Impronte - Bergamo

The restaurant is located not too much out of the city centre, less than 15 minutes on foot from our hotel, maybe 20 minutes from Citta Alta. The dinner service starts at 8 which can be a little inconvenient for those who would like to get an early start because the full menu will take about 4 hours even if you dont take your time. The restaurant itself is modern and airy, music at the right level and generally a very pleasant place to be. The Food We took the 10 course menu, there was no wait on account of the kitchen, all dishes arrived fast. We were especially impressed by the chefs idea of a caprese salad fluffy mozzarella with tomatoes and oregano seasoned just right, and the palate cleanser, a salty orange sorbet, which was a new taste combination for us, but very pleasing. The rest of the menu was mostly fine (the cheese selection was good and the recommended cheeses especially delicious) but in my opinion not all the tastes were presented in an ideal way, nor did all the chosen techniques work well for the dishes, I was especially confused about the frozen sauce on the liver, once melted, the tastes combined very well but the combination of physical hot and cold did not work for me. The others in the table were also very displeased with the sea urchin pasta as the taste and smell were very strong, perhaps even pungent (I wouldn't necessarily say this in a negative way myself). The dessert and petit fours were in a way the weakest group of the menu, not in the sense that they didn't taste good but the dessert lacked nuance and the petit fours tried to do a bit too much (and oddly at the same time too little) for what they should be. Overall for the food I think it could be worth a visit and the chef definitely has many interesting ideas, so I would give it four stars for the cooking. The Service At first the service seemed good and the servers were indeed polite and obliging but as the evening progressed some things went a bit awry. But the good things we didn't want the wine pairing as we had an early flight next morning so opted for just one bottle instead this was very well recommended and went well with many of the dishes. The servers also did a good introduction for every dish. However, to me it seemed that two servers (with no Maitre'd) was not enough for the room as they were constantly too busy, at this kind of a restaurant I would expect the water bottle to be refilled reactively, dirty dishes cleaned without delay and the wine and water glasses filled fast, none of these things were the case sadly my wineglass once empty was left empty and I was never asked if I wanted more (I think there actually was some left in the bottle we ordered but it was so difficult to get a server's attention that by the time they did come to our table it was late enough that I didn't want it any more), the water glasses were not filled in the course of the evening (only the water bottle replaced) and after several courses the dishes were cleaned only just before the next course. When they forgot my coffee, I had to try for several minutes before I was finally able to get any attention to remind them about it, and the coffee they brought was lukewarm by that time. So for the service I would give a low three stars but certainly not on account of the servers' behaviour but rather the organisation of the service. Maybe this level is intended (after all I can certainly fill my own water glass, I just wouldnt expect to have to) but it isn't what I would expect from a star restaurant. The Conclusion Honestly, I was slightly disappointed, especially comparing to my last Michelin experience in Italy (Esplanade in Desenzano) which was impeccable in every way. However, I think this restaurant could be a good experience, perhaps we were just unlucky or perhaps my expectations are simply too high.

We had been looking forward to visiting this restaurant for some time. Unfortunately we were disappointed with our experience. Although the food was good, it was uninspiring and we expected a much higher standard especially as it was expensive. If you are looking for a high end restaurant, there are better options available in Bergamo.

I was visiting my friends in Bergamo and sometime ago they have shared with me pictures of meals from this restaurant which made me curious. I also liked very much the story of the young chef, who originally was not planning to make cooking as his primary occupation but was in fact an electrician, who happened to suggest few ideas to one of the renowned chefs in a posh Parisian eatery while fixing wires in their kitchen. This humble man went through schooling with best French chefs and turned down multiple offers to join most famous cooking teams, saying I want to start a family and run my own restaurant in Bergamo , which is just 30mins driving distance from Milan. To be very honest, this all made me very eager to spend a lunch on Saturday at Impronte (Fingerprints) to explore more, with very high expectations. Minimalistic and eclectic design starts at the entrance with a fragile, colorful and headless ballerina mock, from reading the menu everything stands out as I want to try it all. The stuff encourages you to eat with your hands the very first meal to not destroy the fragile pieces when grabbing it with soulless tools. The representation of meals is outstanding, I have been to many restaurants around the world and usually fancy looks promise complex taste and trouble with digestion for 24 hours after. Here the taste of food walks along with the looks its clean, pristine and natural, as if coming directly from a Sicilian mom 's kitchen. The story behind each meal makes you think about the essence of life: the Sea and the Mountains, when you eat and do not know which parts of the meal are fish and which are animals. A tribute to artichoke is another meal worth mentioning, its about a man and a woman, as a philosophy of life, with all parts of the story to be eaten, from stem to leaves. This place is not a conventional dining, or all you can eat place. After 5 course menu plus desert it didn 't feel too full but satisfactory. Its a perfect place for spending 3 hours with friends and family or the first date to impress while learning about how restaurants will run in the future, about the philosophy of multicultural foods and the meaning of life.

Excellent food! impeccable service, excellent value for money.

Great group menu, light and gouty! we will return