Crotto del Sergente

A crotto is, in the tradition of Lake Como, a cellar dug into the hillside where wine was kept cool and where, in time, food began to be served. The Crotto del Sergente is in Lora, a hill district east of the city of Como, and prides itself on never having lost its identity as an osteria. It is listed by Slow Cooking, the Locali Storici d'Italia association and Il Golosario, and in 2018 it won the Como episode of the television programme 4 Ristoranti.

The cooking

The house defines itself in one phrase: cooking and culture of the territory. It works with freshwater fish and the larder of the Brianza, the Valsassina and the lake valleys. On the autumn and winter menu it published in November 2026 there were, as starters, breaded fried egg, lardo with Lora chestnut honey and boiled chestnuts, veal pâté with pear compote or a savoury Brianza sheep strudel. For first courses, handmade trout-filled ravioli with leek cream, pumpkin risotto with Carnaroli rice, for a minimum of two, beetroot gnocchi with blue goat's cheese or wholemeal tagliatelle with white guinea fowl ragù. For main courses, lake fish guazzetto with riso in cagnone, suckling pig porchetta with potatoes or oven-roasted lamb shank. The menu closes with a board of cheeses from the lake valleys and desserts such as the Crotto cream or the reinette apple cake with amaretti.

There is a tasting menu of Lombard delicacies, for a minimum of two people. The cellar exceeds 200 labels.

The website does not publish prices for the menu or the tasting menu: ask when you book.

The house

Two small, warm rooms, with simple furniture, stone walls and wine shelves. It is a place for a long, unhurried meal, far from the bustle of the lakefront.

Hours, booking and getting there

The kitchen is open every day from 12:00 to 14:00 and from 19:00 to 22:00, except Wednesdays, when it closes. Book on its website, by phone on +39 031 283911 or by email.

Lora is on the outskirts of Como, in the hills east of the centre and the lake. The website gives no transport directions: by car it is a few minutes, and without a car the practical option is a taxi from the station or the lakefront.