Il Gatto Nero

It is one of the most beautiful restaurants I have seen in my life, very chic, trendy, and the view is breathtaking; not to mention the food that is out of this world

Il Gatto Nero, the most famous and popular dining in Como, was the most breathtaking view anywhere in the world sitting at a table, almost falling off a mountain and into Lake Como. As seen by the pictures, there is no words that could match what you look at while you are drinking great Italian wine and being with friends that you can share this with.
When we walked in, you see from up top a mountain, down to the long side of the lake and more mountainous trees everywhere around you. Nestled in these trees are the beautiful old Italian homes of the Lake Como area. You can’t help but not to put the camera away.
We sat down and during the shock and awe of the beauty, ordered our usual two kinds of wine” Chianti and a Tuscan Cab. Every wine we have had the opportunity to drink has been amazingly different and all of them were tastes I have never had before in Italian wine. Beautiful bouquets and fruitful flavors. Of course the bread came and bread sticks. This bread was softer and better than most of the bread servings we have had.
My wife and I split another outstanding Risotto dish with fresh lime. The risotto in Italy is unbelievable. Always made with a lemon or lime zest, juice and and fresh herbs. This one was just as amazing as our first night at home. This menu is a must split. My wife had a flavorful Branzino, filleted and fresher than any I have had back home of course. I ordered the Rack of Lamb. Was kind of disappointed in the portion of meat on this rack as well as the flavor. It was just OK. My friends ordered quite a bit of this dish and also the Lasagna, which was pretty good. The Lamb Rack was «average at best» according to one of my friends. We all ordered desert which was either Cram Brule or sorbet. The consensus was among 11 of us was that the food was average, but NOTHING can beat this scenery from anywhere.
Back to the décor. Not only was this the only dining room, but since Il Gatto was build into the mountain, as you go down, their are SEVERAL small dining rooms below, and one more beautiful than the next. The walls, the tables, the whole place was perfectly, warmly, romantically set with nature all below you and finally The Lake viewing longways looking north. A MUST EXPERIENCE.
In regards to service. we have found that nothing is quick here. The servers get tipped very little and a basically paid a salary so you never get the service you would expect at 90 percent of the restaurants, except for our previous night’s dining experience. They take their time with everything and sometimes mistime the food. To get the check is even a challenge. But unlike the United States, you learn to accept that, relax and enjoy you surroundings. Chill and enjoy.
I so very sorry that I could not get myself to give this a 5 start rating. The food held it back unfortunately, but take the atmosphere SERIOUSLY, gave that a 10 star if their was one, and that is why I will be back. The staff was friendly, the wine was outstanding and the atmosphere is a picture. A MUST GO

On 6÷2÷15 The view is really great but the food was disappointing. Not exaggerating, my breaded veal went back almost untouched and I didn’t want anything else. I would like to have the restaurant owner taste what the chef prepared. If I owned it he’d be fired. They had a good bar and good service. We’re staying at Villa d’Este and so far it’s very nice but I was hoping for a good restaurant off-​site. Tomorrow night is dinner at The Veranda. I’m crossing fingers.

Great view! Great view! Great view!
On my recent trip to Lake Como, I was recommended to go to Il Gatto Nero (The Black Cat). The restaurant is situated on the hills of Cernobbio and has a wonderful view. The parking is a serious issue. Such that, they have assigned a car just to help you on this. When you come to restaurant, a car guides you to a nearby parking space. And once you park your car, it takes you back to the restaurant. Very helpful.
Given season, we sat outside. But I have seen few tables sitting inside as well.
The only thing that really stands out for this place is the view. We have ordered antipasti, and primi piatti. They were all nice but somehow shadowed with some other food we ate at other establishments. This does not mean they were bad — but rather they were not special.
I had risotto as a primi piatti. The risotto was very well made. A safe choice for everyone. But to be frank it didn’t stand out. As a main, I had veal with fois gras. The veal itself was very tasty. Not the same can be said for the combo.
As a closing, I had Tiramisu. Which was good but not standing out.
I want to make sure that my expectations were very elevated during this trip. Therefore I still think it deserves a 4 star. It’s a great location.

