Good restaurants exist all around the lake, but quality varies enormously. The tourist hotspots, Bellagio's lakefront, Como's main piazza, Menaggio, have many restaurants, but a significant number cater to visitors who will only eat there once. The best meals are often found slightly off the main tourist routes: in Lecco, Malgrate, or in the smaller villages where locals actually eat. The eastern shore around Lecco has a genuine food culture tied to everyday city life, not just tourism. Hotel Promessi Sposi has three dining venues: Lisander, a gourmet restaurant with contemporary Italian cuisine led by Chef Roberto Pirelli; Da Giovannino, a bistrot with lake views, traditional dishes and artisan pizza; and People, a rooftop cocktail bar and café with panoramic views over Lecco and the mountains.

Lake Como cuisine blends Lombard traditions with lake and mountain influences. Local specialities include missoltini (dried and salted agone fish, a lake species served grilled with polenta), rice with perch or lavaret (lake fish), pizzoccheri (buckwheat pasta with savoy cabbage, potatoes and cheese, originally from nearby Valtellina), and casoncelli (stuffed pasta). Polenta appears frequently as a side dish. The area also produces excellent cheeses, cured meats and olive oil from the western shore. Wines come from both the local territory and the Valtellina (reds such as Sforzato and Sassella) and from Franciacorta (sparkling wines). A serious restaurant on the lake will feature these ingredients and traditions. At Hotel Promessi Sposi, the Lisander restaurant interprets this local heritage through a contemporary lens using regional ingredients, while Da Giovannino serves the authentic risotto in cagnone with perch fillets, the lake's most traditional recipe, and People offers gourmet salads, sandwiches and lighter dishes prepared by the Lisander kitchen team.

Yes, and they are often the best ones. Lecco and Malgrate have a genuine restaurant scene because they have a local clientele that returns regularly, the restaurants there cannot survive on tourists alone, so quality and value tend to be higher. The eastern shore in general has fewer visitors and more places where the kitchen works for people who know the local food. Small towns like Mandello del Lario or Abbadia Lariana have trattorias that rarely appear in tourist guides but serve honest, well-executed food. The key is to move away from the main lakefront promenades where prices are high and turnover fast. Hotel Promessi Sposi is in Malgrate on the eastern shore and offers fine dining at Lisander without leaving the hotel, but the area around Lecco also has many excellent options a short walk or drive away.

Dining with a lake view is one of the great pleasures of the area, but quality varies. Many lakefront restaurants in the tourist towns prioritise the view over the food, knowing visitors will come once and never return. For a better experience, look for places where locals also eat, or restaurants attached to serious hotels that cannot afford to disappoint their own guests. Hotel Promessi Sposi has two dining options with lake views: Da Giovannino bistrot at lake level, with a terrace directly on the water, a relaxed atmosphere and artisan pizza; and the People rooftop bar with panoramic views over the lake, Lecco and the mountains, perfect for a sunset aperitivo or a drink after dinner.