Varenna Caffè Bistrot

Magical place for breakfast/lunch/dinner. At the foot of the Lago de Como, it is inspiring place. The coffee shop is a mix of sophistication with the town italian style that makes it truly worth to visit. The waiters are attentive and polite. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Varenna Caffè Bistrot became our go-to breakfast spot—and for good reason! The menu offered a delicious variety of options, from fresh pastries to hearty plates, all beautifully prepared. The atmosphere was relaxed and inviting, with lovely views of the lake. Best of all, the service was consistently excellent—friendly, attentive, and genuinely welcoming. It was the kind of place that made mornings feel special. Highly recommend for anyone looking to enjoy a great breakfast in a beautiful lakeside setting.

No frills- solid food at fair prices with one of the best views in town. We ordered bruschetta, which was two large thick slices of bread with very tasty toppings. They also offer regional wines that they will recommend if you ask. And if you like negronis, definitely order their green negroni! It was one of the best I’d had- still bitter and balanced but a little more herbaceous.

The ambience is unbeatable! The view of the Lake Como with the sun setting is mesmerizing. The Carbonara and tortellini was good but not amazing. The cocktails complimented the food good well. The service was courteous too..

The location by the lake is absolutely stunning. Our waiter was friendly, fun, and gave excellent recommendations for drinks—perfect if you want an authentic Italian experience. Both the main courses and desserts were delicious—simple, pure, and very satisfying. We especially enjoyed the saffron risotto and the Bolognese tortellini. Highly recommended!

The only good thing about this place is the view of the lake. The food is pretty awful so does the drinks. I had the bolognese pasta the portion is tiny and the noodle is undercooked and there’s barely meat in the sauce. My partner had lasagna , it looks nothing like a lasagna and didn’t taste good either. There’s a very big menu of cocktails. I had the basil smash, but it’s overly sweet and artificial flavor and color added looks lime green. The outdoor space with view is limited and very tight. Service is pretty bad, can hardly get anyone’s attention.

This place is right below our Airbnb. We’ve been here 3 days and have eaten here 3 times - twice for breakfast and once for dinner. Service has been great! Food has been better than expected. Get dessert at dinner and get a made fresh croissant for breakfast! Eggs, yogurt, and more available! Location is amazing!

Stopped by Varenna Café Bistrot for a quick break. The pistachio and berry tart and coffee were just okay—nothing exceptional, but still enjoyable. What really stood out were the serene views, which made for a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere. The service was a bit slow, which took away from the overall experience slightly, but the setting definitely made up for it. A nice spot to unwind by the water, just be prepared for a bit of a wait.

In short, Varenna Caffe is great for the view of Lake Como, but the food itself is very average / so-so. Eggs and bacon were very ordinary. Bread with butter and jam were very average. Wrap with nutella, pear, and chopped hazelnets, was so-so. I think you get the point... But as you can see from my photo, the view of the lake doesn't get much better, as the caffe is literally right next to it. As a result of the location though, this place can get busy and you might have to wait a bit for a table. The staff are okay friendliness. Overall, come for the view / atmosphere, but don't expect to be wowed by the food.

I have come here a couple times for aperitivo and once for breakfast. It's situated right on the lake front with a nice view. Very busy as passerby's notice. Seating is outside, and in the afternoon the sun will be shining on you so prepare accordingly. Aperitivo is good here, and average priced at €10/sprtiz, and comes with chips, olives, peanuts, and pickled shallots. A nice way to spend early evening before dinner. Breakfast was decent, croissants not made here but still okay taste. Yogurt was a decent portion and fruit tasted fresh. Cappuccino is good as well but perhaps better else where.

This place had an amazing view. It seemed like a great spot for a meal. We just wanted to come in drink some coffee and head back on the road. Really great views and attentive service. Would come back however I can't comment on the food but more the experience

Average little spot looking over Lake Como. Stopped here with my daughter for a cappuccino and cornetto. I loved that they had almond milk as an option for coffees.

