Locanda Viola

The story

Locanda Viola in Pagazzano: Michelin-Recommended Italian Contemporary & Vietnamese Cuisine

A Home Built From Travel

Locanda Viola, in the quiet town of Pagazzano, is the realised dream of chef Filippo Moriggi and maître Giulia Crippa. Their restaurant is a direct expression of fifteen years spent working and travelling across the globe, from Brazil and New Zealand to Asia and the United States. The name itself is a homage: Viola honours Giulia’s great-grandmother, Viola Maria, who ran her own osteria in nearby Treviglio. Every dish here carries a story, a memory of a person met or a place lived.

The Food: A Personal Journey on the Plate

The menu is a confident weave of Italian contemporary and Vietnamese cuisines, with further accents from Thailand, Morocco, and South America. Filippo’s cooking is grounded in the classic Italian pasta and risotti he loves, but he layers them with techniques and flavours gathered on his travels. The result is food that the owners describe as “golose, tonde e divertenti” – generous, rounded, and playful. You are as likely to eat a dish with chopsticks as with a knife and fork.

Standouts from the current menu include the BBQ Bao (soft steamed bun with pork ribs, house-smoked BBQ sauce, and coleslaw) and the Empanadas Chilena, filled with scamorza, prawns, and a coriander-cumin mayonnaise. The Asian Melanzana – aubergine cooked and marinated with soy, lime, and sesame – speaks directly to the restaurant’s cross-cultural approach. Main courses range from a classic Risotto Carnaroli with braised snails and Castelmagno cheese to a Thai Red Curry with Mediterranean prawns and basmati rice. The journey ends with desserts like homemade Churros with dulce de leche or a house-made gelato that changes weekly.

A Welcoming Space, Michelin-Recommended

The restaurant was built piece by piece by Filippo and Giulia themselves, and the space reflects their personal taste: warm, detailed, and without pretension. The dining room features a mix of different tables and careful attention to detail. The Michelin guide has recognised Locanda Viola with a Recommended award, a nod to the quality and sincerity of the experience. Reviewers consistently highlight Giulia’s warm, attentive service and the relaxed atmosphere, calling it a place where gourmet food comes with a genuine smile. Access is wheelchair-friendly, and the restaurant also offers outdoor seating and private dining options.