Ristorante Bilacus
Opened in 1856 and still run with genuine pride, Bilacus is the most historically grounded restaurant in Bellagio — a place where the menu changes with the season and the misticanza di lago (mixed lake fish) is as good as it gets on Como. It sits in a vine-draped courtyard just off Via Serbelloni, invisible from the main tourist drag.
What to Order
Start with the lavarello (whitefish) carpaccio dressed with lemon, capers and local extra-virgin olive oil — the fish is caught the same morning in the lake. Follow it with risotto al pesce persico, a saffron-tinged risotto made with perch fillets that is the defining comfort dish of the Como lakeshore.
The wine list leans heavily on Valtellina reds — Sassella, Grumello and Inferno from the Nebbiolo-planted terraces north of the lake — which pair beautifully with the delicate lake fish in a way that Barolo simply does not.
The Setting and the Atmosphere
The courtyard fills up fast on summer evenings; book at least two days ahead for an outdoor table. The interior, with its low vaulted ceiling and framed black-and-white photographs of old Bellagio, is equally atmospheric on cool spring nights.
Service is attentive without being theatrical — the kind of place where the waiter will genuinely steer you away from a dish that isn't at its best that day, which is the highest compliment you can pay an Italian restaurant.
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