Restaurant in Induno Olona, Italy
A century of Lombard cooking, worth the detour.
A Lombard institution since 1922, Da Venanzio holds Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) for country cooking that respects tradition without being static. At the €€€ tier with an outdoor pergola terrace and a serious wine list, it is the best-value case for a special-occasion meal in the Varese area — particularly for groups in summer.
If you are weighing up a regional Lombard lunch in the Varese foothills against a drive into Milan or a pilgrimage to one of Italy's multi-Michelin destinations, Da Venanzio is the better call for a different reason: it gives you a century of institutional knowledge, serious cooking, and a room that actually feels like somewhere rather than a stage set, at a price tier that the €€€€ brigade cannot match. The comparison that matters is not with Osteria Francescana in Modena or Dal Pescatore in Runate — those are different decisions entirely. The relevant question is whether this is the right room for your occasion in this corner of Lombardy, and for most special-occasion meals, the answer is yes.
Da Venanzio has been at the same address on Via Olona since 1922, which in Italian restaurant terms is not a marketing claim but a structural fact. More than a hundred years of continuous operation in a single location means the building, the service culture, and the cooking have had time to settle into something coherent. Visually, the property delivers on that promise: an attractive cluster of buildings with a retro dining room inside and a large pergola-shaded outdoor area for summer meals. The visual register is warm and genuinely old rather than designed-to-look-old — the kind of room where a group booking or a milestone birthday feels appropriate without feeling like a production.
The outdoor summer terrace is the feature that changes the calculus for group dining. A large shaded area attached to a restaurant of this pedigree is not common in the region, and for warm-weather private or semi-private gatherings , family celebrations, a business lunch with room to breathe , it is a practical advantage that the indoor-only rooms of comparable restaurants cannot offer. If you are planning a group event in the warmer months, this is the detail worth confirming when you book.
The Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025 is the relevant trust signal here. A Plate does not indicate a star, but it does confirm Michelin inspector-level quality in the kitchen: cooking that is consistent, technically sound, and worth a detour. That credential matters because it separates Da Venanzio from the many long-established trattorie that trade on heritage without delivering equivalent kitchen discipline.
Cuisine is country cooking, specifically the Lombard tradition of the Varese area. The kitchen does not chase innovation for its own sake, but the Michelin notes make clear that traditional recipes receive personalised twists rather than pure replication. The ravioli del plin with three roasts and a meat sauce is the dish singled out by Michelin inspectors , and in a region where this kind of pasta work is a serious benchmark, that citation carries weight. This is a kitchen that takes the Lombard larder seriously and has the depth of practice to show it.
Wine list is substantial, with wines by the glass available , a practical consideration for groups where tastes diverge, or for a solo diner who wants to work through the list without committing to bottles. For a restaurant at the €€€ price tier in a village setting, an impressive wine list is a signal of ambition that extends beyond the plate.
Da Venanzio is a strong choice for celebration meals and group dining for three connected reasons. First, the physical setting , indoor retro dining room plus outdoor pergola , gives genuine flexibility depending on group size and season. Second, the price tier at €€€ means a table of four or six can eat and drink well without the per-head spend of the €€€€ category that dominates Italy's most decorated restaurants. Third, the century-long track record means the service culture is formed rather than developing: this is a room that knows how to handle a significant booking.
For a business meal, the combination of serious food, a serious wine list, and a setting that reads as considered without being performative is close to ideal. For a family celebration, the outdoor terrace in summer is the version of this restaurant you want. For a date or anniversary, the retro indoor dining room provides the visual warmth and intimacy that a modern room rarely achieves without effort.
Solo diners should read the practical section below before deciding.
Da Venanzio sits in a different category from the marquee Italian restaurants that international visitors plan trips around. Osteria Francescana, Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico, and Reale in Castel di Sangro are all progressive, destination-first operations at €€€€. Da Venanzio is none of those things, and that is a point in its favour for the right diner. If you want to eat in a room that has been feeding the same region for over a century, with Michelin-recognised cooking at a price point that does not require a cost-benefit calculation, Da Venanzio is the more honest choice for this occasion. For the full range of dining options in the area, see our full Induno Olona restaurants guide.
