Grotto del Pep in Lugano

Among the best points in Ticino. Available all year round, plentiful dish and very good side dishes

A family atmosphere, excellent cuisine and excellent wine cellar, I will gladly return, compliments to the staff, they are very kind and professional, keep it up

One of the best meat restaurants I’ve ever been to! Definitely recommend, especially ribs and horse steak

Nice people, the food - it's great.👍

Excellent in both flavors and quantities. The tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms are divine, both in terms of aroma and intense flavour.

Spectacular meat served in a warm family environment. The lamb chops and rabbit are excellent: very tender and very tasty meat. The accompanying polenta and porcini mushrooms are very good. I was shocked by the cost of the wine: around €45 for a decent wine from the Canton of Ticino, but which in Italy couldn't cost more than €15. This is obviously not the fault of the restaurant, but it is unfortunately the norm in Switzerland.

The best pork ribs in the world Simple place, well managed, which revolves around the tips masterfully prepared and served on a grill heated by candles that keep them warm while you eat them Having dinner there is now tradition, and the wait for dinner is itself a pleasure!

I saw on your Google Maps a post of a photo, taken by a lady, with a... huge plate of food at a Swiss restaurant, as it was written. I think the plate contained all the ribs from the backbone on both sides of a pig, fried very nicely! , a healthy portion of fried potatoes, but also a very large portion of... polenta. But what, the Swiss eat polenta? I thought that molasses comes from Moldova and Oltenia and we Romanians eat it with pleasure! Didn't the people in charge of that restaurant make a mistake in the menu, because they didn't put a whole 5 kg loaf of bread from Transylvania!? If they saw a German from them in Germany, I think they would die on the spot. With them, if they put potatoes next to the meat, NOTHING else is put there! , no rice, no green beans, nothing. They don't go with the option of eating ... bread with bread ... I admire all the people who send pictures of food from restaurants. It's a passion and I don't comment on it. I'm a GOURMAND, no joke! And when I see pictures of plates with the most appetizing food, I'm thinking of going to the fridge or the freezer! And so I refrain from seeing such pictures... I, unfortunately, am very sick and cannot move, otherwise I would go around our beautiful Bucharest and take pictures of various buildings, as we have them, thank God, or pictures of natural landscapes. (But about the posing of some buildings, I will come back with something funny about someone from the former IMGB). I would take pictures with more brightness. Let many people who don't live here see more clearly about the beautiful places we have! I want to point out a very important thing here. Since we entered the E.U. , many beautiful things were built, others were repaired, but the most important thing is that all the narrow streets were paved, the roads were laid out, which gives an air of feeling, or almost like we are in the west! Congratulations to those who contributed to our country's entry into the EU. !!! 👍

If you are not a regular, you will be very poorly received or even not served at all.

It deserves the five stars for the points, a little less for the opening hours, given that the kitchen closes at 9.00 pm, a little early even if the restaurant remains open until after eleven without problems, friendly staff and a family atmosphere. Parking is not exactly convenient, when it snows to be avoided, there is possibly a public car park three hundred meters ahead following the road. Price not high for what is offered.

The best restaurant I've ever been to

Wonderful meat (including costine and beef fillet). As a drink on hot summer days: order Merlot with Gazoza. Nice garden restaurant. Parking situation not ideal, better to travel by public transport.

Excellent restaurant I recommend it

The food is very good but too bad you can't take the dishes home…being nearby would have been great!! Too bad the absence of take away, a good habit of the Covid period lost!! Very sorry.. let's hope this will be re-evaluated

The food here was simple but delicious. We had two ribs, one lamb chops and the chips and the polenta. It was all very flavorful and would recommend as a lovely sharing family style lunch.

The pins (CHF 29.50) were really delicious and lots of them (photo -> pins for 3 people). The side dishes as well (I only ate potatoes but the other people with me told me that the polenta was very good). Average prices, really friendly staff, maybe just a little slow but there were only two waiters so I can understand.

Excellent points and good value for money. To try

We had some ribs with polenta and it was amazing!

