maccagno about 15 minutes. Take the ferry. Sunday is market day in Cannobio, which makes the trip worth twice as much.
Trattoria Cannobio da Ale & Vale
Fish
The best-reviewed trattoria in town. Fish, friendly, small – no chance in summer without a reservation. Google Maps
Ristorante Grotto Sant'Anna
Grotto by the gorge
Above the town at the Orrido gorge, spectacularly placed. If you only eat at one place in Cannobio, make it this one. Google Maps
Osteria Vino Divino
Osteria
A small osteria in the lanes of the old town, with a focus on wine. Google Maps
Scurone Ristorante e Dimora
Ristorante
A little more upscale, a broader menu, and fine for guests with less Italian palates. Google Maps
Ristorante Antica Stallera
Ristorante with courtyard
A traditional house with a green inner courtyard, quietly located. Google Maps
Ristorante Pizzeria L'Imbuto
Pizza
The pragmatic choice with children on board. Google Maps
Up in the mountains – twenty to thirty minutes
When the air stands still down here, drive up: Lago Delio, Passo Forcora, Val Veddasca, Dumenza. Twenty minutes of hairpins and it is ten degrees cooler. And above it all sits Monteviasco, a village with no road, whose cable car has been running again since August 2025.
Ristorante Smeraldo
Dumenza
The best kitchen in the hinterland. Game, mushrooms, guinea fowl baked in clay. Closed Tuesdays. Google Maps
Rifugio Forcora
Passo Forcora, 1,179 m
A refuge on the pass, polenta with game, panoramic setting. Closed Tuesdays. Google Maps
Ristorante Il Vecchio Circolo
Monteviasco
In the car-free village at the top. Pizzoccheri and polenta. Cable car or 1,400 steps. Google Maps
Agriturismo Cascina Volpi
Montegrino Valtravaglia
Everything from their own farm, pasta by hand. Closed Mondays, booking compulsory. Google Maps
Before you set off
- We are not paid by any of these places. No commission, no partnership, nothing in return. If one of them disappoints, it comes off this page.
- Opening hours are deliberately not listed here. They change constantly in this region, and a wrong time is worse than no time at all. Call ahead or check Google Maps before you go.
- The closing day is usually Monday or Tuesday. Out of season many places only open at weekends, and some close entirely from November to March.
- Book in July and August. The small trattorias in particular have ten to fifteen tables, no more.
- The kitchen closes earlier than you think. Set off at 21:30 and in many places you will find the kitchen already shut.
- Just ask us. At reception we know who is open this week and where the cooking has changed.