La Zanzara

Verdict

Book La Zanzara if you want a Michelin-starred seafood meal in one of Italy's most overlooked corners — the Po Delta, where eel and Adriatic fish are treated with the same seriousness that Emilia-Romagna applies to its cured meats. This is a hard booking that requires planning, but the combination of a 4.7 Google rating (419 reviews), a 2024 Michelin star, and a price point of €€€ (not €€€€) makes it one of the more direct decisions in northern Italian fine dining. If you can get a table, take it.

Portrait

La Zanzara sits in a farmhouse outside Codigoro, reached by driving through the Po Delta Valley — a low, flat terrain of wetlands, migratory birds, and reed beds that stretches toward the Adriatic. The journey is not incidental: by the time you arrive, you already understand what the kitchen is cooking from. The Po Delta is one of Italy's most productive fishing territories, and La Zanzara's menu is a direct expression of that geography.

The dining room is small, and for a first-time visitor the scale matters. This is not a large-format restaurant built for event dining. The intimacy is structural: a compact room, limited covers, and , in colder months , a fireplace that shifts the atmosphere from restaurant to something closer to a private house. If you are expecting the high-design, architecturally ambitious rooms of Osteria Francescana in Modena or Le Calandre in Rubano, adjust your expectations. The space earns its character through restraint, not spectacle. The fireplace detail is worth noting practically: if you are visiting between November and March, request a table near it when you book.

The kitchen's focus is the lagoon. Eel appears in multiple preparations , simply cooked or grilled over embers , and the Michelin documentation confirms squid and turbot as the dominant Adriatic fish on the menu. This is not a tasting-menu kitchen that ranges freely across Italian regions; it works a defined larder and works it well. For a first visit, that focus is an advantage: you are not making difficult decisions across a sprawling menu. You are eating what the lagoon produces, prepared by a kitchen that has earned a star doing exactly that.

Lunch vs. Dinner: Which to Book

La Zanzara is open for lunch only on Saturday and Sunday (12 PM–1:30 PM), with dinner service Wednesday through Sunday (7 PM–9:30 PM, with Saturday dinner starting at 8 PM). Monday and Tuesday are closed. For a first visit, the practical recommendation is dinner on a weekday if you can manage it , the room's fireplace atmosphere is most effective in the evening, and the drive through the Po Delta at dusk is materially different from midday. That said, weekend lunch has a real case: the Saturday and Sunday afternoon slots are shorter windows (just ninety minutes), which concentrates the pacing and makes it a strong choice if you prefer a lighter commitment than a full dinner service. The Sunday lunch slot in particular suits visitors who are working the Po Delta as a day excursion from Ferrara or the Adriatic coast.

On value, lunch and dinner at a €€€ Michelin-starred farmhouse in this region are unlikely to differ dramatically in price structure , but lunch portions and tasting formats at starred restaurants in Italy often run slightly less than dinner equivalents. Without confirmed menu pricing, the safer assumption for budget planning is that dinner will be the higher-spend option. If you are comparing against Uliassi in Senigallia or Dal Pescatore in Runate at €€€€, La Zanzara's €€€ positioning makes either service a more accessible entry point into Michelin-level seafood cooking in the region.

Practical Details

Reservations: Hard to book , this is a small room in a destination location, and Michelin recognition has tightened availability significantly. Book as far in advance as possible, particularly for weekend slots. Hours: Wed–Fri 7 PM–9:30 PM; Sat 12 PM–1:30 PM and 8 PM–9:30 PM; Sun 12 PM–1:30 PM and 8 PM–9:30 PM; Mon–Tue closed. Price range: €€€. Dress: No confirmed dress code, but given the Michelin context and intimate room, smart casual is the appropriate register. Getting there: A car is necessary , Codigoro is not served by rail connections that make this accessible without one, and the farmhouse address (Via per Volano, 52) is outside the town centre. Factor in the drive through the Po Delta as part of the visit. Group size: The small dining room makes large groups a difficult fit , contact the restaurant directly before attempting a booking for six or more.

How It Compares

See the comparison section below for how La Zanzara sits against its regional and national peers.

Pearl Picks , Also Consider

• La Capanna di Eraclio , The other name in Codigoro serious diners discuss; compare both before committing.
• Uliassi in Senigallia , Three-star Adriatic seafood if you want to understand the ceiling of this cooking style in Italy.
• Gambero Rosso in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica , Adriatic and southern Italian seafood at a different register for comparison.
• Alici Restaurant on the Amalfi Coast , If Italian seafood fine dining is your focus and you are building a broader itinerary.
• Our full Codigoro restaurants guide , All Pearl-reviewed options in the area.
• Our full Codigoro hotels guide , Where to stay if you are building a Po Delta trip around this meal.
• Our full Codigoro experiences guide , What to do in the Po Delta before and after dinner.
• Our full Codigoro wineries guide , Local wine options to pair with a visit.
• Our full Codigoro bars guide , If you want somewhere to continue the evening.