Where to Eat in Folgaria: Da Ugo 2.0 for Canederli, Venison Ragù and Modern Trentino Cooking
Da Ugo 2.0 sits at Via Emilio Colpi 343, in the centre of Folgaria, and the “2.0” is not cosmetic. The restaurant grows out of a family tradition that has been rooted here since 1982, but the current menu pushes classic Trentino mountain cooking towards a cleaner, more contemporary register without abandoning what makes it local in the first place.
The backbone is still unmistakable: canederli, Vezzena DOP, carne salada, venison, Storo polenta, porcini, Trentingrana, Lagrein and Teroldego. But the plates are more composed than at a purely traditional trattoria, with combinations such as carne salada with Caesar sauce, rye or green pasta with venison ragù, purple gnocchi with Vezzena fondue, and veal cheek cooked with Lagrein and cocoa.
Our 2026 meal confirmed that the restaurant is at its best when it walks that line carefully. The mountain flavours are still there, but the kitchen is willing to sharpen them, lighten them or give them a more modern frame. Folgaria has no shortage of places where you can eat canederli and polenta; Da Ugo 2.0 is more interesting when it makes those familiar ingredients feel deliberate rather than automatic.
The Ugo 2.0 Board Is the Fastest Way into the House Style
The Tagliere Ugo 2.0 for two costs €34 and is one of the clearest introductions to the restaurant’s personality.
It brings together cooked speck, lardo di Colonnata, truffled wild-boar mortadella, venison ham, giardiniera, aged Vezzena and cheese with Lagrein. That is a broad spectrum of fat, smoke, game, acidity and mature dairy on one board.
The giardiniera matters more than it looks.
Without that acidity, the cured meats and cheeses could become tiring very quickly. With it, the plate keeps moving.
Tortel di Patate with Speck and Egg Feels Properly Trentino
The Tortel di Patate with plateau speck and soft egg costs €15.
This is one of the dishes that least needs reinterpretation. Potato brings the crisp-soft contrast, speck adds smoke and salt, while the egg gives the whole thing richness without turning it heavy.
It is exactly the kind of food that tastes more convincing in Folgaria than anywhere else.
And that matters.
Carne Salada Gets a More Contemporary Treatment
The carpaccio of carne salada costs €16, paired with Caesar sauce, walnuts and flakes of Vezzena.
This is a more modern plate than the name might suggest.
Carne salada already carries salinity and a firm texture, so the Caesar-style dressing adds creaminess and acidity while the Vezzena reinforces the Alpine character. Walnuts bring the crunch needed to stop the dish becoming too soft.
It is a good example of how Da Ugo 2.0 updates a regional ingredient without losing sight of it.
Cimbrian Canederli Are the Dish the Restaurant Should Be Judged On
The Canederli Cimbri cost €15, served with malga butter, crisp sage and Vezzena DOP.
This is one of the plates where restraint wins.
Bread dumplings do not need reinvention when the ingredients are right. Butter gives richness, sage adds perfume and Vezzena brings the savoury, slightly nutty depth that a generic hard cheese would never provide.
If you want one dish that explains where you are, this is it.
Porcini Tagliatelle Keep the Woodland Side Simple
The rustic tagliatelle with porcini sauce cost €17.
There is a temptation in mountain restaurants to pile truffle, cream and cheese onto porcini until the mushroom disappears. This plate is more interesting when the mushroom remains dominant.
Tagliatelle give enough surface to carry the sauce, while porcini bring the earthiness.
Nothing else needs to shout.
Purple Gnocchi with Vezzena and Guanciale Are More Playful
The purple gnocchi cost €18, with Vezzena fondue and Trentino guanciale.
This is one of the more overtly modern first courses.
The potato gnocchi provide softness, Vezzena brings depth and guanciale adds salt and crispness. The colour may catch the eye, but the balance depends on the fondue staying controlled.
Too much cheese and the dish becomes heavy.
The best version keeps the gnocchi recognisable.
Venison Ragù Is the Pasta We Would Order Again
The green tagliolini with venison ragù al Teroldego and toasted cashews cost €19.
This is one of the strongest dishes on the current menu.
Venison has enough character to stand up to red wine, while Teroldego gives the ragù a local frame rather than a generic braising base. The toasted cashews are a less traditional touch, but they add texture without distracting from the meat.
This is Da Ugo 2.0 in one plate: regional core, contemporary detail, no loss of identity.
Veal Cheek with Lagrein and Cocoa Is the Standout Main
The veal cheek with Lagrein, cocoa and Storo polenta costs €21.
This is a deep, slow-cooked dish but not a clumsy one.
Cheek benefits from long cooking because collagen melts into the sauce and gives the meat its glossy tenderness. Lagrein provides dark fruit and acidity, while cocoa deepens bitterness rather than sweetness when used with restraint.
Storo polenta is exactly what should sit underneath.
Anything fancier would miss the point.
Venison with Storo Polenta Keeps the Mountain Profile Direct
The venison bites with Storo polenta cost €22.
This is a more direct route than the veal cheek.
Venison brings leaner, darker meat and a stronger wild flavour, while polenta gives softness and absorbs the cooking juices.
The success depends on keeping the venison tender.
Game does not forgive overcooking.
