The story
Grotto della Salute sits at Via dei Sindacatori 2A in Massagno, a few minutes from central Lugano, and earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2026 for good quality, good value cooking. The contemporary, Mediterranean-leaning kitchen works from a Ticinese base. The house has been here since 1893.
Fabio Barbaglini has run the kitchen since 2022. He started in lakeside kitchens on Lake Maggiore at 14, worked in several starred restaurants abroad, and opened Caffè Groppi in Trecate at 23 (it won a Michelin star in 2003). Gault&Millau gave the restaurant 13 points in 2026 and noted how he reinterprets grotto classics rather than repeating them.
The Casoncelli del Grotto, Bergamo-style ravioli filled with meat and sausage and finished with diced pancetta and Parmigiano, is the dish the guide singles out. The veal liver, served as a paper-thin carpaccio with egg and mustard sauce, is another house signature. Older favorites are still on the menu: braised beef cheek with red wine and polenta from the Mulino di Maroggia, and meatballs in roast gravy with soft mashed potatoes.
The list runs to more than 350 labels from Ticino, Italy and France. Host Gianalberto Meregalli has steered it away from big names toward small producers.
The restaurant stands in a quiet garden, with stepped terraces for outdoor tables and separate rooms for private dinners and events.
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good quality, good value cooking
Just because it says "Grotto" doesn't mean it has to be a traditional one. This is already evident from the cars parked haphazardly in the alleys in front of the "Salute": Porsches and Rolls-Royces, Ferraris and Lamborghinis all make an appearance here. True, the vast restaurant with its stepped terraces, located somewhat away from central Lugano, does feature a few classics on the menu: brasato with red wine sauce and polenta. XXL portions of meatballs with gravy and mashed potatoes. Torta della nonna for dessert. But Lugano's wealthy, beautiful, and high-society patrons come above all thanks to chef Fabio Barbaglini, who knows how to do things differently. For instance, with his skillful reinterpretation of two classics: the "Fegato di vitello secondo tradizione del Grotto," which is essentially paper-thin veal liver carpaccio served with a refined egg and mustard sauce. Or the "Capretto," a trendy hamburger served with zucchini fritters. The real hit on the menu, however, is the "Casoncelli del Grotto": ravioli in the Bergamo style, elegantly presented, stuffed with meat and sausage, and topped with diced pancetta and Parmigiano. Host Gianalberto Meregalli curates the venerable wine cellar: "We have moved away from big-name labels and now focus on small producers from Ticino, Italy, and France.
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