Restaurant in Lapio, Italy
Michelin value, rural Veneto, easy to book.
A family-run trattoria in the Berici hills outside Vicenza with back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition (2024 and 2025) and a 4.6 Google rating from over 1,500 reviews. At €€ pricing, it delivers honest Veneto cooking — local meat, regional produce, and a standout baccalà alla vicentina — in a setting that is genuinely unhurried. One of the stronger value arguments for leaving the city.
The most common mistake visitors make with Trattoria da Zamboni is expecting a modest, unremarkable country lunch spot because it sits in a small village in the Berici hills outside Vicenza. Correct that expectation now. This is a family-run trattoria that has earned back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025, holds a Google rating of 4.6 from over 1,500 reviews, and serves a kitchen-confident menu anchored in Veneto tradition under chef Fabrizio Marino. At a €€ price point, it is one of the stronger arguments for driving into the hills rather than eating in central Vicenza.
For food and wine enthusiasts willing to leave the city and earn their meal with a bit of a journey, Trattoria da Zamboni makes a clear, defensible case. Book it. The value-to-quality ratio at this price tier is difficult to match anywhere in the region with equivalent credentials.
The dining rooms sit on the first floor, and the surrounding greenery of the Berici hills is visible from most seats. The mood here is quiet and unhurried in the way that genuinely rural Italian restaurants tend to be — not performed rusticity, but the real thing. The ambient energy is low-key and convivial, driven by locals and regulars rather than tourists on a circuit. Expect conversation-friendly noise levels, natural light during lunch, and a pace that assumes you are not in a hurry. If you are looking for a buzzy urban dining room with a soundtrack and a scene, this is the wrong choice. If you want a meal that gives you space to actually taste the food and the wine, this is the right one.
The kitchen works from local ingredients, which in this part of the Veneto means the menu leans heavily toward meat. The Michelin Bib Gourmand citation specifically calls out the baccalà alla vicentina — salted cod prepared in the Vicenza style , as a standout. Baccalà alla vicentina is one of the canonical dishes of this region, slow-cooked with onion, milk, and olive oil until it becomes soft and deeply savoury, and it is the kind of dish that separates kitchens that treat it as a tradition worth respecting from those that merely list it. At Trattoria da Zamboni, Michelin's recognition suggests the former. For first-timers, ordering it is the clearest way to benchmark the kitchen.
Beyond the baccalà, the menu reflects Veneto terroir: local meat preparations, seasonal produce from the surrounding hills, and the kind of cooking that does not announce itself. There are no specific signature dishes available to confirm beyond what Michelin has cited, so approach the menu with an open mind and ask the family what is leading that day.
The Berici hills are not a wine region that dominates conversation the way Soave or Amarone do, but they produce creditable DOC wines , particularly Tai Rosso, a local red made from Tocai Rosso , and a trattoria at this level in this location will typically carry local producers that are genuinely difficult to find outside the immediate area. The editorial angle here matters: at a €€ price point with Bib Gourmand credentials, the wine list at a family-run Veneto trattoria is almost certainly built around regional bottles that complement the kitchen's local-ingredient philosophy rather than an imported showcase list. That coherence is worth something. A glass of local Tai Rosso alongside baccalà alla vicentina or a meat-forward secondi is the kind of pairing that makes sense on this table in a way it simply would not at a higher-concept restaurant. For wine-focused visitors, the list is part of the reason to come , not despite its simplicity, but because of its regional specificity. Pair your choices accordingly and ask the family for guidance; this is the kind of room where that conversation is expected and welcomed.
For deeper context on Veneto wine producers and what to drink in the hills around Vicenza, our full Lapio wineries guide is a useful companion resource. And if you are planning a broader trip, our full Lapio restaurants guide will help you build out the rest of your itinerary alongside related options like Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli in Verona and Le Calandre in Rubano.
