Hotel Ristorante Al Sorriso

and undoubtedly the best Italian breakfast we have ever had. And, yes, the cooking is of an exceptionally high standard and not over-priced considering the quality and precision. Old fashioned hospitality in a personal way, so different from the bland corporate smiles you get in so many hotels. Would definitely revisit. Our bill was 500 odd euros but we did not begrudge a penny of this - our win was 50 or so. AND DOG FRIENDLY...

We came for lunch mid week. We didn't stay at the hotel as we came for the dining experience. It was well worth every penny. We had the menu il Classico and every dish was original, delicious and beautiful. The staff were friendly and helpful. I couldn't have asked for more. I have never eaten a more succulent piece of beef, pink through, but it cut with a butter knife. The wine I had paired with parts of the menu was also delicious. I don't understand the reviews which say the food is nothing special. It is.

This was my third stay at Al Sorriso, a restaurant with rooms that from1997-2012 had three Michelin stars. The rooms are pleasant, with a little balcony and a pretty view over the valley. The bedrooms are fine though not particulalry luxurious, but you come here for the food. Luisa Valazza is a gifted chef, and her dishes are top notch, based in the highest quality ingredients. Her husband Angelo runs the restaurant and is a lovely guy, welcoming and entertaining. It feels like you are dining at the house of a friend, just one who can cook at a 3 star level. The wine list has over 600 choices and is not overly expensive. Soriso itself is a sleepy town of less than 1,000 people, perhaps half an hour drive from Malpensa airport in Milan. If you are here then take teh time to drive out to Lake Maggiore (about 30 minutes away) which is very beautiful. Al Sorriso is a delightful restaurant, which given its standard of cooking is not expensive (a tasting menu is €140, less than Gordon Ramsay in London, and with much lower wine mark-ups).

Simply prepared dishes with good ingredients are fine at this overly hyped michelan starred restaurant. We payed 960$ for one night including dinner. My jaw dropped when I got the bill. we did have 190$ in wine but that still brings me to 770$ for dinner and one nights stay. Way overpriced. Plenty of much bottle of winebetter food to be had in this region spending only 1/6 of the money. Tired menu, I could think of 24 places in Milan that I would rather be than this stuffy dated restaurant.

Anyone that stays at this hotel is staying for one reason: The 3 Star Michelin downstairs. The rooms are not especially spacious, but not cramped either. They have adorable blue and pink towel and robe sets accompanying their well-appointed bathroom, which is fully stocked with hermes soaps and out tolietries. Angelo and team also put out a magnificant basket of the freshest fruit for you to enjoy. Sample it. Every fruit that I tried tasted more delicious than ever before. The hotel staff is perfectly lovely and accomodating. Angelo refused to let me carry my own bags, and even woke up extra early in the morning to prepare coffees for us before we departed for us very early flight from MXP. If you are flying out of MXP, I highly recommend this as your last night. The airport is only a 30 minute drive away from Sorriso (it'll take you over an hour if you are staying in Milan itself). And, the meal was an absolutely incredible and memorable experience. Since this is really a review of the hotel and not the restaurant, I will touch only briefly on the food. As an important note to anyone that goes, Al Sorriso ONLY uses the freshest ingredients available. That means that if you are looking for white truffles, you MUST come in white truffle season (and the same goes for porchini, and every other seasonal delicacy). This is not NYC where they cook with every product all the time out of the freezer. While we were not there during either of the aforementioned seasons, we did get the benefit of many other seasonal delicacies: asparagus, spring pumpkins, and the most magnificant bowl of wild strawberries you've ever seen). Angelo himself attends to your every need, from within the hotel to coordinating your dinner (and taking your order and bringing your food etc). They have a small staff helping them, but the hotel and 3 star restaurant are run by really a two person team. To anyone flying out of MXP, I would tell them, that they MUST spend their last (or first) night here.

Everything is ok, nice rooms and a very friendly staff. We have been there for the ***Michelin Restaurant. What can I say, everything was good but you expect so much more that it was only disappointing and for a price of € 160/Person (Menue) just not worth the price by far. Even two clear mistakes in the kitchen (mead was well done instead of medium) and the desert was collapsed were just excused, nothing else. If you compare with Restaurants like "The Walserhof" in Switzerland or other even lower rated locations you get there so much more.

We ate and stayed at Al Sorriso to celebrate an important birthday. From the moment of our arrival to our departure we were made to feel extremely welcome and among friends. The dinner was just incredible. Yes it is pricey, but the exquisite food, service and overall experience made it an amazing evening and one that will be long treasured.

My wife and I stayed at the hotel and ate dinner there the night before flying home from Malpensa. It is a 45min.drive from the airport. This is a beautiful property in a truly non-touristed backwater of a town in Piedmont(Soriso). The hosts are incredibly welcoming and sweet. We could not believe how hard they work. Angelo has been in the business many years. Luisa(a former professor of Italian lit) is the chef and is amazingly accessible for a trois etoiles celeb. The room was small, beautifully furnished, and quite comfortable. Breakfast was simply out of this world!..fresh squeezed red orange juice, croissants, and cheese. As we had to leave very early, we did not get the full breakfast treatment. I can only imagine! I will not give a full review of dinner but say that Luisa's food seemed to me to be based on a traditonal approach. The staff also rushed around a bit too much and did things like scrape the plates at the table(a real 'no no' at a fine establishment). We were given such a nice 'good-bye' that we wanted to turn around and stay longer.

This is a restaurant with rooms rather than a hotel, and what a restauarnt!. Has 3 Michelin stars which makes it expensive but my wife and I both thought it was worth every penny. We stayed for two nights in July 2004. The rooms are not huge but they are well equipt and very comfortable. Given that most guests will spend a maximun of 2 nights I could find nothing to complain about. The owner could not have been more welcoming or helpful. You cant please all of the people all of the time!

"Great rooms & Great rates"--DEFINITELY NOT! The rooms and bathrooms are miniscule but quite expensive (190 euro for a double). It is basically a bed and a teensy table with a couple chairs. There is absolutely no room to walk or put your luggage. The bathroom is a postage stamp with a unit shower. These are luxery priced rooms but definitely do not come up to snuff. As for the restaurant...the execution is good, but it is a bit fussy for more than a one time meal. The chef (owner) is very friendly (if you happen to catch her around in the morning). The staff is also quite amenable--but the front desk owner is quite pretentious and unfortunately can not unbend enough to really satisfy simple questions or requests regarding local venues. Beware of the prices for meals! All plates (including appetizers) are at around 40 euros. You will also be charged 9 euros per person for a small apératif and extremely teensy "amuse gueule" --without being asked. My 13 year old son got the little bite, but no apératif and I still paid the same price. I was pushed to have cheese and the second night finally said I would have a very small bit. In fact I had 3 very small slices of the smallest goat cheeses--but was charged 16 euros for a full cheese course. BEWARE--don't order anything extra and don't plan to stay more than the night of one dinner--that is definitely enough!! We ate much more simple, but wonderful meals made from local ingredietnts by consulting the SLOW FOOD Osteria Guide. There were several great places in the vicinity....But if you don't stay at Al Sorriso for the food, then you certainly would not stay for the mediocre rooms! My recommendation....find an agricultorismo and eat your way around the area.