Boccalino - Fribourg

After a flight into Zurich early morning and a long drive through heavy traffic all the way to Fribourg (took us about 2 hours), we were hungry and decided to have a quick lunch before taking a tour of the old town. We entered Le Boccalino restaurant, a Swiss/Italian place were we had mostly pizza, pasta and salads. All were fresh and very good and the service was very friendly - but the place is rather expensive for what we got.

This restaurant is well located but that is all it has going for it. Sunday lunch and most restaurants were closed and our choice were limited. Picked this and had a most unsatisfactory meal.First, the restaurant does not have a terrace and very dark and poorly lighted inside. Met by our guess the lady boss who was very cold. We noted thereafter that she was very warm and welcoming to her regulars and elderly clients. We are in our late forties but unless you have grey hair she is less than hospitable.I ordered a plate of tagliatelle with mushrooms and big prawns, without cream. The mushrooms and prawn as were cooked with some chives and parsley and a big cube of Knorrs instant stock as it was so salty that I didn't feel my tongue. The tagliatelle was dry and hard, seemed like it was reheated in the microwave. Furthermore, food was served barely warm.I am not a picky eater but I enjoy a simple dish done properly and well, especially when I am paying a proper price for it.

Traditional cooking, reasonable prices and lots of room upstairs! Personally prefer their Swiss dishes (love the minced veal liver!). Nice place where the locals go.

Greasy Pizza Hut style pizza with flavorless tomato sauce. Cute place. Nice staff and not so good product.

The Boccalino is situated near the cathedral, at the place de Tilleul.The restaurant offers a large variety of foods, ranging from traditional Swiss food to Italian food. Even though the variety is large, the quality of the dishes is excellent.I ate there twice during the hunting season to eat some local game. The meat and the side dishes were excellent and the price/value ratio was excellent. The service is fluent in German and French, and is very friendly and efficient. You never wait long to get served.The restaurant has two floors. I would recommend the upper floor, since it is quieter and the atmosphere more relaxed.The Boccalino is quite underrated in my opinion, even though I would wish they would focus more on local specialities.