Booking difficulty is rated easy. That said, a Bib Gourmand listing attracts attention, and rural restaurants with limited covers fill up faster on weekends than their low profile might suggest. Call or book ahead for Friday and Saturday dinner and Sunday lunch , those are the sittings most likely to be constrained. Weekday lunch is your leading chance of a relaxed booking with short notice. Hours and an online booking method are not confirmed in the available data, so contact the restaurant directly to confirm current service times before making a trip from a distance. The address is Via S. Croce, 73, Lapio, in the Vicenza province , a drive from central Vicenza of roughly 20 minutes depending on your route into the hills. Coming by car is the practical choice; public transport options to Lapio are limited. If you are staying overnight in the area, our full Lapio hotels guide covers nearby accommodation options.
Trattoria da Zamboni is the right call for food and wine enthusiasts who want a Michelin-recognised meal at a price point that does not require justification, served in a setting that reflects the actual character of the Veneto rather than a curated version of it. It suits couples, small groups, and solo travellers willing to engage with a family-run room. It is a poor fit for anyone wanting a multi-course tasting menu format, a destination splurge, or a restaurant with the kind of production value you associate with €€€€ dining. For that end of the spectrum, Osteria Francescana in Modena or Uliassi in Senigallia are the reference points. For a meal that is honest, regionally grounded, and worth the drive into the Berici hills, Trattoria da Zamboni is a clear recommendation.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trattoria da Zamboni | Situated in the Berici hills, this restaurant run by a friendly and welcoming family boasts views of the surrounding greenery from its first-floor dining rooms. Although the cuisine focuses on local ingredients (in other words, mainly meat), the menu also includes a particularly delicious baccalà alla vicentina (salted cod).; Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025); Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) | €€ | — |
| Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Dal Pescatore | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Osteria Francescana | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Quattro Passi | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Reale | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
How Trattoria da Zamboni stacks up against the competition.
This is a family-run trattoria in Lapio, in the Berici hills of the Veneto, and it eats like one — relaxed, locally focused, and unpretentious. The kitchen centres on meat from local producers, but the baccalà alla vicentina is specifically called out in the Michelin Bib Gourmand citation, so order it even if you came for the meat. At €€ pricing, it is accessible without planning, but it is a genuine Michelin-recognised destination, not a casual roadside stop.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, but the Bib Gourmand listing means weekend lunch slots fill faster than the rural setting might suggest. Aim for at least a week ahead for Friday or Saturday; mid-week you can likely book a few days out. Phone booking details are not publicly listed, so check directly via the restaurant at Via S. Croce, 73, Lapio.
It depends on the occasion. The Michelin Bib Gourmand credential and first-floor dining rooms with Berici hills views give it more atmosphere than a standard trattoria, but the format is family-run and informal. It is a strong choice for a low-key celebration where the food matters more than ceremony — less suited to formal milestone dinners where service theatre and a long wine list are part of the experience.
The baccalà alla vicentina is the dish Michelin specifically flags — salted cod prepared in the Vicenza style, slow-cooked with milk and onions. Beyond that, the menu leans toward meat using local Berici ingredients, so follow what is seasonal and local on the day. The kitchen does not stray far from regional tradition, which is the point.
Lapio is a small village and there are no direct Michelin-listed competitors in the immediate area. For Bib Gourmand-level value elsewhere in the Veneto, the region has several options in Verona and Vicenza city. If you want a step up in formality and are willing to travel within northern Italy, Dal Pescatore in Canneto sull'Oglio is a Michelin three-star option, though at a substantially higher price point and a different format entirely.
No tasting menu format is documented in the available venue data. Trattoria da Zamboni operates as a traditional family trattoria, and the Bib Gourmand model typically means à la carte or a short fixed menu at accessible prices. Ask directly when booking whether a set menu is available on the day.
At €€ pricing with a consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2024 and 2025, yes — this is one of the clearest value propositions in the Veneto. The Bib Gourmand is awarded specifically for good cooking at a reasonable price, so the credential validates the spend. You are not paying for a tasting menu or a prestige address; you are paying for honest regional cooking done well.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