Whenever I’m in a new town, I normally ask locals where they would have their best friend eat if they only had one evening in town. When we did this in Cernobbio, the folks at the hotel all said, Il Gatto Nero. We drove up the side of the mountain and parked our rental as best we could on the narrow road.
Our waitress spoke perfect English so I asked for her recommendation for someone who would probably never get a chance to eat here again. Without hesitation, she offered risotto with shrimp cooked in champaign. Hmmm. I have had risotto a number of times and it was always blah but she sounded so sincere, I went for it and I could not have been more impressed. In fact, I consider it the best meal I have ever had — at home or in a restaurant. Really!
In fact, I had another trip to Italy for a magazine assignment and made sure to make my way back to this place. The waitress we had last time wasn’t there but I ordered risotto and this time, they cooked the shrimp with curry — yes, curry. It to was amazing.
When I returned home, I asked my favorite Italian place to make me a plate of risotto and shrimp cooked with wine. The chef is a friend and he said he could do it, no problem. Unfortunately, it was a sad rendition of the same dish. Water? Shrimp? Technique? Who knows? The bottom line is the meals I have had at Il Gatto Nero were the best I have ever had and if I could go there now, I would be sitting by the window, gazing out at Lake Como and smiling with a rich bowl of risotto on the table.
Best restaurant meal I have ever had… Period!
Highly recommended — maybe a bucket list restaurant.

A € 20 taxi ride up a windy road from Cernobbio lies the most wonderful trattoria Il Gatto Nero. Furnished with antiques and all manner of bric a brac this trattoria is the quintessential romantic candlelit destination, all with a gobsmacking view of Lake Como. Make sure you are directed to a table downstairs where you can dine at a table maximising the view and most importantly you will be waited on by Italy’s greatest waiter Carlitta and his ever faithful assistant. Now Carlitta is not only a waiter, but a photographer extraoridinaire. He will photograph you and your partner, with the view in the background, with flash, without flash, on your mobile on your camera or any other photographing equipment you may happen to have. He will also take some for his own collection, what a man! As I said to my wife «who needs George Clooney when you have Carlitta». In between the photos he will serve you with the most delicious Rabbit terrine, an excellent Sea Bass followed by an amazing tiramisu. All matched with wines from the Cinque Terre. Viva Italia !

Great spot with food that was just as phenomenal as the view. Recommend the gnocchi, prawn appetizer, risotto and the steak! Wash it all down with a super tuscan and your night is complete.

I found the view to be beautiful. It was well worth the drive up. I enjoyed the food, the owner is sociable and charming and overall had a very fun evening.

An excellent restaurant.
Food — very good quality and variety. For entrée, I had the raw beef and my friend had the duck salad. Both were very good. But the best were our mains and dessert. The beef fillet and pork apple and cinnamon for mains. And tiramisu and apple pie for dessert. My friend got two servings of the tiramisu — that just shows how much she enjoyed it. Plus, the chef was so chuffed that he gave the second for free.
Wines — really good quality wines to match and complimentary aperitifs and dessert wines.
View — just amazing! For the views alone, Gatto Nero is worth it.
Ambience — such an beautiful building with twists and turns and many levels. Acoustics were very good too.
Service — the service was fantastic! Not one fault could be found.
Price — really quite reasonably priced for what we got. Less than € 150 for 3 (and a bit courses) with wines for each course for two people plus a tip.
Gatto Nero is a must go!

Very good and friendly service; amazing views and nice food which was pricey…

Ein sehr gutes Restaurant. Hervorragende Küche. Ausgefallene Lage mit wunderbarer Aussicht. Man muss in er Tat hoch hinauf in die Hügel von Cernobbio, aber ein Angestellter des Restaurants sammelt einen auf, sobald man einen Parkplatz weiter oben gefunden hat. Alles in allem in gelungener Abend am Comer See. Wirklich empfehlenswert.

overrated. tables too close to each other. stunning view and average food. by average i mean good but too pricy (three slices of eggplant with cheese=18EUR and three lil balls of icecream=14EUR). when getting the order from the table next (15cm) to mine the waiter was kinda screaming WHAT DO YOU GUYS WANT? (and bumping my shoulder) not exactly the kind of mood i was expecting. make sure you book in advance and ask for a table with room around. really a tourist place (i live in como must say) who follow the word of mouth. one can eat better for half of the price with an equally stunning view.
overall: overrated. average food. too pricy.

