Bar Il Molo
There are fancier places to eat in Varenna, but almost everyone who visits the picturesque village would agree that some of their most memorable eating—and especially drinking—wasn't at a traditional restaurant but at this lively lakefront café. Bar Il Molo offers a ton of outdoor seating with beautiful lake and town views (umbrellas and heaters make it comfortable even on soggy days) and a nice variety of casual, reasonably priced pan-Italian favorites from pizza, pasta, and piadine (flatbread sandwiches) to salads, bruschetta, and gelato. It's not a place to come for gourmet fare, but the food is more than decent, and a bonus for hungry travelers is that it's open non-stop from morning to late at night. Of course, this is a bar, and much of its business is indeed in drinks, whether it's a leisurely cappuccino before catching the ferry, an aperitivo at sunset, or late-night cocktails. With so many things to offer at so many times of day, Bar Il Molo is a little touristy, sure, but it's also a lot of fun. Take note that it's cash only for tabs under €25.
There are fancier places to eat in Varenna, but almost everyone who visits the picturesque village would agree that some of their most memorable eating—and especially drinking—wasn't at a traditional restaurant but at this lively lakefront café. Bar Il Molo offers a ton of outdoor seating with beautiful lake and town views (umbrellas and heaters make it comfortable even on soggy days) and a nice variety of casual, reasonably priced pan-Italian favorites from pizza, pasta, and piadine (flatbread sandwiches) to salads, bruschetta, and gelato. It's not a place to come for gourmet fare, but the food is more than decent, and a bonus for hungry travelers is that it's open non-stop from morning to late at night. Of course, this is a bar, and much of its business is indeed in drinks, whether it's a leisurely cappuccino before catching the ferry, an aperitivo at sunset, or late-night cocktails. With so many things to offer at so many times of day, Bar Il Molo is a little touristy, sure, but it's also a lot of fun. Take note that it's cash only for tabs under €25.
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