---
type: "Article"
title: "Locanda Barbarossa – farm to table in Switzerland’s Castello del Sole restaurant"
description: "In the gourmet restaurant Locanda Barbarossa they put all the ingredients together, the result is a whole menu of locally-sourced cuisine."
resource: "https://travelmemo.com/switzerland/locanda-barbarossa-restaurant-castello-del-sole"
author: "Walter Schaerer"
publisher: "Travelmemo"
photo_count: 14
tags: ["Dinner", "Gourmet", "Relais & Châteaux", "Restaurant", "Swiss Deluxe Hotels", "Switzerland"]
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  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/restaurant"
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  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/lake"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/luxury-travel"
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  - "https://travelmemo.com/author/walter-schaerer"
generated: { by: "human:https://travelmemo.com/author/walter-schaerer", at: 2026-07-05T18:03:21+00:00 }
verified:
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sources:
  - id: photos
    resource: locanda-barbarossa-restaurant-castello-del-sole.md#photos
    title: "Original photography by Walter Schaerer"
    author: "human:https://travelmemo.com/author/walter-schaerer"
timestamp: 2026-07-05T18:03:21+00:00
---

# Locanda Barbarossa – farm to table in Switzerland’s Castello del Sole restaurant

> Locanda Barbarossa is the gourmet restaurant of Castello del Sole luxury hotel in Ascona, Switzerland, distinguished by an extreme farm-to-table philosophy where chef Mattias Roock sources nearly every ingredient—from rice and asparagus to wild garlic and quail—from the hotel's own Terreni alla Maggia estate and the surrounding Ticino region.

## Destination
Castello del Sole Hotel, Via Muraccio 142, 6612 Ascona, Switzerland.

## Why visit
Chef Mattias Roock (17 Gault Millau points) takes hyperlocal cuisine to an uncommon extreme, growing or foraging almost everything on or near the hotel grounds, hand-collecting Maggia River stones to plate dishes on, and personally trekking into remote valleys to source rare ingredients like Nera Verzasca kid.

## What to see
- **Terreni alla Maggia estate** — The hotel's own farmland on the Maggia Delta where grapes, asparagus, polenta corn, rice, and yuzu lemons are grown.
- **Hotel parklands** — Spacious grounds where wild garlic grows freely and is harvested directly by the kitchen team.

## What to do
- **Dine on the 'Sapori del Nostro Orto' tasting menu** — A full locally-sourced menu including amuse bouche on handpicked Maggia stones, Lake Maggiore trout, Magadino quail essence, Loto risotto, and Verzasca Valley gitzi kid.
- **Pair dishes with Terreni alla Maggia wines** — Estate wines such as the 2014 Castagneto Chardonnay and 2011 Querceto Merlot are served alongside the menu.
- **Stay at the hotel's remote mountain rustico cottage** — An off-site rural retreat recommended for guests seeking additional local immersion.

## Good to know
Othmar Schlegel, the previous chef who earned 18 Gault Millau points at Locanda Barbarossa, retired in early 2017 and was succeeded by Mattias Roock, who came from the Kempinski St. Moritz and brought pastry chef David Potier with him. A 20-year-old vinegar sourced from a private producer in Losone is used in the dessert course.

## Photos

```yaml
photos:
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Locanda-Barbarossa-restaurant-Castello-del-Sole-Switzerland-6.jpg"
    caption: "Long dining table in Locanda Barbarossa"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Locanda-Barbarossa-restaurant-Castello-del-Sole-Switzerland-7.jpg"
    caption: "Set dining table"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Locanda-Barbarossa-restaurant-Castello-del-Sole-Switzerland-8.jpg"
    caption: "Table decoration by the house florist"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Locanda-Barbarossa-restaurant-Castello-del-Sole-Switzerland-14.jpg"
    caption: "Chef in his element: wild garlic growing on the hotel grounds Photo © Mattias Roock"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Locanda-Barbarossa-restaurant-Castello-del-Sole-Switzerland.jpg"
    caption: "Amuse bouche on a Maggia stone"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Locanda-Barbarossa-restaurant-Castello-del-Sole-Switzerland-9.jpg"
    caption: "Appetizer: Lake trout from Lago Maggiore with cucumber, yogurt, radish and yuzu"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Locanda-Barbarossa-restaurant-Castello-del-Sole-Switzerland-2.jpg"
    caption: "Soup ingredients before adding the Magadino essence of quail: wild herbs, agnolotti, and peas. Love those peas!"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Locanda-Barbarossa-restaurant-Castello-del-Sole-Switzerland-3.jpg"
    caption: "Local Loto Risotto, green aspargus, white Merlot, Alp Piora cheese. On a Maggia stone..."
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Locanda-Barbarossa-restaurant-Castello-del-Sole-Switzerland-15.jpg"
    caption: "Executive Chef Mattias Roock (right) with gitzi farmer (middle) in Valle VerzascaPhoto © Mattias Roock"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Locanda-Barbarossa-restaurant-Castello-del-Sole-Switzerland-11.jpg"
    caption: "Kid from the Verzasca Nera goat on wild garlic, red polenta and onions"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Locanda-Barbarossa-restaurant-Castello-del-Sole-Switzerland-10.jpg"
    caption: "Chef Patissier David Potier prepping dishes of rhubarb dessert. With a shot of 20-year old vinegar!"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Locanda-Barbarossa-restaurant-Castello-del-Sole-Switzerland-4.jpg"
    caption: "Dessert of rhubarb with vinegar from Losone, tarte, glace and ragout"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Locanda-Barbarossa-restaurant-Castello-del-Sole-Switzerland-5.jpg"
    caption: "Friandises with the coffee"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Locanda-Barbarossa-restaurant-Castello-del-Sole-Switzerland-16.jpg"
    caption: "Walter Schärer and Executive Chef Mattias Roock"
```