Their kid is like no other I come to the grotto from Milan as often as I can

Thank you very much for the attentive and perfect service. And for the excellent food. It is always a pleasure to be with you. See you soon.

The classic and true Ticino grotto, the grilled meat is the best

If you love meat like me, you will satisfy your senses here • Food: excellently cooked meat😍, lustful flavour🤤, side dish of porcini mushrooms that couldn't be done better. ✔️ Chapeaux! 👏🏻 • Service: hasty given the large number of customers, but quick, nothing to complain about, but here, a little more kindness, attention and ceremony would be appreciated 👉🏻👈🏻 and would make a difference in the experience with you, so I'm staying a bit like this --》🙄 • Notes for improvement: - for those who love tiramisu, it is not the classic Italian tiramisu, very creamy, I personally left it (but I was not asked why, nor discounted from the bill) ❌ - More flexibility and understanding would be appreciated For example, receiving a change of side dish if you are allergic/intolerant or prefer something else by clearly paying a supplement, which is not possible for now, you pay the full amount of the dish, plus the side dish which you will obviously choose ❌ • Tip: ask for doggy bag, someone at home will appreciate it and it won't be free money 😉 • Parking: small due to high traffic, but it is there. Warning: you risk getting bottled up ⚠️😖 • Quality/price ratio: high quality, adequate price (we are in Ticino, let's remember this) 👌 In summary, to come back 🌟

What to say? A name, a guarantee. We took the legendary grilled ribs, with delicious polenta, fantastic chips and delicious mushrooms. The kid is also excellent. Friendly and professional service. Characteristic location of the Ticino grotti, surrounded by greenery. Difficult to book, given the great demand: I recommend organizing well in advance.

Excellent lunch. We didn't wait long after ordering. Friendly and competent staff.

Very good ribs as well as the potatoes. Service can be improved, they have a lot to do, perhaps one more waiter wouldn't be bad. Excellent food quality and price, Aperol spriz 11.- fr without appetizers is a little high which was very light. We asked for a carafe of tap water..... Answer: - We only have bottles. Honestly, if you consume 29.50 worth of tacks I find it sad that you can't have tap water. A touch that we gave up on leaving a tip. Making money, yes, but also satisfying customers since they eat would be a touch of class. In many places they even serve it with ice and lemon and tap water and it is TOP.

Excellent grills, friendly and fast staff Low price

The only thing that makes their ribs good are the kilos of glutamate that they spread (and with what a brush) on them. Low quality of the raw seafood, from the side dishes to the meats. Overrated. Ideal if you are in a hangover.

Very difficult to book since they rarely answer the phone, but by trying and trying again we managed to do it. Kind and attentive service. Absolutely spectacular pins. We will definitely return

Good ribs although slightly salty for my tastes, very good polenta and mushrooms, environment slightly ruined by the continuous background noise of the hood which sucks in the fumes from the grill. Constructive criticism: 1 cushion wouldn't go amiss on the benches and restoring the swing at the bottom of the bowls my daughters would have appreciated.

Good, I recommend booking in advance. A little hectic.

Absurd!!! You try to call for important information and if it rings free they don't answer, they wait for you to hang up and immediately disconnect the line! EXCELLENT SERVICE!

Nothing to say about the food but unfortunately it is very difficult to contact them... they don't answer the phone... very sorry

Super good ribs, excellent cold cuts too

Typical grotto, located under thick trees. Very good menu, with grilled meat, rabbit, polenta and other typical foods from the Canton of Ticino. The only flaw: the benches have no backrest

Typical Ticino grotto with the undisputed specialty of pork ribs.

Pleasant evening at a nice outdoor table, surrounded by nature, this Grotto specializes in pork ribs which, roasted on a nice grill, are truly, truly excellent! Fast, courteous staff.

The ribs and potatoes were just perfect. As well as the final grappignac. Very kind and friendly staff!