Pork Shank Is the Comfort Order
The low-temperature pork shank with roast potatoes costs €23.
This is classic mountain comfort food.
Long cooking softens the meat, while the exterior needs enough browning to keep the dish from becoming one long soft texture. Roast potatoes do exactly what they should and nothing more.
It is not the most distinctive plate on the menu, but on a cold Folgaria evening it makes perfect sense.
Venison Chops Bring More Precision
The venison chops with Teroldego reduction cost €29.
This is the main course with the clearest fine-dining ambition.
Unlike a braise, chops expose timing immediately. The meat needs colour outside and juiciness inside, while the Teroldego reduction should sharpen rather than sweeten the plate.
It is a more elegant way to eat game and a good choice if the table has already gone heavy on canederli or fondue.
The Grill Keeps One Foot outside Tradition
The menu also includes Irish beef Fiorentina at €6 per 100g and tagliata with rocket and Grana at €23.
These dishes broaden the appeal, but they are not where we would spend our first meal.
Folgaria gives you more interesting opportunities than generic grilled beef, and Da Ugo 2.0’s regional dishes are simply more distinctive.
Wine Pairings
Cimbrian Canederli: Elisabetta Foradori Fontanasanta Nosiola — fresh, mineral and restrained enough for butter, sage and Vezzena.
Venison Tagliolini: Foradori Teroldego — dark fruit, acidity and spice follow the venison without flattening it.
Veal Cheek with Lagrein: Muri-Gries Lagrein Riserva — savoury depth and firm structure make sense beside long-cooked meat and cocoa.
Desserts Know When to Stay Familiar
The dessert list includes apple fritters with vanilla ice cream at €7, classic tiramisù at €7, apple strudel with vanilla sauce at €7, pistachio-lemon semifreddo at €8, mango-passion-fruit cheesecake at €8 and yogurt mousse with berry crumble at €7.
The apple strudel is still the most natural ending.
Apple, pastry and vanilla belong in this setting and provide enough sweetness without trying to restart the meal.
The apple fritters are the more indulgent alternative.
The Stube Still Matters
Da Ugo 2.0 keeps the classic mountain visual language: wood, Alpine details and a stube-style dining room. The setting is warm rather than polished, and that suits the food much better than a sleek contemporary interior would.
During our 2026 visit, the room helped the meal feel coherent rather than themed. The modern details were on the plate; the dining room stayed rooted in Folgaria.
That contrast is one of the restaurant’s strengths.
Service, Atmosphere and Prices
Da Ugo 2.0 serves lunch and dinner daily, generally from 12:00 to 14:30 and 19:00 to 21:30.
The pricing remains measured for the level of detail in the cooking: starters €15–€34, first courses €14–€19, main courses €17–€29, desserts €7–€8, with the larger sharing board at €34 and Fiorentina priced by weight.
A meal of carne salada (€16), venison tagliolini (€19) and strudel (€7) comes to €42 before drinks.
For central Folgaria, that places Da Ugo 2.0 in a particularly attractive middle ground: more ambitious than a basic mountain trattoria, but still recognisably grounded in substantial regional cooking.
Useful Information
- Address: Via Emilio Colpi 343, 38064 Folgaria, Trentino
- Area: Central Folgaria / pedestrian centre
- Cuisine: Contemporary Trentino and Alpine
- Family history: Managed by the Leitempergher family since 1982
- Style: Traditional mountain stube with a more contemporary menu
- Dishes to look for: Canederli Cimbri, porcini tagliatelle, venison tagliolini, veal cheek with Lagrein, venison with Storo polenta
- Local ingredients: Vezzena DOP, carne salada, speck, Storo polenta, venison, Teroldego and Lagrein
- Starters: €15–€34
- First courses: €14–€19
- Main courses: €17–€29
- Desserts: €7–€8
- Lunch: 12:00–14:30
- Dinner: 19:00–21:30
- Telephone: +39 0464 721141
- Best for: Trentino classics with a modern edge, game and a substantial mountain dinner in central Folgaria
Our Rating of Da Ugo 2.0
Food: 9.2/10
Traditional ingredients are given more precision without losing their mountain identity.
Antipasti: 9.1/10
Carne salada, tortel and the Ugo 2.0 board combine local products with enough contrast to stay lively.
First Courses: 9.4/10
Canederli and venison tagliolini are the strongest section of the menu.
Game: 9.4/10
Venison is handled across ragù, braise and chops with enough variety to avoid repetition.
Meat: 9.2/10
Veal cheek with Lagrein is the standout, while pork shank keeps the comfort-food side intact.
Regional Identity: 9.4/10
Vezzena, Storo polenta, Teroldego and Alpine game keep the menu firmly rooted in Trentino.
Desserts: 8.9/10
Classics such as strudel and apple fritters remain the best fit.
Wine Pairing Potential: 9.2/10
Trentino and Alto Adige grapes naturally complement the richer meat and cheese dishes.
Service: 9/10
Informal and suited to the warm, family-run setting.
Atmosphere: 9.2/10
The wooden stube gives the more contemporary plates the right mountain backdrop.
Value for Money: 9.2/10
The current pricing is strong for a restaurant combining local products with more polished execution.
Overall Rating: 9.2/10
