Restaurants near Lake Garda

[christm]

Hi

I am heading off with family to a place called Nago just off Lake Garda next week. We will have a car and are desperate to find some less tourist orientated restaurants away from the lake. For example the last time we were there we found one in the small village of San Giorgio about a 20 minute drive from the lake called Le Servite (www.leservite.com) which was recommended by locals and was excellent.

Does anyone know of good local restaurants that are driveable from where we will be on Lake Garda?

Many thanks

Martin

[stavrou]

not sure where on the lake nago is - however, if you find yourself on the southwest part of lago di garda in lovely salo or nearby, local (brescia) italian friends took us to OSTERIA DELL'OROLOGIO, just couple blocks up from the lake and it was fabulous. highly recommended.

[jen kalb]

Naga is up on the NE end of Lago di Garda right? Not that far from the Brennera and Riva del Garda. The Trentino end of the lake seems to get a lot of northern european tourism. I will do some research and get back to you!
Certainly if you drive to Trento or Rovereto there are non-touristic places, but thats a little far for daily visiting.

[jen kalb]

Monte Baldo really makes travel around Nago complex I guess .

In Brentonico there is the very well known Masu Palu: http://www.chow.com/restaurants/916940/maso-palu?tag=search_results;results_list

You are closer to Riva than any other real town – I thought it was cute but horribly pressured by tourism.. Gambero Rosso recommends Al Volt, Via Fiume 73

If you head east Nago into the Marzemino growing area of Trento, there are the towns of Isera and Rovereto.
In Isera two slowfood places:
http://search.chow.com/search?query=&location=Isera%2C+IT&type=Restaurant&board_ids=&advanced=1&sort_mode=best_match
In Rovereto, there are Osteria del Pettirosso, IndoVino and Novecento de l’Hotel Rovereto, among others. Fred Plotkin also commends this town
A trip up to the beautiful town of Trento is also worth doing if you are visiting this area.

Some places listed in the Slowfood Guide southward along the lake road in Malcesine and Brenzone:
http://search.chow.com/search?query=&location=Porto+di+Brenzone%2C+Via+Lungolago%2C8%2C+Brenzone%2C+Veneto%2C+IT&type=Restaurant&latitude=45.7181793&longitude=10.7743029&zipCode=x&country=IT&advanced=1&tag=bd;browse_nearby

From Gambero Rosso in Malcesine – Vecchia Malcesine, via Pisort, 6
The Cadogan guide to Lombardy and the Lakes comments that Malcesine restaurants are generally deplorable. Here is one they found that is ok:

Farther south, in Torri del Benaco: From Gambero Rosso, Al Cavali, , via Gardesana, 186, open only in the evenings except Sundays and Holidays, Closed Wed
A seller of Chestnut Honey in Torri: http://www.chow.com/restaurants/916936/raffaella-bertoni-pirla-honey-local-products?tag=search_results;results_list

If you want to take the ferry across and visit the other side of the lake, Torri del Benaco is the place. There are a number of fine restaurants in Salo, Gardone and Manerba, as well as the Vittoriana in Gardone (D’Annunzio’s crazy mansion) and an interesting, twisting drive up the west side of the lake to Riva through a series of tunnels.

If you take the Brennera, other places come into range such as two in Brentino Belluno – http://search.chow.com/search?query=&... - or you can continue on south into the Bardolino region

[jen kalb]

sorry- Cadogan recommends the same place in Malcesine as GR - Vecchia Malcesine. not cheap and evenings only. They mention Trattoria La Pace via Casella 1 as well with outdoor tables for seafood by the lake.

Cadogan also recommends the restaurant of the Gardesana Hotel in Torri del Benaco (fish soup and other lake specialities, eves only)