RISTORANTE BERLINGHERA In Sorico

The hotel boasts a fantastic location on the shores of Lake Mezzola, the northern extension of Lake Como. The room offers a beautiful view of the lake, and its location in a quiet cul-de-sac with virtually no traffic makes it very peaceful. The room on the second floor was small but very modern and fully equipped, with a small balcony. A fuse box in the room hummed audibly throughout the night. Unfortunately, there were signs that the cleaning after the previous guests hadn't been very thorough: a torn sachet of shower gel in the shower tray, a ripped plastic wrapper from a candy on the floor... We were greeted by an older woman with all the charm of a prison guard. Instead of a greeting, she simply muttered, "Documenta!" Otherwise, this woman was only ever seen watching television. Luckily, the two younger members of the team were both friendly and multilingual. Annoyingly, although the hotel clearly states that there is no extra charge for pets, our two dogs were billed at €10 each. This isn't an unusually high price, but I don't like being lied to. They should have mentioned it beforehand. The breakfast—as mentioned in other reviews—is exceptionally generous by Italian standards, including a large quantity of top-quality prosciutto and good cheese. I would give the hotel four stars. Why only three? Because of the restaurant. Dinner at the restaurant left a mixed impression: Officially open from 7:00 p.m., we had a reservation for 7:30 p.m. and arrived at 7:35 p.m. We were the only guests shown to our table—and then left to our own devices. A woman was dining at another table, and we only learned afterward that she was the waitress/junior manager. So we had to wait until she finished her dinner at 8:00 p.m. before we could even order drinks. The primi piatti, tortelloni with fish and spaghetti with fish ragu, were very good, but the main course was a complete disaster: The "Mixed Seafood Platter" cost €21 per person without sides, and grilled vegetables as a side dish cost an additional €4.50 per person. What arrived at the table is something I would never dare serve my guests: two small whole fish, deep-fried, per person; a pile of sprat-like small fish, also deep-fried; and two small "fish nuggets"—deep-fried. Everything was completely unseasoned, without any salt or herbs. Just a piece of lemon. The grilled vegetables consisted of two tiny slices of eggplant, three tiny slices of zucchini, and two small slices of bell pepper, thrown on the grill without any oil, herbs, or spices. The total came to €25.50 per person. This main course is nowhere near worth that. The restaurant gets two points for the good appetizer, resulting in an overall rating of three stars in conjunction with the hotel.

Super lunch, top-notch fixed-price menu! Excellent quality, generous quantities, excellent service! Congratulations!