Within the country cooking category in northern Italy, peer venues worth knowing include 21.9 in Piobesi d'Alba and Andrea Monesi - Locanda di Orta in Orta San Giulio, both of which serve the same regional tradition from different bases. If you are staying in or near Induno Olona and want to plan further, our Induno Olona hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide cover the broader area.
Price tier: €€€. Cuisine: Country cooking, Lombard tradition. Awards: Michelin Plate 2024 and 2025. Google rating: 4.7 from 1,360 reviews , a high volume for a village restaurant, which suggests consistent delivery over time rather than a single viral moment. Booking: rated Easy. The outdoor summer terrace is a key feature for group bookings; confirm availability when reserving. Phone and website are not listed in our database , check current contact details directly. For wider area planning, see our full Induno Olona restaurants guide.
Quick reference: €€€ country cooking, Michelin Plate 2024–2025, 4.7/5 (1,360 reviews), easy to book, pergola terrace for groups, Induno Olona, Lombardy.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olona - "Da Venanzio" dal 1922 | Country cooking | A bastion of regional cuisine for over a century, this restaurant occupies an attractive group of buildings with a large outdoor summer area shaded by a pergola and a charming dining room with a retro feel. Traditional recipes with interesting and personalised twists take centre stage, including superb ravioli del plin with three roasts and a meat sauce – this is Lombardy, after all! Impressive wine list, including wines by the glass.; 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 | — |
| Osteria Francescana | Progressive Italian, Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Quattro Passi | Italian, Mediterranean Cuisine | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Reale | Progressive Italian, Modern Cuisine | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
How Olona - "Da Venanzio" dal 1922 stacks up against the competition.
The kitchen is rooted in Lombard country cooking, which leans heavily on meat, pasta, and regional produce — dishes like ravioli del plin with three roasts are central to the menu. If you or someone in your party has significant dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free), check the venue's official channels before booking; menus of this tradition rarely have structural alternatives built in. The €€€ price point suggests a kitchen willing to accommodate, but this is not a format that bends easily around restrictions.
For strictly local alternatives in Induno Olona itself, options are limited — Da Venanzio is the area's reference point for regional Lombard dining. If you're willing to travel within the Varese province, the broader Como and Varese lake district has a range of trattorie operating in a similar register. For something more destination-focused in northern Lombardy, Dal Pescatore in Canneto sull'Oglio offers a higher-tier Michelin experience, though at a significantly greater cost and formality.
The setting — a retro dining room and a pergola-shaded outdoor area built around group atmosphere — is more naturally oriented toward tables of two or more. Solo diners are rarely turned away at a restaurant of this standing, but the format (country cooking, long Lombard lunches, an impressive wine list) rewards having someone to share dishes and a bottle with. A solo visit works better as a focused weekday lunch than as a weekend occasion.
This is a 100-year-old regional restaurant, not a contemporary tasting-menu operation — come expecting Lombard classics done with care and some personalised twists, not avant-garde cooking. The Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) signals consistent quality without star-level formality, so dress accordingly: neat but not formal. The wine list is a genuine draw, with wines available by the glass, so it's worth asking for guidance rather than defaulting to a house pour. Booking ahead is advisable given the venue's local reputation.
At €€€, Da Venanzio sits above everyday trattoria pricing, but the combination of a Michelin Plate (2024 and 2025), a serious wine list, and over a century of continuity gives that spend clear justification. The value case is strongest for a long regional lunch — this is not a quick-meal format — where you can work through the pasta courses and explore the list. If you want to spend similarly in northern Lombardy and prioritise prestige over authenticity, Dal Pescatore is the comparison point; if you want Lombard character and a strong kitchen at a reliable price, Da Venanzio delivers.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
