After numerous stays and frequent walks past the Villa Lido, I allowed myself to try this restaurant today. It was a pleasant Thursday with a temperature of around 26 degrees - the best conditions to try an Italian restaurant.

The menu is easily available online on their homepage www.villa-lido.at It varies from Italian and Mediterranean to European cuisine. In reviews, the restaurant receives 4 and 4,5 out of 5 points for the kitchen and furnishings. I have personally seen the restaurant three times in the last 10 years and can hardly see any positive development in its image. It remains nice and clean, the outside furnishings could use a freshen up. The interior of the restaurant is rather old-fashioned, a bit outdated, but very nice and elegant. The service and quality only achieve 3,5 out of 5 points.

First, our reservation for a table by the lake was lost. Fortunately, there was hardly anything going on, but if the opposite had happened, we would have had to wait for a table to become available and that can take an extremely long time towards the weekend. Does something like this have to happen in 2024 despite a reservation? The waitress hurried us through the selection of drinks with her stressed posture and pointed out the wasp problem. If this problem is already being discussed in the media, such a well-known restaurant should take precautionary measures for its guests in this regard. After the drinks were served, several wasps came immediately and as a customer I had to get myself a beer mat to cover my glass. Even a small gesture of bringing these beer mats when serving the drinks so that wasps do not dive into the wine glasses would be desirable and preventative.

The menu mainly features Italian dishes such as pizza and pasta. I only found European cuisine in the area of ​​homemade pastries. None of the desserts were lactose-free, wheat-free or vegan. These days it is important for restaurants to adapt to the increasing intolerances and allergies of potential guests. They also had no lactose-free alternatives for hot drinks. Even for cold drinks, the restaurant did not have homemade syrup or house lemonade. It is precisely with such little things as homemade syrup that I feel at ease as a customer and I look forward to visiting this restaurant. Only eight of 19 pages had pictures of food.

Only three vegan dishes

 I think it's ridiculous to offer pizza pane, pizza bread and various vegetable salads as vegan dishes in the 21st century. In Carinthia in particular, access to freshwater fish is easy, but the menu only included three fish dishes. People's desire to travel is increasing again after the pandemic and as a result, the food and the creativity of the menus should also evolve. Dear gastronomy, just have the COURAGE to try something new and daring. People long for new taste experiences. The seasonal menu is a good but unsuccessful attempt to spice up the restaurant's image.

My personal experience in this report relates to the chanterelle soup, which was really excellent. It spread a well-seasoned chanterelle cheese note on the palate with extra croutons served in a bowl. The price of 7,90 euros was more than fair. On the other hand, the experience with the chanterelle quinoa salmon avocado bowl was very sobering. I have never eaten such a poorly seasoned dish in my life. There was not even a drop of lemon on the salmon, the chanterelles were not seasoned, the quinoa was very dry, the pesto was nowhere to be found in the dish, only three small slices of avocado and the amount of sour cream was extremely sparing. I would not have been able to eat the dish without two 0,25 liter glasses of water. The amount of salmon was generous when we consider the price of salmon at the market. I estimate around 250 grams of salmon. The price for this dish was 18,90 euros. Personally, I would advise against this bowl in Villa Lido. You're better off in an Asian restaurant or a typical bowl restaurant.

My last attempt at a main course was the fried salmon trout fillet with a chanterelle risotto. The appearance of the dish convinced me at first, because the trout was beautifully fried and the risotto was golden brown with yellow mushrooms. I was very sad to discover that the fish was salted far too much and the risotto's attempt to compensate for this mistake by balancing the taste of the dish failed.

Conclusion: For drinks yes, food rather not

I can highly recommend this place for a spritzer, cocktail or wine in a dreamy setting of the green and clear Wörtersee with lots of freshwater fish on the shore. I would advise against fish dishes. The service was unmotivated, forgetful and you can expect a long wait. I could imagine trying a pizza or pasta in the future. They offer gluten-free options, which is very commendable. However, I hope that these dishes really do not come into contact with foods rich in wheat. If I were to go by the enthusiasm of our waitress, I am not sure whether the gluten-free guidelines for preparing the dishes are perhaps also reflected in the chefs.

My conclusion: Please avoid the fish dishes, please try the pizza and pasta and post how they were. For a nice drink with friends, family or colleagues, this place with its breathtaking ambience is definitely recommended. Please don't forget to think of an alternative in case they forget your reservation and bring plenty of patience and time with you.

Carpie Diem and Namaste, dear readers!

Your Angelika Evergreen