Ristorante Al 16 In Samarate

Unique in the best sense of the word, with refined food and flavors, expert service, and an excellent wine list. Definitely worth a try.

The chef is a great experimenter, always delicious and surprising. The wine list is fantastic.

A restaurant located in a small town (Samarate) in the province of Varese. To enter, ring the bell and Valentina or her assistant Emilio will show you around. Entering the dining room feels like a guest in the owners' home, like being in their living room... Stefano, the husband, is the chef, and his wife, the sommelier and "hostess." It's a charming place, where you feel right at home, unique in its kind, both for the dishes prepared with so much experience and love and the attentive service. Vintage style blends with modern, a beautiful bookcase with cookbooks and music, and a large recycled shelf with hundreds of bottles of spirits. All the furnishings were carefully selected by Stefano and Valentina. A beautiful and delicious dinner. Also excellent for quick lunches with the business menu.

TL;DR- great place that’s worth checking out if you’re in the area. Ring the doorbell to get in. All in all, the best meal I had in Italy. With a small refinement, I’d put this as equivalent or better than 1 Michelin star places I’ve been elsewhere in Europe. The quality of the dishes for the price is excellent. Wine is also reasonably priced. You have to ring the doorbell to get in. The location isn’t great, so plan for a cab, or be ready to embrace walking around areas that don’t feel super comfortable. I did the tasting menu. The licorice tuile with chorizo was refreshing and a very pleasant way to start the meal. The veal was some of the best I’ve ever had. I’m a tiramisu purist, but the zabaglione approach, with slightly crunchy lady fingers, was a great way to reimagine the dish. A few dishes were slightly heavy on salt, but it worked when eating all the elements on the plate together (thinking about the apple / pork dish). The saltiness of the pork was sufficiently balanced by the apple and corn chip, but the pork alone was aggressively salted. There were one or two times where I wanted just a little more from the dish, a spice, or another savory element, something to really make it stand out. That said, it’s a meal I won’t forget for the right reasons.

I've been a couple of times and I fell in love with this restaurant! I'll be back next month because I gave the tasting dinner to my best friend! Everything was truly amazing! I recommend it!

Absolutely unmissable Everything was perfect

We spent a delightful evening at this restaurant recommended by friends. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and the food was divine! We chose the tasting menu; the ravioli carbonara was an explosion of flavor, while the meat (starter and main course) was divine...it melted in your mouth! All this was followed by a lovely chat with the chef, who made us feel at home! The evening was a treat from start to finish! Thank you, see you soon.