La Punta Spartivento

In Bellagio, there are so many tourists milling around that one tends to feel like an ant in an anthill. I recommend an antidote: Walk a bit north to this restaurant located at the very northernmost end of the peninsula.
La Punta is family owned and staffed by waiters who speak good English, German, French and probably other languages.
We came for lunch on a blustery October day and found the place about half full. Our meal, Minestrone soup and sautéed lake fish, was quite adequate (not superior) and our waiter’s wine recommendation was fine.
But people don’t come here because of the food. It is the amazing view north across the lake into the Alps that is the big draw — and the peace of being away a bit from the tourist hordes.
All in all, it was a pleasant meal in a pleasant place.

We went to La Punta in Bellagio last night around 7pm. Only about 6 tables were occupied. We ordered a couple of starters (fish pâté which was great and the beef carpaccio which was not so good-​chewy).
The restaurant filled up and after we finished the starters, the main courses did not come. A lot of the other tables that arrived after us were served though. Around 815, I asked and the waiter said «2 minutes.» 25 minutes later, I asked again. «Another 1 minute». In the meantime, the father at the table next to ours with 4 kids asked for their orders too. The wife said we pay the same but the people out in the patio seemed to get their orders before ours.
Then I heard their waiter tell the woman «we are not a fast food restaurant.» That was being rude to a customer. So I tapped him on the shoulder and said I have the same complaint and we are not paying McDonalds prices either.
Our food finally came after another 15 minutes later. The grilled de-​boned whitefish was dry. The spaghetti with hen fish was good and my grilled veal chop was good.
When we asked for the check, the waiter asked how was everything. I said the service was slow. He said the chef can’t handle too many orders. I suggested maybe La Punta shouldn’t pack so many tables in? And how hard can be «first in first out» for the chef? Then he said the grilled whitefish is usually dry.
The food was good, not great. If the restaurant looks full, give it a pass and walk back into the village where there are lots of other restaurants with a chef and waiters who can handle orders properly.

11÷4÷2013
My husband and I randomly walked through Bellagio and found this little «escape» from the rest of the downtown area. This «park» has a great lakeside view & benches to sit down and relax. We didn’t really know where we were going when we discovered this little area… but just wanted to walk to the other side of Bellagio.
Once you arrive, you’ll notice it’s in front of a restaurant (the restaurant was closed when we went), and there is a good walking path for you to stroll all the way to the waterfront and maybe even sit on the concrete walls. The view of Lake Como and the Alps are beautiful here, and just serene /​peaceful.
There was hardly anyone around and we almost had the area to ourselves. :) Quite lovely…

This is the most relaxing park in Bellagio and a great picnic site! We didn’t try the adjacent restaurant since, as soon as we got to the park, I promptly fell asleep. You can see most of Lake Como from this park — Varenna, Menaggio, and the Swiss Alps. The park can either be relaxing — picnic, sleeping — or very romantic and there were couples everywhere — both old and young — just staring at the scenery. Don’t miss this out of the way site when you visit Bellagio!