Cucina Cereda

A typical entrance leads into the courtyard of what was a monastery in the late 16C at this restaurant, where the dining room has a classic atmosphere. However, it is the cuisine that steals the show – it is creative, yet down-to-earth with no unnecessary frills, full of flavour, and features meat and fish dishes inspired by Italian traditions with the occasional local twist. There’s a simpler, business-style menu at lunchtime, while among the à la carte options we particularly enjoyed the snails served with morel mushrooms and a careful seasoning of parsley and coriander, and the paccheri pasta with fish soup in which the bouillabaisse-style sauce added a real Mediterranean flavour.

• A courtyard entrance leads into what Michelin describes as a former sixteenth-century monastery, with summer tables outside.
• The kitchen balances local Lombardian cues with broader Italian technique, moving between seafood crudo, fish-soup pastas and game or poultry.
• The house has a low-cost tasting offer for under-30s on set evenings, branded Quaranta per Trenta.

Signature Ingredients

• Scampi and langoustines, often paired with lemon
• Red prawns and seaweed
• Market fish and raw seafood when available
• Local Lombardian meats including pigeon and veal
• Parmigiano and capers used to sharpen vegetable pastas

Tasting menus

• Menu degustazione: €75
• Menu solo pesce: €90
• Menu solo pesce con il crudo e l’ostrica: €100
• Quaranta per Trenta (under 30, set nights): €40

À la carte highlights

• Risotto, scampi and lemon
• Pacchero cooked in fish soup
• Casoncelli with red prawns and seaweed
• Pigeon with parsley and lemon
• ‘Mi piace il sole’, a Mediterranean dessert

Setting

• A courtyard entrance leads into an elegant room in a historic building, with a seasonal menu that moves between fish and meat.