Ich kann mich meinem Vorredner nach dem Besuch des Il Gatto Nero letzte Woche nur anschließen. Die Anreise ist in der Tat etwas gewöhnungsbedürftig. Durch immer engere Gassen geht es den Berg hinauf, bis auf einmal und recht unscheinbar das Restaurant vor einem liegt. Schnell noch weiter bergauf, den Wagen abstellen uns ins Restaurant. Sehr gemütlich mit Kerzenlicht kommt es daher. Am Hang gelegen, betritt man das Restaurant praktisch im 1. Stock. Nach unten — wo unser Tisch lag — geht es über eine kleine, verwinkelte Treppe bis man im nächsten Gastraum steht. Dieser ist halb Bibliothek halb ein Sammelsurium von Gegenständen. Ein Model des TEE (Kraftwerk-​Freunde aufgepasst), historischen Tretautos und Espressomaschinen geben dort Ihr Stelldichein. Unsere Menü beginnt mit Jackobsmuscheln und Trüffeln, sehr lecker aber auch schon besser gehabt. Der zweite Gang (Primi Platti) ist ein Risotto mit grünem Spargel und Krabben. Super-​lecker. Eine Note von Pesto, die Krabben schön knusprig. Super. Die Weine in rot und weiss munden auch hervorragend, wobei ich eher bei Weisswein geblieben bin. Der Hauptgang ist dann ebenfalls sehr angehem schmeckende Brasse. Den Abschluss bildet ein Arrangement von Schoko-​Eis und roten Beeren. Ebenfalls sehr gut.
Was bleibt als Fazit? Wie Rumpelstross bereits schrieb, das Publikum ist recht erlesen. Auch Inter’s Coach Mourinho ist dort wohl häufiger zu Gast. Der Blick ist der Wahnsinn und ein idealer Ort für ein romantisches Dinner. In Anbetracht der Tatsache, dass man auch die engen Strassen wieder hinab muss, sollte man nur mit dem Alkohl moderat umgehen :)
In Summe haben wir — als Gruppen-​Tarif — 80EUR pro Nase plus Trinkgeld gezahlt. Gehoben aber hey… gute Gegend, gute Lage, gutes Essen, tolle Zeit, da fragt man doch nicht nach Geld :)

Hoch in den Hügeln über Cernobbio gelegen hat man eine Wahnsichtsaussicht über den Comer See.
Zunächst muss man jedoch die enge Serpentinenstrasse Via Della Liberta hinauf. Angekommen, gibt es keinen Parkplatz. aber einen netten Service: diese Trattoria hat Parkmöglichkeiten 500m weiter und bis dahin folgt einem ein Chauffeur im kleinen 5-​Sitzer um die Gäste von dort zum Restaurant zu fahren — oder wieder zurück zum Auto.
Die Gerichte sind typisch Italienisch und von sehr guter Qualität. Was hier aber wirklich zählt, ist die Lage und Ausrichtung der Trattoria: bei gutem Essen und einem schönen Wein im offenen (aber überdachten)Aussenbereich die Aussicht auf den Comer See und die Szenerie, die schon das Bellagio Themenhotel in Las Vegas inspiriert hat zu geniessen, ist einfach nur toll.
Die Preise sind im übrigen noch akzeptabel. Man kann hier für knapp EUR 30,– satt werden und es muss auch nicht immer der teuerste Wein für EUR 320 sein ;-)
Übrigens: anhand der Wagen die hier vorfahren kann man unzweifelhaft erkennen, dass ein Grossteil der Gäste nicht mehr täglicher Knochenarbeit nachgehen müssen.