Sirmione Restaurants

This restaurant would more aptly be named "moody"! The servers were rude, the food was dry and the ambience was stuffy. All in all, this was the snobbiest place we encountered during our 10 days in Italy.

If you're looking for a nice place to relax and soak up the day do not go here. We found it to be quite inhospitable and not worth the price.

If you do go, be prepared for attitude.

This was the worst restaurant I've been to in five years. Not since Little Chef on the A303 have I had such a dismal dining experience. Although the ambience and the view seemed nice, everything else was atrocious. First sign that things were bad: the menu was a folder the size of a road atlas - a sure sign of pomposity. The food seemed reasonably priced, but I could find only ONE dish that was local. Most of the fish was from the sea, which seems absurd when one is perched on Lake Garda. Second bad sign: the wine list was way way too long. At least a thousand wines, which seems absurdly pompous for a smallish restaurant. When I ordered the wine, it took 30 minutes to arrive, and it was barely cold. (Clearly, a massive cellar means that they are unable to keep the white wines cool.) PLUS, the wine was the wrong year. And, to make matters even worse, my food arrived before the wine. When I told them to send the food back, there was much huffing and puffing. I put up with the wine, although of course, by now, my food was lukewarm. A miserable piece of fish, along with some sorry looking paltry grilled vegetables. Although I had complained about much of my experience, the maitre d' seemed pretty unapologetic until the owner gave him a rollocking. I was 'bought off' with some free puddings, but by now, I was so annoyed by what should have been an easy meal - a plate of local fish and a bottle of cold white wine. They couldn't do it, and I was charged some $80 for the privilege. My advice - go anywhere else in Sirmione.

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Italian kind of ice-cream (gelato) is famous all over the world. In most of the Italian towns you can have a very good quality of ice-cream, and this one of Sirmione belongs to the top of the tops.

Favorite Dish: When visiting Sirmione do not miss to taste the exquisite ice-cream in one of the local Gelatteria (pastry). There are three or four pastry shops in a raw, right in the centre of the town and you cannot miss them. I suggest you a big portion which cost you only 7-8 euros.

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The Modi restaurant is situated in the square beside the Sirmione Hotel and faces the pier where the lake ferry docks and departs.

We sat here for lunch one rainy day and, as it was still very warm, we welcomed the opportunity to sit at a cleverly shaded outdoor table which was sheltered from the rain by gigantic umbrellas and awnings.

Service was brisk, pleasant, and helpful.

The menu was vast and varied - it was also quite inexpensive.

This is a great place to while away a rainy afternoon watching the ferry come and go, or to enjoy a quick bite to eat between forays into the many wonderful neighbouring shops.

In my opinion it is considerably better than the Wara warda restaurant directly across the square (I also ate there and see my tip in that regard).

Favorite Dish: I ordered the very tasty Pizza Big Bang which was a thin crust pizza topped with melted mozzarella cheese and wild mushrooms. I could clearly taste the individual flavours of each mushroom and I licked both lips and fingers after my food. At Euro 8 it was one of the more expensive items on the menu!!!!!

It is said that there are 101 varieties of ice cream to be enjoyed in Sirmione, and sadly I managed to indulge in just ten flavours (that includes cheating by tasting my friends ice creams). On this trip my two favourite flavours were black cherry and chocolate orange.

Throughout the walled town of Sirmione you will find shop fronts open to the street which sell both ice creams and pizza slices. Choose your ice cream outlet carefully - we found two good ones and two bad ones and unfortunately I didn't get names.

What I can advise you is that the one closest to the hotel Sirmione is mean with its portions.

The other not so good one had just old fashined tubs of ice cream, with a selection of about seven flavours only.

The two good ones were those that displayed the different flavours in mouthwateringly tasty looking ice cream "drifts" such as those shown in the pic attached.

There is also a great selection of different cone types to choose from - I liked the large cones rimmed with nuts and chocolate - they comfortably hold two flavours or even three (if you can manage them).

Typically the cost is Euro 2.50 per scoop of ice cream.

Favorite Dish: You simply must try the chocolate orange which has a very rich orange flavour with chunks of chocolate in each bite.

As for the black cherry, again each bite is filled with at least one great big juicy black amareno cherry.

I gained five pounds in a week..........but it was worth it!!

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We arrived in Sirmione before our hotel rooms were ready for check in so we wandered the town for a couple of hours finding our feet.

We were hungry as we hadn't eaten since the previous day and in our search for somewhere to have a casual bite to eat we came across this trattoria which is far from casual but which was entirely irresistable.

We were the first to arrive, just before opening time at noon, and were lucky to get one of the coveted lakeside balcony seats. The staff were incredibly helpful in that regard, advising us which of the four lakeside seats had the best view and making those seats comfortable for us.

Apart from the spectacular view of lakes and mountains from the restaurant, the setting itself is of a garden area with most tables in the pretty garden and several tables inside for those rainy days. There are olive trees and pretty bougainvillea, not to mention a wishing well!

Service is by white coated black tied waiters to tables set with crisp white linen and fine silver. The staff are most pleasant and service is quick and efficient.

Favorite Dish: The food is spectacular. This is not really the place to go for a light lunch as you will want to order everything on the fine and varied menu.

I started with foie gras done two ways and followed that with a plate of grilled shrimp and langoustine. I wished that it wasn't rude to lick my fingers!

It was clear that all guests here adored the food they were served and the restaurant attracts a lot of local business.

If I hadn't been half board in my hotel this restaurant would have seen a great deal of me over the week:-)

Be prepared - it's not cheap; in fact I would say it's possibly the most expensive restaurant in the town. However, you certainly get what you pay for here in every way.

The Wara Warda is one of about five cafe/restaurants that front the square leading to the ferry port. As with the other four, there are tables inside and outside and the view from the tables outside is lovely.

This is a handy place to sit to while away the time until your ferry departs and you can watch the world go by in the prettiest Italian town surroundings.

Other than the lovely location, I cannot say that there is anything special to recommend this restaurant over and above the others in the square but in general terms the food is good and the service is quick.

Favorite Dish: I had a Boscaiola pizza which was a standard thin crsut Italian pixxa with mozarella cheese and mixed mushrooms. It was tasty but there was too much tomato sauce which drowned the delicate flavour of the mushrooms.

My two companions both had the home made vegetable soup which they pronounced as being excellent.

For two soups, a pizza, and three drinks the bill totalled Euro 38, which isn't at all bad. This included a cover charge of Euro 7.50. You should note that most Italian restaurants have a cover charge.

We just stopped here for a drink after the long walk, mainly was tourist the ones sitting there having some pasta or snacks.

2,50 for the cappuccinos may not be the cheapest one (even if cheaper than Paris).