We wanted to have an aperitif as a family. Obligation to eat and really not nice welcome

Amazing ribs 🥰🥰🥰 and the guys are very good Thank you

Reservations !!!!!!!!!!!! Else you will come up in vain 😒

In this restaurant you can enjoy grilled cuisine with top quality meats. Highly recommended

Great spare ribs. Freshly grilled on an outdoor BBQ. Unfortunately, there was way too much salt on the ribs almost inedible but these things happen. Staff were nice and luckily we finished just before a massive thunderstorm. Recommend it for a quick and easy place for dinner.

Nice, very simple atmosphere. The spare ribs are delicious, I could eat them forever. The potatoes and polenta are also good. The wines are also very good. However the tiramisu is bad, sticky and the recipe should be changed. The staff is friendly. All in all, the price is reasonable. I recommend it for the excellent spare ribs.

This Grotto is a true institution in Lugano for the quality of the dishes offered. After years of honorable service, they never cease to prove to be the absolute best for grilled ribs and polenta with porcini mushrooms. Congratulations and thanks!

Typical Swiss cooked meat, where they are still found on single dishes, for example polenta and rabbit, polenta and kid, pork ribs etc. Very filling. To return.

Incredible. Never eaten meat so good. Super friendly staff noted by more than five stars

Always at the top, the best ribs ever

Very good meat, in particular the ribs are really excellent, accompanied by potatoes and polenta. Simple and welcoming place, if the day permits it is also possible to eat outside. Very friendly staff and fair prices given the average. To try!

I had the chance to try their cuisine during a dinner with colleagues. Happy cooking and I confirm that the tacks are very good! Fast and friendly service! Worth trying in the summer, taking advantage of the outdoor tables. Slight difficulty finding parking

Typical Ticinese grotto, welcoming and fresh outdoor environment suitable for summer periods. Parking available nearby

No space for lunch while the place was completely empty. Did not even let us drink something and feed our baby. Do not recommend.

Great place. The food is very tasty there. I go back there every time I go to Lugano. Grace

the best ribs I've ever eaten. small grottino but with every type of local dish you could wish for the place is nice, intimate and typical of a grotto, perhaps a little small, but unfortunately the space is what! price suitable for what they offer and also for the doses given (abundant) super recommended!

The best place to eat tacks, polenta, mushrooms and much more

Always at the top for quality and hospitality

The best snacks I've ever eaten, book early because it's always full

Excellent as always. We ate well and it was a relaxing evening. Kind and fast. We will definitely be back in the summer again.

Dinner based on Puntine potatoes or polenta of your choice, with the addition of mushrooms. Good wine and dinner or lunch served. To try, Panza Mia facts Capanna.

never eaten such good tacks.. 😍

There is nothing to say, the quality of the food is always at the TOP. The points are excellent, the welcome is good and the staff are friendly, of course the only flaw is that being a small place inside, finding a place and booking is a real challenge... Prices appropriate to the quality of the food offered.

The Grotto del Pep is certainly one of the most typical places in which to enjoy classic Ticinese cuisine. Located in Carabbia, immersed in the woods of Mount San Salvatore, it has a large terrace which in summer allows you to eat al fresco and surrounded by greenery. Milan and his family, who have been managing this grotto for years, offer a home-grown, infallible menu, which includes Puntine (pork ribs), baked kid, polenta and mushrooms and many other delicacies. The environment is rustic and very typical, with stone tables and benches, the wine, Merlot from Ticino, served in a cup and mixed with the soda. The outdoor grill is the center of the kitchen all year round, and works non-stop every day until closing. Booking a table is really difficult and you have to do it well in advance, but it's absolutely worth it. The menu offers appetizers such as mixed Ticino cold cuts, grilled or raw luganiga, büscion and Piora cheese. The second courses include the very famous ribs, kid, lamb chops, rabbit, braised meat and fillet served with polenta and mushrooms.

A heavenly place not just for the belly...

The perfect place for a dinner with friends, in a familiar and informal environment. The must is the meat!!

Excellent and plentiful ribs with chips

Nice atmosphere, good and plentiful food. Their grilled ribs are currently out of this world!!!!! you always have to book to find a free seat!!!! They also have a choice of Balkan wines. I recommend going

Poor quality meats, charred thumbtacks, it took 10 minutes to stop a waiter to ask for water.

