Restaurant in Toscolano-Maderno, Italy
Michelin-recognised country cooking, fraction of the price.
A Michelin Plate country cooking restaurant on the Lake Garda road in Toscolano-Maderno, Il Cortiletto earns a 4.3 Google rating across 415 reviews at a €€ price point. The maccheroncini with perch and lemon pesto sauce is the dish to order first. Easy to book, best experienced outdoors in good weather.
Il Cortiletto sits on the Lake Garda road in Toscolano-Maderno with a Google rating of 4.3 across 415 reviews and a Michelin Plate recognition held consecutively in 2024 and 2025. At a €€ price point, that combination is rare enough to pay attention to. This is not a destination restaurant that asks you to plan a special trip around it — it's the kind of place that rewards you for already being on the lake, and then rewards you again on the second and third visit.
The setting matters here. The Michelin guide itself flags alfresco dining as the correct choice in fine weather, and on Lake Garda that window runs long — from late spring well into October. The terrace or outdoor tables give you the visual context that turns a solid meal into a proper occasion: the light on the water, the road-facing calm of a small Brescian town that doesn't perform for tourists. If you're booking for a date or a celebration, request outdoor seating when you reserve. The room inside is described as small and simple, which in practical terms means it won't feel like a backdrop for a milestone dinner the way a grander space would.
The cuisine is country cooking with Mediterranean references and the occasional creative turn. That framing matters for managing expectations: this is not a tasting-menu restaurant, not a modernist project, not a place that exists to showcase technique for its own sake. What the Michelin Plate signals here is consistent quality and a kitchen that cooks with genuine intent , the kind of cooking that holds up across multiple visits because it isn't trying to be theatrical.
Single dish the Michelin guide calls out by name is the maccheroncini with perch and lemon pesto sauce. Book this for your first visit and order it without negotiation , it's the clearest expression of what the kitchen does well: a local freshwater fish from the lake, pasta, and a sauce that adds acidity without overcomplicating the plate. It's the dish that tells you whether the kitchen's instincts are right for you.
On a second visit, the country cooking format gives you room to explore the broader Mediterranean register. Italian country restaurants at this level typically build their menus around what's available locally and seasonally, which means the menu is likely to shift across the year. A summer return and an autumn return will deliver different experiences from the same kitchen, which is part of the case for treating Il Cortiletto as a recurring stop rather than a one-time tick.
For a third visit , especially if you're staying in Toscolano-Maderno or using it as a base for the western shore of Lake Garda , you're in a position to eat more adventurously. By that point you know the kitchen's range, and the inventive twists the Michelin guide references become more legible. Restaurants at this price point and recognition level tend to have one or two dishes that reflect genuine creativity alongside their core repertoire; those are worth finding.
Il Cortiletto is rated easy to book. For a Michelin Plate restaurant at €€ on Lake Garda, that's a genuine advantage , the comparable restaurants in this region at higher price points require planning weeks or months in advance. Here, you're not fighting for tables in the same way. That said, alfresco tables in peak summer will fill faster than indoor seats, so if the terrace is your priority, don't leave the reservation to the same day.
The address is Via Fratelli Bianchi, 1, Toscolano-Maderno. It sits on the Lake Garda road, which means it's accessible by car and within reach of the broader western shore. If you're staying locally, check our full Toscolano-Maderno hotels guide for accommodation options nearby. The town also has options worth knowing about beyond this one restaurant , see our full Toscolano-Maderno restaurants guide, our full Toscolano-Maderno bars guide, our full Toscolano-Maderno wineries guide, and our full Toscolano-Maderno experiences guide for a fuller picture of what the area offers.
For comparable country cooking elsewhere in northern Italy, 21.9 in Piobesi d'Alba and Andrea Monesi - Locanda di Orta in Orta San Giulio work the same genre at similar price tiers. Further afield in northern Italy, Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli in Verona and Enrico Bartolini in Milan operate at a higher price and ambition level if your trip calls for a more formal occasion. For the benchmark of what Italian fine dining looks like at the very leading end, Osteria Francescana in Modena, Uliassi in Senigallia, Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, Piazza Duomo in Alba, and Le Calandre in Rubano represent the upper end of the category.
Quick reference: Il Cortiletto, Via Fratelli Bianchi 1, Toscolano-Maderno , €€ country cooking, Michelin Plate 2024 and 2025, Google 4.3/5 (415 reviews), easy booking, alfresco dining recommended in good weather.
