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Set within the private park of Sheraton Lake Como Hotel, Kitchen brings a quieter style of fine dining to the southern end of the lake. The Michelin-starred restaurant is surrounded by greenery, with a biodynamic garden at its entrance and menus shaped by Chef Andrea Casali’s interest in Italian ingredients, seasonal produce and wider influences.
Tasting menus sit alongside à la carte dining, while a lighter summer lunch offers another way to experience the kitchen during warmer months.
A Garden Setting Near Lake Como
Kitchen occupies a secluded corner of the Sheraton Lake Como Hotel grounds on Via per Cernobbio, between Como and Cernobbio. The private park gives it a sense of separation from the busier lakefront, with greenery forming much of the backdrop.
In the evening, lighting picks out the garden and surrounding planting as daylight fades. Just outside the entrance is the biodynamic garden, Le Luci del Kitchen, where aromatic herbs, flowers and seasonal vegetables are grown for Casali’s cooking.
Andrea Casali’s Approach to the Kitchen
Chef Andrea Casali began his career working alongside Michelin-starred chef Franco Caffara, developing techniques that now inform his contemporary Italian cooking. At Kitchen, he moves between meat, seafood and vegetables while keeping individual ingredients firmly in focus.
Kitchen received its Michelin star in 2021. Familiar Italian ingredients such as Parmigiano Reggiano, saffron and fregola appear alongside Oscietra caviar, umeboshi, miso and green curry, generally used with enough restraint to keep the principal flavours clear. Produce from the garden adds a seasonal element, particularly through herbs, flowers and vegetables.
Three Ways Through the Tasting Menu
Kitchen offers three tasting menus: the more extensive Evoluzione, the shorter Identità and the vegetable-led Essenza Vegetale.
Evoluzione
Evoluzione gives the broadest view of Casali’s cooking. Tomato with figs precedes Wagyu and red prawn, followed by sour saffron spaghettone with Oscietra caviar and chives. Risotto combines dill, basil and lobster ragout, while steamed halibut comes with green curry and coconut.
Sambucano lamb with goat’s milk and passion fruit completes the savoury courses before apricot, rice pudding and tonka bean. The range of seafood, pasta and meat makes Evoluzione the most comprehensive introduction to the kitchen.
Identità
The five-course Identità begins with rehydrated red pepper, salted ricotta and parsley, followed by mi-cuit langoustine with gazpacho, watermelon and almond.
Parmigiano Reggiano ravioli comes with foie gras, pear and balsamic vinegar, followed by Pigeon d’Anjou with carrot and apricot. Gianduia chocolate with vanilla closes the menu. It offers a shorter route through Casali’s style while retaining much of the variety.
Essenza Vegetale
Essenza Vegetale offers a dedicated tasting menu for vegetarian dining. Umeboshi radishes with strawberries, yoghurt and sesame follow courgette with hazelnut and Parmigiano Reggiano.
Sicilian caponata ravioli keeps the menu rooted in Italian cooking, while glazed aubergine with miso and mandarin introduces a Japanese influence. Peach with hibiscus and mint finishes the experience. Vegan variations can also be prepared when requested in advance.
À la Carte at Kitchen
The à la carte menu follows many of the ideas found in the tasting menus. Starters include rehydrated red pepper with salted ricotta and parsley, chicken Ficatum and foie gras torchon with figs and raspberries, and lobster with bouillabaisse, hard-shell clams and seaweed.
Among the pasta dishes are rabbit-filled plin with olives, pine nuts and wild fennel; spaghettone with salted custard cream, raw scallops and Avgotaraco; and fregola in green sauce with red prawn and wild fennel.
Main courses include the catch of the day acqua pazza, beef tenderloin with capers and green beans, and Pigeon d’Anjou with carrot and apricot. Desserts range from banana with milk and macadamia to gianduia chocolate with vanilla, black cherry with shiso and chocolate, and peach with hibiscus and mint. A cheese selection is also available.
A Lighter Summer Lunch
Kitchen’s Summer Bites programme offers a shorter lunchtime format from Wednesday to Friday during its summer run, with two dishes changing weekly.
Combinations include raw red tuna with wild herbs and hollandaise followed by spaghettone with tomato and basil; courgette, Parmigiano Reggiano and hazelnut followed by spaghettone Mancini with hard-shell clams and parsley; and tomato with figs before the catch of the day acqua pazza. Another pairing brings roasted scallops with carrots and Vin Jaune sauce together with Parmigiano Reggiano ravioli, foie gras, pear and balsamic vinegar.
The changing selection provides a concise introduction to Casali’s seasonal cooking and suits a lighter lunch around Como.
The Garden Behind the Menu
Casali grows aromatic herbs, edible flowers and seasonal vegetables in Le Luci del Kitchen, harvesting them according to season and maturity. The influence is clearest in Essenza Vegetale, although garden produce appears across the restaurant’s menus.
Its position directly outside Kitchen also creates a visible link between the restaurant’s setting and the ingredients used inside, rather than leaving the garden as a purely decorative feature.
Wine, Service and the Pace of the Meal
Wine pairings are available with the tasting menus, following Casali’s progression through vegetables, seafood, pasta and meat. The restaurant’s intimate scale suits the measured pace of the experience, with Evoluzione requiring the greatest time commitment and Identità or à la carte dining offering more flexibility.
Making an Evening of Kitchen Como
Kitchen’s position within Sheraton Lake Como Hotel is convenient for stays around Como and Cernobbio, while the surrounding park gives the restaurant its own identity.
Dinner is served from Tuesday to Sunday, with lunch from Wednesday to Sunday. Reservations are advisable, particularly during Lake Como’s busier months, and dietary requirements should be mentioned when booking.
Casali’s cooking gives Kitchen a clear personality, supported by the biodynamic garden and peaceful setting. The choice between extensive tasting, à la carte dining and a seasonal lunch also makes it unusually flexible for a Michelin-starred restaurant on Lake Como.
Location: Via per Cernobbio 41A Como, Como, Italy 22100
