For a lake of eighteen square kilometres, Lake Orta eats remarkably well. Within a few kilometres of the village there are three restaurants with Michelin stars, including one of Italy's three-star tables, and around them a layer of trattorias, wine bars and lakeside terraces that most visitors never get past Piazza Motta to find. This is our guide to both: what to order, where to sit, and the practical details that make the difference between a good dinner and a missed one. Every place below was checked in October 2026.
What to eat: the dishes of the Cusio
Lake Orta sits where the rice plain of Novara meets the Alpine valleys, and its cooking is exactly that mix: risotto and cured meats, polenta and mountain cheese. These are the things worth ordering when you see them.
- Paniscia novarese. The great dish of the province: a risotto made with beans, cabbage, red wine and salam d'la duja. Its name comes from panìco, the millet people cooked here before rice arrived. Hearty, and perfect from October onwards.
- Salam d'la duja. A soft salami kept under lard in a terracotta pot, the duja, so that it stays tender for months. You will meet it on platters and inside the paniscia.
- Mortadella d'Orta. Not the Bologna kind: a cooked sausage made with pork liver, while its raw cousin is called fidighin. Both are on Italy's official list of traditional food products. Try it on a board of local salumi with a glass of red.
- Tapulone. From Borgomanero, just south of the lake: donkey meat minced and slow-cooked in red wine, served with polenta. Local legend says it was invented by pilgrims on their way home from Isola San Giulio, who had nothing else left to eat but their donkey.
- Gorgonzola and Toma. The Gorgonzola consortium is based in Novara and Piedmont makes about seven in every ten wheels, so this is the place to taste it properly, from sweet and creamy to sharp and crumbly. Toma Piemontese, a mild mountain cheese, comes from the valleys around the lake.
- Risotto. Novara, Vercelli and Pavia grow almost 80% of Italy's rice, and every kitchen here takes risotto seriously, from paniscia to versions with Gorgonzola, chestnuts or wild mushrooms in autumn.
A word about lake fish. You will see perch, whitefish and trout on menus around the lake, and they can be very good. But there is no professional fishing on Lake Orta: the fish population has only recently rebuilt itself after decades of industrial pollution, a story we tell in the miracle of liming. So the fish on your plate was not caught in front of you. If it matters to you, ask where it comes from.
What to drink: the Nebbiolo nobody talks about
The hills south of the lake are part of the Alto Piemonte wine area, and they make Nebbiolo reds that are far less famous than Barolo and far better value. Ghemme is the flagship: a DOCG since 1997, made from at least 85% Nebbiolo, which locals call Spanna, softened with Vespolina and Uva Rara. Boca, Fara and Sizzano are smaller DOCs with a cult following, and the broader Colline Novaresi appellation includes a crisp white made from Erbaluce. Order a Ghemme with tapulone or paniscia, and you will understand why the people who make it are in no hurry to tell the world.
The starred tables
- Villa Crespi, Orta San Giulio — three Michelin stars. Antonino Cannavacciuolo's restaurant in a nineteenth-century Moorish villa, the lake's great occasion. Lunch and dinner from Wednesday to Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday, and closed for the winter break from 4 to 28 January 2027. It is an 11-minute walk from Villa Volpe; we have written about the experience in full.
- Andrea Monesi – Locanda di Orta, Via Olina, in the village — one Michelin star. A small, inventive kitchen in the heart of the old town, with three tiny terraces that need booking well in advance. Closed on Tuesdays; dinner only from Wednesday to Friday; lunch and dinner on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
- Cannavacciuolo by the Lake, at Laqua by the Lake in Pettenasco — one Michelin star. The second Cannavacciuolo address on the lake, with a terrace right on the water and chef Gianni Bertone in the kitchen. It is seasonal, from spring to autumn, and has a more relaxed bistrot alongside.
- Al Sorriso, Soriso — one Michelin star. A historic name of Piedmontese fine dining in a village in the hills about ten kilometres south of the lake.
The Michelin Guide also recommends two lakefront restaurants without stars: Giardinetto at Pettenasco, with a view of the island and a rooftop bar, and Casa Fantini – Lake Time at Pella, on the western shore. The 2027 guide is due in November 2026, so the stars may change; the ones above are from the 2026 edition.
In the village: Piazza Motta and the lanes behind it
The tables on Piazza Motta, facing the island, are the most famous in Orta. You pay for the view, and at sunset it is worth it. Ai Due Santi, Venus and Leon d'Oro have tables looking at the water, and La Piazzetta, on the same square, is one of the best-reviewed; book for an evening in summer. One lane back, prices drop: Filo e Fieno on Via Olina is among the most highly rated restaurants in the village.
