EN3 In Monza

31/12/2024: Excellent pizza, and above all I recommend the Brianza pasta omelettes as a starter!

30/12/2024: I had high expectations when I decided to try Lipen, a historic pizzeria in Triuggio, awarded the prestigious Tre Spicchi by Gambero Rosso and included in the Top 50 of the best pizzerias in the world. However, the experience turned out to be far from expectations, leaving me with a sense of bitterness... quite a bit! Let's start from the positive aspects: the staff proved to be extremely courteous and the environment is welcoming, capable of making you feel at ease from the first moment. Furthermore, the appetizers and desserts, although they were not the main reason for the visit, lived up to expectations, denoting evident care in the choice of raw materials. However, the heart of the menu, the pizza, was a disappointment. My stracciata marinara, a great classic that should represent an essential test, turned out to be mediocre, penalized by visibly behind cooking. I don't deny the quality of the ingredients, perceptible from the first bite, but the execution failed to enhance them. The result was a decent pizza, without memorable highlights, far from the level one would expect from such a prestigious pizzeria. Even worse things went for the person who accompanied me: his pizza arrived raw, a mistake that is difficult to accept in a place that boasts such important awards. If not exactly inedible, it was still far from standard. I have attached a photo to do justice to my words. It is clear that the quality of the raw materials is not in question, but I wonder how it is possible that the execution is so mixed. Is it perhaps a sign of decline or lack of attention to detail? Lipen remains an interesting place for the atmosphere and for some of the menu options, but in the panorama of gourmet pizza, where excellence and consistency are fundamental, the experience was not able to win me over. For now, only one big regret remains.