Osteria Grotto Degli Amici - Lugano

Holidaying in Cadro (a village just below Villa Luganese) I set about to go on an extended walk. After 2 hours of going uphill, I started to come back and went through this lovely village. The Grotto terrace was inviting and its decoration got me back some years ago down memory lane when visiting the Garden route in South Africa. It's not the same of course but the restaurant's Grotto are the same. A senior from the village got there at the same time. He headed straight away to his usual table. I sat on the terrace in the shadow of large trees. Nice green salad followed by Polenta (local grits) and Brasato (well cooked beef that usually melts in the mouth). I couldn't finish the 3rd cut but I am sure men do. Even though it was plenty, I wanted to try their desserts and settled for their Zabaione (made with fresh local eggs). It was delicious and ...another trip down memory lane as my father is the last person I know who made such delicious zabaioni. For those who don't know what zabaione is...it's a foamy mousse made with fresh eggs and a liquor. A bit like eggnog but firmer. At the end you can sample some little ciambelle with anise seeds. All in all a very peaceful and lovely lunch al fresco. Da raccomandare. A recommander. Empfehlenswert. A shame the size of my meal and ciambelle pictures are too large to be uploaded to TripAdvisor ...

Very fine food. Very good service. Very friendly. Good cozy atmosphere.

Simply great! Even without an appointment, even if there is an event taking place, Ricardo (and the chef) will find a table for four and make you feel like you are the best guest. I can only warmly recommend it, we will definitely go by again

Wahnsinnig nette Bedienung und Koch, leckeres Essen (das Lachs-Tartar ist ein Traum, lokale Weine und Bier, regionale Lebensmittel , Ambiente unschlagbar! Besucht dieses Restaurant unbedingt. Es war das Beste während unserem Lugano-Urlaub. Für Feinschmecker geeignet: die Portionen sind sehr gross. Einzig die Polenta hat mein Geschmack nicht getroffen, aber Fleisch, Fisch, Gemüse, Tiramisu, Weine: simply amazing! Danke:

Das Essen und die Zutaten werden sorgfältig ausgewählt, das Personal ist professionell und der einfach zu erreichende Ort verfügt über viele Parkplätze, eine große Terrasse im Schatten alter Bäume, faire Preise und großzügige Portionen, gegrilltes Fleisch jeden Abend, Spanferkel auf Vorbestellung.