The story
La Tortuga sits on via XXIV Maggio in Gargnano, a quiet town on the western shore of Lake Garda. The restaurant’s Italian contemporary cuisine draws from the lake and the surrounding territory, turning local ingredients into precise, memorable dishes. A Michelin star recognizes the high quality of cooking here.
The kitchen offers three tasting paths, each with a wine pairing option (60 € per person). The Tradizione della Tortuga (140 €) opens with scallops, zucchini cream and mint, then tagliolini with clams and parsley emulsion, followed by sea bass fillet with potato, wasabi, and caviar, and finishes with Iberian pork cheek on apricot cream. The Il Lago menu (130 €) is a celebration of the lake: a palette of small lake tastings, spaghettini with lake fish ragù, and whitefish with capers from Gargnano, cherry tomatoes, and basil. The Dedicato a Dani menu (130 €) features crusco pepper carpaccio with burrata, fettuccine Dani style, and lamb loin with rosemary and thyme.
Desserts round out each menu, and guests can also order à la carte (minimum two courses per person). Among the iconic dishes are duck liver with passito wine sauce and caramelized fruit, and risotto with basil pesto and prawn carpaccio (minimum for two).
The wine list is noteworthy, and the optional pairing is designed to complement each menu’s progression. The restaurant welcomes guests for dinner and offers outdoor seating when weather permits. Reservations are required, and no animals are allowed inside.
La Tortuga’s cooking is rooted in the traditions of the lake and the Lombardy region, elevated with contemporary technique. The prix-fixe menus allow a complete experience of the kitchen’s vision, while the à la carte selections give regulars room to explore. Whether you come for the whitefish caught in the same waters that lap the shore or for the precise execution of a classic risotto, this is a place where the ingredients speak clearly.
Recognition
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