While staying in Bellagio, we took the ferry over to Varenna. After walking around and touring the town, we stopped here for lunch. It has beautiful views of Lake Como. It was cloudy the day we went, the pictures could have been much better on a sunny day. Most of the tables are outside and it looks like they had two or three inside. It was a short wait about 10 minutes. The staff was very friendly and spoke both English and Italian. No coperto here. The food was very good. I had the penne with tomato sauce, basil, and almond. It was whole wheat pasta but I honestly couldn't taste the difference. The sauce is very good with only the slight hint of almond. Never had that with my pasta before, it was a nice complement. I tried a little of my wife's pappardelle with mushroom. It was very creamy and not overloaded with mushrooms. Between the food, service, and beautiful views this was a great choice. I would definitely come here again.

This is a tricky review to write, because the restaurant is perched right on the edge of Lake Como and the setting is absolutely breathtaking. Check out the pictures for reinforcement on that point. The service is very efficient and friendly--among the best I have had in Italy. The menu is set up American style, so you don't have to wade through multiple piatti's. You can just order what you want. And the prices are very reasonable, almost cheap. Everything is great about this place BUT the food is average. It is fine but not amazing. I really really wanted to give it five stars, but I can only muster 4. Still--you should definitely go!

My family and I enjoyed a tasty and quick lakeside lunch here. The food was pretty affordable and all fresh. Servers were attentive and friendly, and the view was really beautiful! Overall, a nice place to grab a quick and decent meal.

Looks good from the outside. Terrible for food. I had, what they printed on the menu, as a Caesar salad. No way! It was full of bitter cabbage like shredded lettuce. When I asked the server about the salad, he told me it was a Milano style Caesar salad. I just had a Caesar at Vittoria Grill last night. Which was excellent. My wife had the Lasagna, which was very bland. Save your money. Don't go. They did not charge me for the salad. Good for them.

The best view in town. Lunch was fantastic, service was great. It does get pretty busy and a long wait sometimes. But totally worth it. In May, they only had outdoor seating, it's so beautiful here. We also had late night drinks & dessert another night. I highly recommend if you can make the time.

Drinks were expensive compared to restaurants nearby, and not good quality. My drink tasted terrible, a classic drink i've had many times here in Italy. Tomato and mozzarella had no flavor. All meals were FROZEN meals. It even says so in the menu, luckily we asked if the mushrooms were fresh and the asterisk for all the hot meals being frozen was shown to us. With fresh homemade italian food nearby, it's a shame this place occupies a prime spot by the water making it the perfect tourist trap.

Good and atmosphere was amazing. Sangria was also excellent. The views were great and the staff was super helpful with food recommendations.

The patio is on the Riva dei Marmisti right next to Lago Como. The service is very good, even when all the tables are filled with happy people basking in the afternoon sun. Aperitivo is a huge bargain. A €7 Campari Spritzer is accompanied with potato chips, peanuts, olives, pretzels, and pickled pearl onions. €14 for two drinks.

This was a lovely caffe with delicious and reasonably priced food. Also a great view of the lake. We will definitely be back!

Very nice place overlooking the water on the beautiful pathway in Varenna. We had a lovely breakfast there that consisted of fresh friuits yogurt. I would go again if I was still in Varenna

We stopped by here for a quick bite after a long morning. The staff here seemed a bit unorganized and people seemed to just claim tables rather than asking for a server to seat them. After a bit, we were finally seating. The view over lake como is amazing! However, the food here isn't anything spectacular. Maybe it's because I got a pizza, but I didn't find the food here to be very good. This was definitely a place you pay for the view and not for the quality of food.

We grabbed one of their lakeside tables. The coffee with ice cream was my favorite thing ever - so much so that I had two orders of it during lunch. :P The first time I ordered it, it came with vanilla ice cream in a pool of smooth and robust espresso. The second time wasn't quite as good, since it came with chocolate ice cream, which was a little richer and masked the flavor of the coffee. It was still amazing though. The limoncello spritz was very sweet. The fresh pasta with meat sauce and bruschetta were delicious. Great place to just sit and people watch on Lake Como.

