Exte - ZANICA

Classic lunch break place. Very cheap, quality certainly not very high but speed in the service, abundant dishes and good choice of first and second courses.

Amazing Fish Carpaccio and Tartare!!! Prices are not expensive for what you can have!!! A bit noisy, but it is a family restaurante so normal : Will be returning there for sure

We were staying in the Winter Garden Hotel near Bergamo airport following a week in and around Lake Garda and were looking for somewhere to have dinner other than the trendy hotel restaurant. This place was recommended to me by a local so I took a drive out to recce the menu and spotted my wife’s favourite pasta dish (alla Norma). I was told there was no need to reserve a table during the week and we returned an hour later and got a table, although it was actually very busy for a Tuesday night and before long all the tables were occupied. From the outside, expectations would be low but the restaurant is somewhat hidden within a bar next to a petrol station and is incredibly popular with locals, we were the only non-Italians there. I speak Italian but they did manage to find an English menu for my wife, which helped with some of the unfamiliar menu items. The staff were welcoming and friendly. I must caution that the portions are VERY big by normal restaurant standards and would strongly recommend that you either forego a starter or just share one. My wife ordered the Formaggi alla Piastra and Miele (baked cheese with honey), which consisted of three large pieces of different baked/fried cheese with honey, walnuts, onion marmalade and apple sauce; it was very good but it could have fed four people as an after dinner cheese board. In addition I had ordered Potato Tart with Mushrooms, which turned out to be two large potato and mushroom stacks swimming in a creamy cheese “soup”, which was delicious but again huge! We had already been served some excellent seasoned pizza base, which is one of our favourites so by the end of the starters we were already full up! For the main I had ordered Tuna Fillet in sesame seeds, which was just okay because the crust of sesame seeds was a bit scorched, tainting the taste a bit, I had ordered a side of roasted potatoes, which were good but I regretted as it was a large portion. My wife naturally had the Paccheri alla Norma (Large type of pasta with a sauce of tomato, aubergine, basil and mozzarella), which was very good. There was a dessert trolley with around ten different, tempting desserts but we were so full that we had to pass, although I was sorely tempted by the Strawberry Tart. We ordered a quarter carafe of house red but were served a half carafe, only being charged for the quarter, which was very generous and the wine was very palatable. This restaurant was a great find and well worth the 4.7km drive from the hotel. If staying near Bergamo airport again, we would definitely return to this restaurant but would only order one starter!

Very spacious and bright rooms with traditional furnishings. Proposal for both meat and fish dishes as well as pizza. Good dishes and service equally. Large parking lot

Mixed fried great and abundant. Piatto of the scenographic and delicious king. Good and kind waiters. Nice place, large parking.