Restaurant in Blevio, Italy
Michelin-recognised, low-traffic, worth the detour.
A Michelin Plate contemporary restaurant in Blevio on Lake Como, L'ARIA earns two consecutive recognitions (2024 and 2025) and suits special occasion diners willing to pay €€€€ for a quieter, more private alternative to the lake's busier dining towns. Book two to three weeks ahead for summer weekends. Reliable rather than revelatory, but a credible choice for a celebration dinner on the lake.
At the €€€€ price point, L'ARIA earns its place on the Lake Como dining shortlist with two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024 and 2025) and a contemporary kitchen that takes the setting seriously. If you are planning a special occasion dinner on the lake and want Michelin-acknowledged quality without the full-star price tag, this is one of the stronger options in a quieter village that most visitors skip entirely. A Google rating of 4.0 across 87 reviews suggests consistent delivery rather than occasional brilliance — reliable enough for a celebration booking, but not a flawless record. Book it for a date night or a milestone dinner; look elsewhere if you want a more technically ambitious tasting menu.
L'ARIA sits in Blevio, a small lakeside village on the western shore of Lake Como, a location that filters out casual foot traffic almost entirely. Most diners here arrive with purpose. The address on Via E. Caronti positions the restaurant within the residential quietness that defines Blevio — not the tourist circuit of Como city or Bellagio, but the slower, more private stretch of the lake that draws a different kind of visitor. For a special occasion dinner, that context matters: the journey itself becomes part of the evening.
The cuisine is listed as Contemporary, which in the context of a Michelin Plate-recognised kitchen in northern Italy typically signals a menu built around seasonal Italian product, handled with modern technique rather than strict regional tradition. Two years of Michelin Plate recognition confirm that the kitchen meets a credible threshold of quality , the Plate denotes cooking worth knowing about, a tier below a star but a meaningful endorsement in a country where Michelin coverage is extensive and competitive. What it signals practically: the food is well-executed and consistent, the kitchen takes its craft seriously, and the experience has been peer-reviewed across more than one inspection cycle.
For diners who care about where they sit, the editorial angle here is worth considering. Contemporary restaurants at this price tier on Lake Como increasingly offer counter or chef's-table formats that close the distance between kitchen and guest. If L'ARIA offers bar or counter seating, requesting it is worth the effort on a special occasion , at the €€€€ level, the closer you are to the kitchen's rhythm, the more return you get on the investment. The experience of watching preparation, understanding pacing, and engaging directly with the service team changes the evening from a transaction into something with more texture. When booking, ask specifically about seating options near the kitchen or at any counter arrangement the restaurant offers.
The timing case for booking L'ARIA points toward late spring through early autumn , Lake Como's high season runs roughly May through September, and the village setting at Blevio will be at its most compelling during those months. Visiting outside that window is possible, but verify hours independently before planning a trip, as hours data is not confirmed in the current record. The booking window here is relatively accessible compared to starred peers further afield: given the village location and the volume of reviews (87 on Google), demand appears manageable for a €€€€ restaurant. That said, for a Saturday dinner in summer , the kind of evening most special occasion diners are planning , booking two to three weeks ahead is a sensible minimum. Leaving it to the week before in July or August is a risk not worth taking.
For solo diners, L'ARIA at €€€€ is a significant spend for one, but a Michelin Plate contemporary restaurant in a quiet lakeside village is one of the more considered ways to eat alone in Italy. If the restaurant offers counter seating, solo dining here has genuine upside: the service interaction fills the space that a companion would otherwise occupy, and the kitchen view gives the meal a focus. For groups of four or more, confirm in advance whether the format suits larger parties , contemporary restaurants at this scale sometimes structure the experience around smaller table sizes.
See our full Blevio restaurants guide for the wider picture of dining options in the area, and our Blevio hotels guide, Blevio bars guide, Blevio wineries guide, and Blevio experiences guide if you are building a full trip around the area.
See the comparison section below for how L'ARIA sits against its Italian €€€€ peers.
L'ARIA is a Michelin Plate contemporary restaurant in Blevio, a quiet village on Lake Como's western shore. The price range is €€€€, so budget accordingly , this is a sit-down occasion dinner, not a casual stop. Two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024, 2025) give confidence in the kitchen's consistency. A Google score of 4.0 across 87 reviews is respectable. Confirm opening hours before you travel, as Blevio is not a high-footfall location and hours may vary by season. For comparison, if you want a more technically ambitious progressive Italian meal in the region, Le Calandre in Rubano operates at three-star level, though at a significantly higher price and booking difficulty.
Yes, with the right expectations. The Michelin Plate credential, the €€€€ positioning, and the Lake Como setting make it a credible choice for a birthday, anniversary, or significant dinner. The village location in Blevio adds a sense of occasion , you are not eating in a busy city centre. If you want a starred experience for the same event, consider Enrico Bartolini in Milan or Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli in Verona, both of which carry Michelin stars and suit celebration dining at similar price points.
