The story
“Our cuisine as an expression of the territory, in sincere and concrete dishes with a touch of creativity.” That is the guiding idea at Osteria del Centenario, where Chef Egon Bajardi leads the kitchen. He describes his approach simply: “Cooking with precision, without compromise, and with great passion. I like to be able to propose in my dishes regional-Mediterranean products with touches and influences from other cuisines.” The result is a menu that feels both rooted in the Ticino landscape and open to the wider Mediterranean world.
The restaurant sits on the lungolago of Muralto, just steps from Locarno’s famous Piazza Grande. It is open year-round for lunch and dinner, offering a lunch menu as well as the full à la carte. The setting is welcoming – a place the team describes as “your living room on the lakeside.” With outdoor seating, a private room, and a veranda, the space adapts to the season and the occasion.
Osteria del Centenario has earned a Michelin Recommended distinction, a recognition of the kitchen’s consistent quality and the team’s dedication. It is a place where the cooking speaks for itself: precise, seasonal, and built on regional Mediterranean ingredients, with occasional nods to other culinary traditions. Whether for a leisurely lunch or a refined dinner, the experience is straightforward and satisfying.
Recognition
Ambience
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History
It’s a pity that at the «Centenario» on the lakeside promenade, the tables are set with plastic tablecloths just like those in the surrounding pizza and pasta joints. Locarno’s premier culinary destination deserves white tablecloths, as the local chef Egon Bajardi serves exceptionally refined and creative cuisine. The amuse-bouches were already superb: a delicate cauliflower mousse with chives and fried onions served in a bread basket. Pan-seared zander accompanied by nettles fried in beer batter. Radishes marinated in red seaweed, served with tangy miso-mayo dollops. The chef expertly presented the carefully marinated Lostallo salmon with orange gel, pan-seared orange segments, dill, and toasted fregola sarda paired with a mild wasabi. He tossed the durum wheat tubetti, cooked precisely al dente, in butter blackened with vegetable charcoal. Bajardi truly spares no effort to delight his guests with inventive side dishes as well. For this reason, he further enhanced the hours-braised veal cheeks in a rich sauce with an elaborate garnish of celery root mousse, beard mussels, roasted onions, and diced strawberries. For dessert, there were no classics like cassata or tiramisu, as the «Centenario» aims for something more extraordinary: for instance, a heavenly creation featuring a delicate dark chocolate mousse with speculoos spice cookie crumbles and mascarpone cream cheese.
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