At €€, it's one of the stronger value cases on Lake Garda's western shore. A Michelin Plate held across two consecutive years at this price point means you're getting kitchen quality that punches above what the bill suggests. If you want to spend more and get more formal, the €€€€ restaurants in the comparison set deliver that , but for honest country cooking done well, Il Cortiletto is a clear yes on value.
Yes, with one condition: book the alfresco table. In good weather, outdoor dining on the Lake Garda road gives this small, simple restaurant enough setting to feel occasion-appropriate. For a birthday dinner or a date, it works well at the €€ level , the Michelin Plate recognition means the kitchen won't let you down. If you need a grander room or a tasting menu format, look at Dal Pescatore in Runate or Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone instead.
Order the maccheroncini with perch and lemon pesto sauce , the Michelin guide calls it out specifically, and it's the clearest read on what the kitchen does leading. The restaurant is small and simple, so don't arrive expecting a grand room. It sits on the Lake Garda road in Toscolano-Maderno, is easy to book, and costs €€. At this price and recognition level, the main thing to get right is the table placement: go for outside if the weather holds.
Within Toscolano-Maderno, see our full Toscolano-Maderno restaurants guide for the current options. For a step up in formality and price on Lake Garda and the broader Lombardy-Veneto area, Dal Pescatore in Runate (€€€€) and Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone (€€€€) are the most obvious comparisons in the Italian Mediterranean register. For country cooking at the same price tier in other northern Italian settings, consider 21.9 in Piobesi d'Alba.
The venue database doesn't include specific information on dietary accommodation, and no policy details are publicly documented. The cuisine type is country cooking with Mediterranean references , formats that typically rely on pasta, fish, and seasonal produce. If you have specific requirements, contact the restaurant directly before booking rather than assuming flexibility.
The venue database doesn't include seating layout details or confirmation of a bar area. Given the description of a small, simple restaurant, bar seating may not be part of the format. The stronger practical advice is to book a table in advance , specifically an alfresco table if the weather cooperates , rather than arriving and hoping for counter or bar availability.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Il Cortiletto | Country cooking | Standing on the Lake Garda road, this small, simple, yet far from ordinary restaurant serves Mediterranean dishes with the occasional inventive twist. Two words of advice – opt for alfresco dining in fine weather, and don’t miss the maccheroncini served with perch and lemon pesto sauce.; 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 | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Il Cortiletto and alternatives.
The venue database does not confirm a bar or counter-dining arrangement at Il Cortiletto. What the Michelin guide does flag is the alfresco terrace as the preferred format in good weather — that's where you want to sit. check the venue's official channels before arriving with a specific seating preference.
Il Cortiletto is one of the few Michelin-recognised options at €€ on the western Lake Garda shore. If you want to stay in that price band, the surrounding Brescia province has solid trattorie, but none with the same Michelin Plate consistency two years running. For a step up in formality and spend, Dal Pescatore in Canneto sull'Oglio is the regional benchmark — but at a significantly higher price point and booking difficulty.
No dietary policy is documented in the available venue data. Given the kitchen's focus on Mediterranean country cooking with occasional inventive twists — including a signature pasta dish built around perch and lemon pesto — the menu leans toward traditional ingredients. Flag any restrictions clearly when booking, as smaller kitchens at this price range vary in flexibility.
Yes, with the right expectations. Il Cortiletto is a small, simple restaurant — Michelin's own descriptor — so if the occasion calls for grand ceremony or a long tasting menu, look elsewhere. But for a relaxed, genuinely good meal with Michelin Plate-level cooking at €€, it over-delivers, especially on the alfresco terrace in summer. It suits couples and small groups who value quality over theatre.
Order the maccheroncini with perch and lemon pesto sauce — it's the dish singled out by name in the Michelin guide and the clearest signal of what makes this kitchen worth the detour. Sit outside if the weather allows. At €€ with a 4.3 Google rating across 415 reviews and two consecutive Michelin Plates, the risk is low and the upside is real.
At €€ with two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) and a 4.3-star Google rating from over 415 reviews, Il Cortiletto is one of the stronger value propositions on Lake Garda. Comparable Michelin-recognised restaurants in the region charge considerably more. The format is simple and the menu is tight, but that's the point — you're paying for precise, well-sourced cooking without the markup that usually accompanies this level of recognition.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