For something lighter, Pan & Vino on Piazza Motta is a wine bar and deli with Piedmontese cured meats, cheeses and local wines (closed on Wednesdays, and for its winter break from early January to the end of February), and Al Boeuc on Via Bersani is a long-standing wine bar. For coffee and pastries, Il Banco di Cannavacciuolo is the chef's pastry shop on the piazza. And for dinner with the lake below you in the old town, Teatro Magico, the restaurant of the Hotel San Rocco, has arched windows over the water and lakeside terraces in spring and summer.
On the island
Isola San Giulio has one restaurant, Ristorante San Giulio, with a terrace on the water. It is seasonal: in 2026 it opened on 21 March, serving lunch every day except Wednesday, and dinner on Friday and Saturday only from June to September. Lunch on the island after a morning walk round the Way of Silence is one of the nicest things you can do on the lake.
Within walking distance of Villa Volpe
If you are staying with us, you do not need the car to eat well.
- L'Ustaria Cà dal Rat — a 9-minute walk along the shore. Creative cooking by chef Carlo Marforio on a terrace right on the water, with its own jetty. Our closest neighbour, and a very good one.
- Villa Crespi — an 11-minute walk, for the big night.
- Ristorante Bocciolo — about 20 minutes on foot towards Pettenasco, at the Hotel Bocciolo: an easy-going restaurant and pizzeria with a terrace.
- La Cucina at La Darbia — a 25-minute uphill walk, or a short drive, to a small luxury resort above the village with views over the lake to Monte Rosa. Chef Matteo Monfrinotti cooks dinner on weekdays and lunch and dinner at weekends; closed on Wednesdays.
- Piazza Motta — about half an hour's walk along the lake road and into the village, or a short drive to the car parks above it.
In the hills and across the lake
The villages above the eastern shore keep the most traditional kitchens. Taverna Antico Agnello in Miasino, in the old Villa Nigra, is the place for the classics, from liver mortadella to salam d'la duja. Fattoria del Pino, in the hills of Miasino, is a farmhouse tavern with rooms.
Across the water, Pella, on the western shore, looks straight back at Orta and the island. Ristorante Imbarcadero has a terrace by the jetty, Antica Cartiera is a modern trattoria in the village, and Gelateria Antica Torre on the lakefront makes the best excuse for an evening walk. From March to October the public boat links Orta and Pella, so you can cross without driving round the lake.
Practical tips
- Times. Lunch runs from about 12.30pm to 2pm, dinner from 7.30pm. Kitchens close earlier than in the south of Italy; do not plan to walk in at 10pm.
- Book. Always for the starred restaurants, for the island in summer, and for a table on Piazza Motta at sunset. Many restaurants close one day a week, often Tuesday or Wednesday.
- The cover charge. A coperto of €1 to €5 per person is normal in Italy and is legal as long as it is printed on the menu.
- Winter. Several places close for a few weeks between November and February, and the seasonal ones (the island, Laqua) only open from spring. Call ahead. Our guide to Lake Orta in autumn and winter has more.
- Parking. The centre of Orta San Giulio is closed to traffic. Park above the village, at Prarondo or on Via Panoramica, and walk down; it takes ten to fifteen minutes. More in our guide on getting to Lake Orta.
Or cook with a view
Some of the best meals on Lake Orta are not in restaurants. Villa Volpe has a fully equipped kitchen and a dining table facing the water, so a board of mortadella d'Orta and Gorgonzola from the deli, a pot of risotto and a bottle of Ghemme, eaten as the light goes on the lake, can easily become the dinner of the week. Then, the next night, walk to the restaurant next door.
Questions people ask
How many Michelin-starred restaurants are there on Lake Orta?
Three on the lake in the 2026 Michelin Guide: Villa Crespi (three stars) and Locanda di Orta (one star) in Orta San Giulio, and Cannavacciuolo by the Lake (one star) at Pettenasco. Al Sorriso, in Soriso about ten kilometres away, also has one star.
Is there a restaurant on Isola San Giulio?
Yes, Ristorante San Giulio, with a terrace on the water. It is seasonal, from spring to autumn: lunch every day except Wednesday, and dinner on Friday and Saturday from June to September.
What is the typical food of Lake Orta?
Paniscia novarese (a risotto with beans and salami), salam d'la duja, mortadella d'Orta, tapulone (donkey stew with polenta), Gorgonzola and Toma cheese, and Nebbiolo red wines from Ghemme and Boca.
Is the fish in Lake Orta restaurants caught in the lake?
No. There is no professional fishing on Lake Orta, where the fish population has only recently recovered from decades of pollution. Lake fish on local menus comes from elsewhere; ask the restaurant if you want to know where.
Do I need to book restaurants on Lake Orta?
For the starred restaurants, yes, well in advance. In summer and at weekends it is wise to book everywhere, especially for a lakefront table at sunset. Many restaurants close one day a week and some close for part of the winter.
Cover photo: Piazza Motta, Helmlechner, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