The salted caramel and walnut tart (I had it with a scoop of vanilla) was exceptional. That crust. Holy cow. Eggplant parmigiana was great too.

The best tortellini and tiramisu I've ever had! This restaurant also had an amazing view of the lake! Would highly recommend

We had the best breakfasts during our stay in Varenna at this cafe. Fresh croissants daily - so hurry if you want to grab the last chocolate croissant! All the pastries were delicious and the yogurt toppings were wonderful - dark cherries and chocolate! Wonderful service, atmosphere, and delicious coffee!

The location of the cafe could not be nicer - truly, truly a lovely place to spend a lunch. The young waitstaff were just as nice - a bit slow since they were clearly overwhelmed, but so kind they even hung up extensions onto the covered awning to extend the ability to sit in the covered area by the lake as the afternoon sun continued it's course. The food was very good if a little small on the portion side for the price (My cookie was delicious and perfect and turned my coffee into the most fabulous dessert combo...but it was 2.5 Euro for just a cookie!) but I loved my salad - it was perfectly simple with the flavors exactly and only what you saw - grains, beets, greens, and my husband's Risotto was yummy as well. A little small, and we did get bruschetta - again simple, simple exact flavors of what you saw - the cheese, the nuts, the pears - yum. We did resort to downing much of the bread and noticed a table nearby did as well (more while they were waiting) but it was just such a pleasant overall lunch and I needed a break from the extreme pasta options so the delicious simplicity without the starch-on-all-dishes was really welcomed. Overall, love it for the relaxation and the view, the owners and staff are so nice and the food - while a bit slight and pricey - is refreshingly simple and very good.

Best coffee and croissant! nice view and yummy food. lakeside tables and amazing types of crossoints

We stopped for a light lunch on a weekday. We sat outside and enjoyed the sun and the beautiful view of the lake. My husband and i shared orzo coffee, aperol spritz, 2 different bruschettas and a simple salad of greens, apple, fennel, white beans and cheeses. We saw the table next to us had a tiramisu for each person, so had to try. It wasn't completely soaked in rum as I'm used to, just moist enough, probably the best tiramisu I've ever had. I tried not to let the smokers bother me, this is Europe after all. The food is so good and reasonably priced everywhere in the area, I can't say it was even memorable. But the location really sets them apart. We'll return in a heartbeat.

Very comfy small cafe right next to the water & in the middle of this busy small town. We went there for lunch. My wife had eggplant parmesan & I had the spaghetti carbonara. Both great dishes. Great selection of small dishes & appetizers. Plenty of drink options. 10/10 would recommend.

Beautiful boutique cafe on the water. Perfect setting. Stone and brick wall inside with perfect decor. The Apple cinnamon cake was amazing. Cappuccinos perfectly made. Loved it!

OK breakfast, but a little pricey. Don't go for the "American" as the bacon/pancetta is so salty that its not edible, and the eggs are rubbery like plane food.

Shoutout to the sweetest waiter ever. He was so attentive and friendly. We stopped here right before we headed back to Milan. It's very strategically located to one of the best sightseeing spots of Lake Como--right on the water so you could eat lunch and take it all in. I don't know how they did it, but I had one of the best spaghetti in my life while eating here. It was the simplest dish, just tomato sauce and spaghetti noodles, but I ate that up in minutes. I'm going to be craving the spaghetti from Lake Como for a long, long time.

Mediocre service and food. Super view but super disappointed. Small portions and not great flavors. Stale bread

Simply not good food. Tried risotto and lasagna. Keep looking. Dont believe good reviews.

We had a wonderful dinner here last night. The view of course was amazing. But the food and service were excellent. We shared a spelt, beet and feta salad; an arugula salad with prosciutto-wrapped fresh peaches and a balsamic reduction; the vegetable lasagna and a refreshing bottle of white wine that they recommended. The highlight of the meal was the peach dish, but everything was delicious. And the servers were very friendly and made excellent recommendations for both food and wine. We had come for cocktails the day before and didn't stay for dinner. That was a bad decision as our meal here was so much better than the other place where we ate.