Specific menu details are not confirmed in the current record, so naming dishes would be guesswork. What the Michelin Plate recognition does signal is that the kitchen produces contemporary Italian cooking at a consistent standard across multiple inspection cycles , the kind of menu that will likely reflect seasonal northern Italian product. Ask the team on arrival for the current tasting menu or chef's selection; at the €€€€ level, that format usually gives the leading return on the price. For contrast, if a deeply ingredient-driven tasting menu is your priority, Dal Pescatore in Runate offers one of Italy's most celebrated traditional formats.
Blevio is a small village, so the direct local alternatives are limited. For the wider Lake Como and northern Italy €€€€ contemporary dining set, look at Enrico Bartolini in Milan for a starred urban option, or Dal Pescatore in Runate for a celebrated Italian contemporary experience with a longer track record. If you are open to a full Italian fine dining trip, Osteria Francescana in Modena and Piazza Duomo in Alba represent the starred tier above L'ARIA's Plate recognition. Our Blevio restaurants guide covers local options more fully.
At €€€€ with a Michelin Plate (not a star), the value question is real. The honest answer: if the Lake Como location is part of what you are paying for , the setting, the village atmosphere, the sense of occasion , then the price is defensible. If you are paying €€€€ purely for the food and want maximum technical ambition for that spend, a starred kitchen like Le Calandre or Reale in Castel di Sangro delivers more at a comparable price tier. The 4.0 Google score across 87 reviews suggests the experience reliably meets expectations, which at this price point is the baseline , not the ceiling.
Booking is rated Easy, which means availability is generally accessible compared to starred competitors. For a weekday dinner in shoulder season (April, May, October), one to two weeks ahead is likely sufficient. For a Saturday in July or August , peak Lake Como season , book two to three weeks out minimum. The Michelin Plate recognition and the €€€€ price point mean the restaurant attracts a considered, advance-planning clientele, so last-minute summer weekend bookings carry risk. Contact the restaurant directly to confirm booking method, as online reservation details are not confirmed in the current record.
Tasting menu specifics are not confirmed in the record, so a direct price-per-course assessment is not possible here. At the €€€€ level in a Michelin Plate contemporary kitchen, a tasting menu format typically represents the kitchen at its most structured , the better value within the price tier compared to ordering à la carte at the same spend. If the restaurant offers a chef's counter or kitchen-facing seats alongside the tasting menu, that combination is worth requesting: the format rewards engagement with the kitchen's pacing. For a starred tasting menu benchmark at similar pricing, Uliassi in Senigallia or Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone offer useful comparisons.
Yes, with one condition: ask at booking whether counter or bar seating is available. At €€€€, solo dining is a meaningful spend, and the return on that investment increases significantly if you can sit close to the kitchen. The contemporary format and the village setting in Blevio make this a more considered solo dinner than eating in a busy city restaurant , less ambient noise, more focused service. If counter seating is not available, a table for one at a Michelin Plate restaurant is still a viable option; the staff at this level are generally equipped to handle solo guests with appropriate attention. For context on solo dining at the international contemporary tier, Jungsik in Seoul and César in New York City represent the format at its most developed.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L˜ARIA | Contemporary | Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler | Italian, Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Dal Pescatore | Italian, Italian Contemporary | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Enoteca Pinchiorri | Italian - French, Italian Contemporary | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Enrico Bartolini | Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Le Calandre | Progressive Italian, Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Blevio for this tier.
Blevio is a small village on the western shore of Lake Como, which means L'ARIA draws an intentional crowd rather than walk-in traffic. The €€€€ price point and two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024 and 2025) signal this is a considered meal, not a casual stop. Plan transport in advance — Blevio has limited public links — and treat the reservation as the main event of the day.
Yes, with caveats. The Michelin Plate status and €€€€ pricing put it squarely in special-occasion territory, and the lakeside village setting reinforces that. It works best for couples or small groups who want a focused, contemporary Italian meal away from the busier Como waterfront crowds. Larger parties should confirm group-size suitability when booking.
Specific menu details are not available in the current record, so ordering advice would be speculative. What is confirmed is a contemporary cuisine format at €€€€ with Michelin Plate recognition — typically a signal that the kitchen has a defined point of view worth trusting. Ask staff at booking about current menu structure and whether a tasting format is offered.
Blevio itself is a small village with few dining options, so the practical alternatives are in the wider Lake Como area. For similar price positioning with higher award recognition, Dal Pescatore (Michelin-starred, further afield in Canneto sull'Oglio) is the regional benchmark. For something closer and more accessible, Como town itself has several €€€ options that involve less logistical planning.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