We have always eaten inside, where space is limited, but I would like to have a good barbecue sooner or later on the external tables. We have been customers for a long time and we go there to eat the roast rabbit, superb, with polenta, mushrooms and roast potatoes 😋

Verry deliciouse, home maded food. Great staff and verry nice located a bit outside the town center close to the quite forest.

A point of reference in the Lugano area, exquisite and excellent quality venison saddle

The pork ribs and baked potatoes are excellent. Friendly staff.

Excellent meat and hospitality!

If you want to feel like you're in a mountain hearth, the Pep Cave is the place for you! Trees, nature and lots of quality. I recommend the pork ribs and the parpadelle with mushrooms

Grotto where they make the best tacks, the staff is also very courteous. Recommended!

...all very good...!...I only ate the ribs, a plate of mixed cured meats, a dessert! I paid 65._fr.... Well it seems a bit exaggerated to me

We ate very well even though the place was very full. The excellent ribs, the stratospheric mushrooms as well as the polenta and the braised meat. The only sore point in my opinion is the price of the desserts, the cost of a sorbet and a tiramisu (CHF 20) which wasn't even special was really excessive.

Excellent meat and plenty of it

Really excellent food, really good meat and pasta too, all quality products, good service, very friendly and welcoming, a really nice place.

Everything Excellent Very kind ladies Good and plentiful food

Excellent points and contours Excessive covers for the type of venue Friendly and prompt service

Grotto Ticinese among my favorites!!! The best meat in Ticino, I recommend ribs and kid! There is a nice place outside to eat in the summer. Reservation is strongly recommended. Prices in the Lugananese average

Exceptional points, the house Merlot then pairs perfectly. Typical Ticino grotto, rustic with good food. Friendly staff. Average prices.

A Swiss restaurant. The atmosphere is very nice. We ordered pasta with meat and a mushroom dish. The pasta is very delicious and the meat is fresh. I think mushrooms are considered a new and different dish, but I do not recommend it. The service is very fast and the employee is a bitter mother. The service is grilled meat, most of it is pork. Ask the employee beforehand.

Very nice crotto, delicious and plentiful dishes

The food is good, but the prices are exorbitant. 84 francs per person not even in a 5 star hotel

Everything is good from the thumbtacks to the polenta with mushrooms. Fast and courteous staff. To book it is best to call between 9 and 11.30 as it is then difficult for them to answer

The Grotto del Pep is always a guarantee. Divine pins. The staff is always friendly and attentive to your every request. Super recommended

Excellent Grotto, friendly and helpful staff, excellent ribs. Average price, excellent quality.

Loved the ribs, the set up and everything about this place! The kids loved the little park too.

Very friendly and nice staff, Superb needles to say the least, excellent price/quality ratio!!!!! I will return without a shadow of a doubt!!!

Excellent ribs! Cit i will definitely return! 100% 🥳🥳🥳

It is no coincidence that it is the best grotto in the Lugano area

As always welcoming, the staff are also attentive to the customer.

You can also eat well, but unfortunately the only possibility to reserve is by calling... and every time it rings busy or rings free and no one answers. I call 20 times at different times of the day and no one answers.. always rings free or busy. I try several days in a row and it's always the same story. Unacceptable... there should always be someone responsible for receiving phone calls. It definitely makes you want to go there. Sin

Excellent restaurant, fantastic pork ribs!!

Lovely place, easy to reach and magnificent staff. I ate the best ribs I could find in Ticino

A welcoming and friendly place with professional home cooking and very good quality and excellent price

A grotto that serves good dishes, including excellent ribs. Numerous outdoor tables and parking possibilities

Nice grotto above Lugano, friendly staff and good ribs The outside has several tables under the trees and there aren't too many mosquitoes

Excellent ribs, recommended place. Even during the week it is necessary to book because it is always full.

everything was delicious but... I haven't eaten such delicious ribs anywhere else!! I can only recommend it